Computer science students visit Sheffield Hallam University to experience high-tech sports technologyÂ

Nearly 50 pupils from Tapton School in Crosspool, spent the day at Sheffield Hallam University with Dr Sarah Churchill, a leading sports scientist who has worked with governing bodies and elite teams to enhance track and field performance. 

The Year 9 students, who are aged between 13 and 14, are studying a newly launched computer science course, designed on funded by the David and Jane Richards Family Foundation, a charity set up to educate, empower and improve the lives of children.

On the day, the pupils experienced the same high-tech equipment that researchers at the university use with elite athletes and professional teams.

The equipment measures abilities and fitness, gathering data points about movement such as force, jump height, jump distance and explosive strength. 

Dr Churchill encouraged the children to consider what makes '˜good data', showing them how to both capture and question it. 

She said: 'I was impressed with the ideas they came up with, which showed a great level of knowledge, understanding and detail. Their questions were of a standard you might expect from some undergraduates.

'We wanted to show the pupils how data can be applied in the real world. Learning how to analyse data does not mean you can only become a data analyst. It means you can broaden your horizons because data analysis can be applied to anything and everything.'

SCHOOL FOCUS: Meynell Primary

Sheffield-born David Richards, founder and chief executive of software company and data specialist WANdisco, set up the DRJFF with wife Jane, donating £1million towards the advancement of computing and ecology education in state schools and the advancement of environmental protection and improvement.

His old school, Tapton, was the first to benefit from a new curriculum which introduces pupils to things such as team-building, data and predictions, statistics, sports analytics, algorithms and many more relevant and practical topics.

Speaking of the day, Mr Richards said: 'We were delighted with the positive feedback from Sarah and her team at Sheffield Hallam University, which we believe shows that our new computer science course is starting to have an impact.

'We passionately believe in introducing young people to the possibilities of new technologies, especially in real-world settings where they can see its power to achieve positive change.

'We would like to thank Sheffield Hallam University for taking the time to host the visit and we look forward to developing a strong working relationship with this great institution.'

The curriculum started at Tapton School in September 2018 and will be rolled out to other schools in the future.

The foundation is also supporting the installation and running costs of beehives and bee colonies at a number of state schools in Sheffield, starting with Wisewood Primary School in Wisewood.