FUZE Coding & Games Workshop
The perfect, after-school activity to enhance digital skills, learn to code and improve confidence.
The FUZE Centre offers a welcoming, friendly and relaxed environment in which students can learn the fundamentals of coding guided by expert tutors and fun, engaging projects.
Join like-minded students with similar interests and build projects together, build social confidence and make new friends, harness your fascination with video games and develop your ability in this increasingly important field.
We also have a variety of retro and modern games to play and enjoy, approaching them inquisitively and mechanically – gaining inspiration and changing the way your child engages with video games as a whole.
All learning is done using FUZE4 Nintendo Switch – an application we created which teaches you how to code, and allows you to create and share your very own games and projects. FUZE4 Nintendo Switch can also be purchased on the Nintendo eShop so anyone owning one can continue their projects at home.
Accessibility notice:
The FUZE Centre is situated on the first floor and so has a flight of stairs to contend with. It is therefore, and very unfortunately, not wheelchair friendly.
FUZE Workshops consist of a full day of learning to code using a real text-based programming application 'FUZE4 Nintendo Switch' developed by ourselves specifically for beginners and young coders. The activities are tailored to ability levels so each student will progress at their own pace. This allows us to cater for mixed aged groups and abilities.
For example, a beginner to FUZE will be introduced to basic concepts such as Loops, Variables and If Statements. During their first day they will generally achieve something along the lines of a simple game.
As these concepts become more understood, the attendee will be challenged to enhance their understanding with different projects gradually increasing in complexity. They will be introduced to more advanced coding concepts such as Arrays, Functions, Structures & Sprites all in the context of making simple games.
FUZE Workshops change the way your child engages with the digital world, fostering deeper understanding of the games and applications that surround them.
Our content is created with KS2 & KS3 curriculum in mind. We are very focused on this particular issue.
Our method of teaching fundamental coding concepts in a gaming mechanics context is simply to ensure a high level of engagement and interest. All concepts learned are highly transferable to 'real-world' programming situations.
'Sorting and searching data tables’ in a real-world programming language and making it relatable to a nine-year-old is challenging and loses engagement and enthusiasm.
On the other hand, turn this task in to writing a quiz game, personalised by the students interests and with an emphasis on creative and expressive writing, and this becomes a fun and challenging project. They still end up learning how to create and search data tables!
Additionally, it’s not just about the coding. Creating simple games provides a great deal of scope for creative expression. This can be in the form of writing a quiz or a story, or by creating the graphics and sounds for games they are working on. This is something we actively encourage.
If your child already has a Nintendo Switch then they are very welcome to bring it with them to use. However, we cannot be held accountable for damage or theft in such cases.
Our software, FUZE4 Nintendo Switch, does need to be installed. We offer this at a discount (£9.99 instead of £12.99) to FUZE Workshop attendees and will help install and configure it on their device.
During break times we provide retro and modern games for hands-on play-time with games from the early days of home computing. This is also done to promote inspiration for ideas and questions by showing the concepts they are learning applied in a real world context.
The day starts at 9:00am and finishes at 15:30pm. A packed lunch is required.
If there are any special requirements (SEN / ASD) please let us know in advance so we can best accommodate.