Local families gather at Chesterton Community College to celebrate launch of kids coding studio

On Saturday 7th May, local children and their loved ones gathered at Chesterton Community College to celebrate the launch of a brand-new kids coding studio. Launched by local dad-of-two, Elan Chandrasekaran, Code Ninjas brings children together through a love of coding and gaming. And this weekend’s grand opening party provided a great reason to celebrate!

“We’ve been inundated with enquiries since we opened our doors last month and to see so many familiar faces on the day of our launch party really showed how far we’ve come,” explained software specialist and IT guru Elan. “It was wonderful to welcome our Ninjas, the name we give our students, their families, loved ones and other guests – over 200 people joined us throughout the day. I’m very proud to be a business owner in my own community and to be delivering fun and collaborative sessions to children living locally. With two children of my own, I know only too well how in demand kids coding is. What child doesn’t want to learn how to build their own robot or create their own video game?”

Code Ninjas is the first kids coding studio of its kind in Cambridgeshire and, as proven by the success of Saturday’s launch event, a much-needed addition to the city of Cambridge. With an appearance from the Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Cambridge, Councillor Russ McPherson, who kicked off proceedings with the official ribbon-cutting, the community is keen to support Elan in his new venture.

“This is a real passion project of mine – simply put, I love this community and I feel it’s important that children with an interest in coding and gaming have somewhere safe and welcoming they can come and just be themselves. Not all children are interested in sports or playing a musical instrument, some love computer games and problem-solving. Code Ninjas is a collaborative and exciting environment where they can come and explore that interest, with a team of dedicated Code SenseisÔ - our instructors – to guide them. It is because of this passion that I plan on hosting sessions for children with special educational needs, so we can adapt the schedule and surroundings to ensure they feel comfortable and welcomed. This is something I plan on doing this year,” added Elan.

Since hosting his launch event on Saturday, Elan and his family have been overwhelmed by the positive response from parents.

One parent was particularly impressed with the range of activities on offer, saying “The iPad games for the younger children seemed really enjoyable and the Lego robots were interesting. The Senseis were great with the children.” Another guest thanked Elan and his team for their professionalism on the day. “Thank you so much for a brilliant session. The kids had a great time with a fabulous, energetic and friendly team.”

And for budding Ninjas, the day certainly didn’t disappoint! One child said, “I had so much fun, especially using the CodeSpark programme which I was able to spend a lot of time on. I also got to play with a Rubik’s Cube scrambler and a robotics toy, called Sphero Bolt, which was impressive!”

Now that the studio on is open and ready to welcome ninjas from across the region, local children work towards achieving the highest Code Ninjas’ honour of becoming a black belt!

“We’re here to guide the children of Cambridge through our exciting curriculum and truly put the east on the map for kids coding education,” said Elan.

On the second Sunday of every month, Elan is offering local children the chance to try one hour of coding for free. To sign up or find out more about Code Ninjas, visit: www.codeninjas.co.uk/cambridge-cam-uk