Up and Running for Down Under

From the Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Mercury, 17th March 2000

Hoddesdon primary school children are at the forefront of helping to develop new software for a Western Australian company. Jean du Buisson and Bronwyn McCormack, representatives of the Fun-Ed team in Perth, visited Roselands Primary School on Thursday and Friday. This was after the company directors were put in touch with the High Wood Road school via the Nuffield Foundation, a science and technology organization in London. Eight children aged seven to nine at the High Wood Road school were taught about the CD Rom game Sucked In that the company hopes to release later this year.

The game will include graphics, storylines, as well as maths games and concepts based on the curriculum, and the children have formed the junior advisory board. They will test games as well as learn about computer games and the children are encouraged to put forward ideas to the Fun-Ed team.

Jane Carson, the school's head teacher, said: "The company was looking for a British School and I understand an IT consultant recommended us to the Nuffield Foundation. "Over the next few months the children are going to test games and have their ideas incorporated into a game. "They will correspond by e-mail with the Fun-Ed team in Western Australia as well as a school there. She added: "We are also hoping to correspond with a school in America later in the year. We are excited about being part of such a development."