LUDLOW MP Philip Dunne is encouraging secondary schools in South Shropshire to sign up to receive BBC micro:bits.

The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized, codeable computer designed to bring to life the new computing curriculum and help get children as comfortable and excited about creating new technologies as they are consuming them.

Students in the new year seven or equivalent are eligible to receive a micro:bit.

“As technology becomes ever more important in our lives, the ability to code is an increasingly desirable skill,” said Philip Dunne.

“Technology offers vast potential to the UK economy, through both new innovative tech products produced by UK entrepreneurs and building more integrated systems for products we already use daily.

“Now is the time to encourage children to take up coding, so they possess these skills for the future. So I am writing to all secondary schools in the Ludlow Constituency to encourage them to sign up and access BBC micro:bits, and help their pupils learn to write computer code in a practical and engaging way.”

More information is available at www.microbit.co.uk.