Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to join our team in the United Arab Emirates for a transformative STEAM day at Cambridge International School, Abu Dhabi. Sixty enthusiastic learners from grades 5 to 7 were divided into teams of four, all with one exciting mission: to go from little or no coding experience to programming their own Micro:bit cars. The challenge? Using infrared sensors, the cars had to autonomously navigate and race around our "Mars base" track.

What struck me the most was the students' enthusiasm. Despite their diverse backgrounds, their excitement transcended borders. In those moments, it was clear—kids are the same everywhere. They are curious, eager to learn, and determined to succeed, no matter the challenge.

A major highlight of the day was the professional development workshop we hosted for the entire staff. Watching educators actively engage with the content was both inspiring and energising. Though time was short, many teachers stayed beyond the scheduled session, eager to keep learning. It was a powerful reminder of the universal desire for growth, not just among students but educators as well.

We were fortunate to have a great team of educators supporting us throughout the day. Afterward, some of them shared their thoughts:

“Thank you for being here, and thank you for hosting a STEAM day at our school. It’s really been a pleasure having you guys in and doing all of this work for us. It makes me want to do more and more.”  

— Liezl Stevens, HOD ICT, and Computer Sciences

“The kids were beyond excited, and I was more excited than the kids! I’ve always been interested in robotics, and I really want to use that passion to inspire the students. The future lies in innovation, in days like today.”  

— Simon Streicher, Science Teacher & Key Stage 3 Coordinator

“The primary students were just amazing. They all loved it so much, especially our Year 5s, who had never done coding in school before. At first, they were nervous, but now they’ve gone home with such confidence in themselves.”  

— Claire Harrington, ICT Coordinator

In both the classroom and the workshop, it was clear: STEAM education has the potential to ignite curiosity and drive innovation worldwide. Days like these make me incredibly optimistic about the future of coding and robotics in schools.