A schools programme which teaches technology and digital skills is helping primary pupils in West Dunbartonshire become keyboard whizz-kids.

The lessons aim to help children aged between five and 11 develop basic computing skills and computational thinking across all subjects.

The BT-sponsored Barefoot Computing programme, which offers free, classroom-ready teaching resources, has already reached nearly 70 per cent of Scotland’s primary schools - including some in West Dunbartonshire.

New figures show that teachers from 69 per cent of primary schools in Scotland – a total of more than 6,700 teachers so far – have registered to use the programme.

Launched in 2017 in Scotland, the free downloadable resources and materials have been tailored to the Scottish curriculum and have been backed by the Scottish Government.

They are designed to help primary school teachers across Scotland, some of whom may not have specialist computing knowledge.

The resources, available in English and Gaelic, promote problem-solving, creativity and collaboration among pupils.

Barefoot volunteers, including BT employees, have now delivered more than 500 free workshops for teachers across Scotland to introduce them to the resources.

Alan Armstrong, strategic director at Education Scotland, said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved in the BT tech literacy programme for working with us on this journey as we raise standards in our transformational curriculum.

“Digital skills are at the heart of our Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland, because it’s crucial our learners have the tools and capabilities they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

"I look forward to continuing to work with BT to make these attractive and supportive resources accessible to all schools in Scotland.”

Jane Wood, BT Group UK nations and regions director, said: “I’m incredibly proud of how many teachers and children have been involved in the Barefoot programme and benefitted from the fantastic resources available.

“Increasingly, most jobs rely on people having digital skills. By 2022 the UK will need an additional 500,000 workers in digital industries, which is three times the number of computer science graduates the UK has produced in the last 10 years."

The Barefoot resources not only deliver important tech skills, but also life skills.

Teachers and parents can find more information and get the free resources at https://barefootcomputing.org