Staffordshire University London recently hosted a series of technical workshops as part of the East Summer School, in partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and other companies based at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over three days. The summer programme was a vibrant blend of creativity, learning, and growth, designed exclusively for young people aged 12-17 who live or attend school in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest. Each day, students experienced life on campus, with sessions running daily from 10:00am to 3:00pm. This unique opportunity allowed local students to engage in interactive sessions and extra-curricular activities aimed to inspire and educate the next generation of tech enthusiasts.
East Summer School provides an environment where young people can explore their interests and develop new skills. LLDC oversees the development and management of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, fostering community engagement and support in surrounding boroughs. Since, 2018 the organisation has provided young people across East London, with the opportunity to sign up to free unique, interactive, and high-quality taster sessions at higher education institutions and other companies based on the iconic park. Last year, the organisation delivered their biggest programme with 37 courses delivered by 22 partners and reached more than 270 young East Londoners.
Renea Henry-Kemp, Community Engagement Manager at LLDC who organises the events stated, “My main objective for this year’s summer school was to demonstrate inclusive access to a stimulating learning environment and to expose local talent to the emerging opportunities at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. By involving esteemed educational institutions like Staffordshire University London along with UCL, LCF, Sadler’s Wells and community-invested partners we are able to present the power of collaboration and tap into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park network.”
She continued, “It’s about creating an equitable pathway for local talent to thrive and seize the opportunities that lie ahead. Beyond the partnerships we’ve built young voices play a vital role in the co-design process, ensuring the programme meets the needs of their age group. This collaboration helps guarantee that our outcomes are not only consistent but also sustainable, providing lasting benefits for all involved.”
Over the course of three days, participants were taught by our expert academics and excellent student ambassadors, fostering a collaborative and stimulating atmosphere. The diverse range of workshops included a crash course into games development, where students had the opportunity to take part in 3D modelling, as well as building and playtesting levels using Unreal Engine. Also, the students had the opportunity to build their own website and navigate platforms such as Linux, and delving into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Each of these courses were designed to ignite curiosity and creativity among the attendees.
Lecturer in Computer Science and Cyber Security, Samuel Onalo, emphasised the broader benefits of these activities, “East Summer School is a great extracurricular activity that undoubtedly holds tremendous benefits for all learners! The exposure to topics, and subjects that are not usually featured in the learning curriculum of the student helps to broaden student’s horizon, break mental barriers and provide a rounded mental and social development for the student. This helps to empower students with increased academic performance potential and better career prospects.”
The East Summer School offered a comprehensive and immersive programme designed to equip students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in computing and games development. With each day meticulously crafted to build upon the previous one, participants were guided through a progressive learning experience. The schedule was crafted to ensure a balance between foundational understanding and hands-on application, providing a well-rounded educational journey. A breakdown of the day-to-day activities included:
Computing – Summer School
Day 1 – Computing: Core Concepts
The first day began with introductory workshops on HTML and CSS, the foundational languages for web development. Participants led by lecturers Dr Samuel Onalo and Dr Viraj Dawarka delved into creating web structures using elements and tags, styling content through text formatting and basic syntax, designing responsive layouts with Flexbox, and integrating stylesheets using CSS linking.
Day 2 – Computing: Powering Your Online Presence
The second day of the summer school introduced participants to JavaScript and the fundamentals of web hosting and domains. Students explored the dynamic capabilities of JavaScript, learning how to create interactive elements through document object model (DOM) manipulation and basic algorithms. Simultaneously, students also gained essential knowledge about making websites accessible online, including understanding different hosting types and domain registration.
Day 3 - Computing: Optimising for Success
The final day of the summer school focused on website optimisation, with a deep dive into creating responsive and mobile-friendly designs. Students culminated their learning by building their own websites, showcasing their newfound skills in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This hands-on project allowed participants to demonstrate their progress throughout the three-day course.
Games Development – Summer School
Day 1 – Games Development: Kick-off with Creativity
The week began with a series of creative workshops, focusing on asset creation through utilising 3DS Max and Blender. These software applications used primarily for 3D modelling, animation and rendering are industry standard and traditionally used in games development, television and film! The participants delved into creating digital renders of objects, led by lecturers, Panagiotis Markopoulos and Oliver Rippon, these sessions aimed to encourage students to express themselves and explore new artistic techniques.
Day 2 – Games Development: Real-Time Rendering
On the second day, the focus shifted to learning about UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite), a PC application for designing, developing and publishing games and experiences directly into Fortnite. The workshops allowed students to create custom content with modelling and material tools, build landscapes to create the environment and create larger experiences with World Partition.
Day 3 - Games Development: Balancing Act
On the final day, the students engaged in building playable levels within Fortnite, providing hands-on experience with the latest technological tools. As students, began to put what was created in theory, they delved into balancing, adjusting game elements to create a fair and enjoyable experience for players. This involved ensuring aspects such as difficulty, rewards, challenges and mechanics are in sync with each other.
Senior Lecturer in Games Development, Panagiotis Markopoulos, said, “Our summer school curriculum was carefully crafted to be both accessible and aspirational. The goal was to create an environment where students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, could quickly grasp the practical application of their learning. Beyond academic content, our Recruitment and Outreach team prioritised developing essential soft skills such as teamwork and healthy competition, crucial for aspiring game developers.”
He continued, “To achieve this, we combined structured workshops with peer-to-peer learning and the guidance of student ambassadors. This blended approach fostered creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills. By catering to diverse learning styles and encouraging collaboration, we successfully engaged students from various backgrounds.”
The East Summer School culminated in a ‘graduation’ style event where students were presented with certificates acknowledging their successful three-day completion of the course. Layla, who took the website design course said, “It was in-depth, and we had the chance to test our skills independently!”. The lecturers and supporting staff across the campus who facilitated the event across the three days were invited to attend and celebrate with the students. Sam, who attended the crash course in games development, remarked, “What I liked most about the course, was the designing and learning how to use software!”. This year’s summer school highlighted the incredible raw talent and potential of the young minds involved and underscored the importance of providing such opportunities for growth and development.
Staffordshire University London is proud to have hosted this inspiring event and continuing its support for the young people in the local community. By offering free, high-quality educational programmes, the university aims to inspire the next generation of innovators, creators, and leaders.
If you're interested in helping young people explore the world of Higher Education, Staffordshire University London can be a valuable partner. Contact us at asksul@staffs.ac.uk to discuss opportunities.