Real Skills, Lasting Impact: Alumni Student Voices from Putteridge High School
At Putteridge High School, students have been taking part in Apps for Good courses for many years. Computing teacher Kamona Karim is proud of the positive impact this has had on diversifying the pool of students choosing to study computing at the school.
At Putteridge we’ve seen an encouraging increase in the number of girls choosing computing subjects… there has been a notable increase in female participation in the BTEC DIT course, with 30% of the Year 10 cohort being girls, compared to 20% in Year 11.”
Kamona Karim, Teacher of Computing at Putteridge High School
In July 2025, we visited Putteridge to meet with eight Year 10 students and hear their own perspectives on how their previous participation in the Innovate for Climate Change course during Key Stage 3 had influenced them. Students spoke about the skills, confidence, and inspiration they gained through designing and pitching app ideas that tackled real-world environmental issues.
For many, coding was a new challenge that quickly became a highlight. Kayden and Naiara discovered enjoyment in debugging and problem-solving, while Iesha described turning to YouTube tutorials to learn complex techniques, something she had never done before.
I was able to discover that I quite enjoyed the coding bit of the app.”
Naiara, Y10 student at Putteridge High School
All students went on to choose computing-related subjects at GCSE, with several noting that Apps for Good directly influenced their choices.
At first, I didn't really think of taking a BTEC in IT. After I'd done Apps for Good, I had a better understanding of it …. So I took it.”
Leticia, Y10 student at Putteridge High School
Before I took the course, I wasn't 100% sure if I wanted to take computer science or not … I did have other options in mind. The course made me want to take computer science.”
Kayden, Y10 student at Putteridge High School
The course also strengthened students’ essential skills. They noted improvements in speaking, listening, and teamwork. Iesha’s confidence grew through presenting to an audience, while Leticia and Olivia practiced a more formal speaking style. Several shared examples of how the skills developed during the course had helped them progress in other aspects of their education and extra curricular activities. Olivia said the creativity she had developed during the course had helped her with visual design subjects like Art and Textiles, and Leticia and Naira’s teamwork skills came in handy during their Duke of Edinburgh assignments.
Having a skill in speaking has helped me to present my [college] application better.”
Iesha, Y10 student at Putteridge High School
Longer-term, the course influenced career thinking. Shannon now aspires to work in project design and management, and Iesha sees clear links between her coding experience and her current Music Tech studies. For these students, Apps for Good was more than a school project - it was a launchpad into technology, creativity, and confidence for the future.