Would you prioritise robotics workshops for children over core subject tutoring?

[MentorOfTheFuture]

Bit of a discussion starter — I run robotics workshops for kids (10+) and I'm curious what other parents think. I keep seeing how much demand there is for STEM/coding skills, but a lot of schools still don't touch robotics until secondary, if at all.
A few things I've noticed teaching kids this age:

• The ones who start earlier aren't necessarily "smarter," they're just less afraid of getting something wrong and rebuilding it
• Robotics ties together maths, physics and coding in a way that actually clicks for kids who find those subjects abstract on their own
• Even 4 weeks of structured hands-on building noticeably changes how a kid approaches problem-solving

Is this something you'd actively seek out for your child, or does it feel like "nice to have" compared to tutoring in core subjects? Genuinely curious how UK parents are thinking about this right now — happy to share what's worked in the sessions I run if anyone's interested.

I teach something similar and my clubs are always full. I run after school clubs for ks2 - in all honesty I think parents want something fun and a bit educational and most parents wouldn’t swap it for an hour of extra maths or English even if that was an option (at our school it isn’t).

If their child is struggling academically or prepping for the 11+ they might seek out a tutor. Otherwise they mostly want extra curriculars to be fun! Lots of children might do both tuition and coding.

@MentorOfTheFuture Do families pay for your club, or do you do it for free?

I ran a (free).code club for a while, and it included robotics. Of course parents want this for their children, but why are you suggesting it needs to be at the expense of core teaching? That's a false dichotomy.

If you're implying that most schools don't teach robotics because there is no time in the curriculum, you are incorrect. They don't teach robotics because they don't have staff with the skills to do it - computing and technology teachers are few and far between and schools struggle to recruit and retain them.

The robotics equipment is also expensive to buy and maintain. There are organisations that will provide small amounts of kit and software to schools for free, but only enough for an after-school code club, not enough for every child to build their own robot vehicle as part of their computing curriculum.

I'm not sure if you're suggesting the curriculum changes (which we can't influence) or asking if we'd book this as an extra-curricular over maths/English tuition? If it's the latter then absolutely and I think robotics has got to help their maths skills in the long run.

Nice to but we focus on the need to. Extracurriculum classes and tutors are often expensive.

I’m delighted my son’s school offers robotics but it’s an after school program, not during the main school day

I would rather my child know how to type, use AI responsibly, use both mouse buttons, refill the printer with paper and all the other important things that people get to uni/the office unable to do. My child is extremely unlikely to become a robotics maker (in fact I would expect robots to make robots by the time they are going for a job) and it doesn’t really seem that fun, so I just don’t see the point, it’s as beneficial for their STEM skills as making play doh models of spaceships and I’m sick of the Emperor’s New Clothes with things like this. If you’re suggesting it has a place in the primary computing curriculum I would strongly disagree.

No, I don’t think I would prioritise it. Bit of fun, yes, but I’d prefer them to have excellent maths/English. I’d be amazed if anyone was coding anything by the time these kids need a job considering the rate of AI progress etc. Now if there was a plumbing/woodworking/ club I’d be more tempted to prioritise that I reckon.

I’m officially old!

I opened this thread expecting it to be about choosing to do a dance class or maths tuition.

I have no idea what robotics is. In my day it was a style of dance - I’m 58.

does it feel like it “nice to have” compared to tutoring in core subjects

I think I’d put it into a totally different “box” to core tutoring.
I’d consider tutoring in a core subject if my child was struggling.
Robotics would be something I’d do if my child wanted to for fun. Rightly or wrongly I’d consider it more of a hobby, the same as if they wanted to learn an instrument. Which, to be clear, is something I think is valuable. But not something I’d weigh up against tutoring, which I’d consider more as an essential (if needed), like swimming lessons.

We did a weekend robotics class as a ‘educational’ type hobby, to extend science rather than replacing it. I’d class it with astronomy and coding clubs, maybe also competing with chess and LEGO, rather than reinforcing actual curriculum.