Abbey Gate College is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Scaler Pi, specialists in Raspberry Pi technology, bringing innovative computing equipment directly into the hands of our students.

This generous sponsorship has been made all the more meaningful through the personal involvement of Steve Rastall, CEO of Scalar Pi and a valued member of our wider College community, whose commitment to education and future-focused skills has been instrumental in launching this initiative.

Under the programme, Scaler Pi has donated a suite of Raspberry Pi computers and essential peripherals, enabling a wide range of inspiring applications. From robotics and sensor-based projects to explorations into artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, the aim is to spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of coders and technologists.

The initial phase will focus on students in our co-curricular Digital Pioneers club, which meets at lunchtimes. Here, pupils will begin by building simple applications, learning how to use sensors and components to record information and develop practical projects around the school. These early foundations will prepare students for more ambitious work as the programme develops.

Over time, the vision extends far beyond introductory coding. Students will explore robotics using programmable vehicles, and begin to understand how intelligent and language models work, enabling them to create their own AI-inspired projects. There is also scope to work towards applications designed to run in space, drawing on Raspberry Pi’s satellite competition pathway and using a mock satellite environment to design and test ideas.

In the short term, students will gain hands-on experience with small robotic cars, learning how to programme and control them to perform tasks. Over the next six months, this work will culminate in a demo day, where students will showcase their projects. Representatives from Scalar Pi will attend to offer guidance, review progress and present prizes, helping students consider next steps.

Importantly, Scaler Pi’s involvement goes well beyond donating hardware. The company will provide technical support and mentoring to the College’s IT staff and teachers, building confidence with the technology and ensuring students are supported effectively as projects become more advanced. Should the initiative prove successful, there is potential to expand it across additional key stages, with further hardware donations enabling entire classrooms to benefit.

Reflecting on the partnership, Steve Rastall said:

“As a business, and personally as CEO of Scaler Pi, I’m really happy to support Abbey Gate College. We’re excited about what we can achieve together and how we can help students build amazing projects using the latest technology – sparking interests that could lead to future careers in fast-growing, high-value industries.”

We are hugely grateful to Scaler Pi for this incredible opportunity for our College. Their generosity, expertise and ongoing commitment will make a lasting difference to our students, opening doors to skills and experiences that will shape future pathways in technology and beyond. We very much look forward to developing this partnership in the months and years ahead.