Top three resources for running a vibrant Code Club 

Launching your new Code Club or resuming a club that has been paused for an extended time might make you feel a little apprehensive. That’s OK! Tamasin Greenough Graham, Head of Code Club, shares three resources that will help you run your Code Club with confidence.

A child and adult looking at a laptop screen.

Picking my top three resources is quite a challenge as we have so many to choose from! There is something to meet your every need. Please check them out on our resource page — it’s full of helpful materials like crib sheets to guide you through our projects, certificates, sample letters, and so much more.

Log in to your account, head to your dashboard, and scroll down to the resources section. 

Resource one: Club organisers’ guide

If you’re new to Code Club or are starting back after a break, the go-to document is our club organisers’ guide

This guide walks you through the important first steps you’ll need to plan and set up your Code Club with ease. It also acts as a brilliant refresher if you’re starting your Code Club after a break. 

Pages from the club organiser pack.

Resource two: First session guide

From your feedback, we understand that running your first session can sometimes feel a bit daunting, as well as being an extra task at the beginning of a busy term! To help with this, we’ve created a new step-by-step first session guide to give you everything you need in one place.

Based on the beginners ‘Space talk‘ Scratch project, you’ll find in the guide:

  • A session plan
  • Simple and practical advice to help your prepare for the session
  • All your preparation for the session has been broken down into small chunks
  • New activities to support your coders’ learning 

The NEW unplugged activities link to ‘Space talk’ and are great to hand out to coders who finish the project towards the end of a session, or as activities to try at home.

This guide makes the first session so easy to run. I know I will be using it to give me confidence that my first Code Club session back will be fun and have a positive impact on the learners. 

Front pages from the first session pack; running your first Code Club session, Create and colour, I spy and Space memory game.

Resource three: 250+ coding projects

Where to start? Well, that is easy, I promise! Our ‘3, 2, 1, Make!’ project paths are carefully designed so that as young people progress, they develop their coding skills as well as their independence to create projects that matter to them.

We have paths about Scratch, Python, Unity, physical computing, and how to get started with a Raspberry Pi Pico. Each path contains six projects that are guaranteed by our young testers to be great fun!

You can learn more about ‘3,2,1, Make!’ and the pedagogy behind these projects in this blog.

Bonus resource: Certificates!

I know this is my top three, but I couldn’t write this blog post without mentioning our certificates! 

Recognising success and achievements, however big or small, is such a vital part of Code Club. We’ve got a huge selection of certificates to celebrate everything from superstar coders to completing a whole project path. 

A selection of Code Club certificates.

We can’t wait to get back to Code Club and see all the creative projects from your Code Club members. Share how you’re getting on using the hashtag #MyCodeClub or by tagging us on Facebook or Twitter. If we see your posts, we might even send you some stickers!

Let’s get coding! 

If there is a resource that you’d like to see in our library, share it with the team and write to us at support@codeclub.org

Code Club: fun, fantastic, and humbling!

Enthusiasm has been in abundance since Code Clubs across the world have reunited with in-person sessions. With the UK and Ireland heading into their summer breaks, here are some of our highlights from the last academic year.

The Clubs team

Head of Code Club, Tamasin Greenough Graham, has a few words to share with you:  

“I’ve loved seeing so many clubs up and running again after pausing during the covid pandemic.

It’s been lovely to see all the inventive new projects that our young coders have created, but for me, the highlights have been hearing about how Code Club has enabled young people to grow in confidence and independence. Those skills are vital for great coding, and will help them develop in lots of other parts of their life as well.

I’m so grateful to all the volunteers and educators who have given their time and enthusiasm to facilitate Code Clubs to thrive.”

Celebrating Sophie! 

In June, we celebrated teacher Sophie Hudson and her Code Club in a small rural village in Yorkshire, England.  

Her tech journey started out small and now she is nurturing Yorkshire’s next generation of digital makers!  

Watch her inspiring video and follow their Code Club journey.

Linton-on-Ouse Primary School Code Club

Giving children new opportunities at Hythe Library Code Club

Seeing clubs get back to in-person sessions has been wonderful! You just can’t beat the excitement of seeing children get that ‘aha moment’ when their code works.

Colin Woods, from Hythe Library in Kent, England said:

“It was really good to see the youngsters in-person, everybody took returning to Code Club in their stride!

We have been wonderfully supported by parents/family that turn up for show and tell, which has overrun a couple of times (!), but the Library have been nice to us!”

We then asked Colin what he had planned for September: 

“For the autumn we’re planning our normal weekly sessions, making sure we include the last 10 mins for a show and tell which I love. We often see some of the quieter youngsters come out of their shell and it allows parents to see what all have been upto, it’s very humbling to see how well everyone supports everyone.”

Obuma improves her teamwork skills at Code Club

Young coder Obuma, from Hillside Code Club in Aberdeenshire, Scotland is moving up to secondary school in August after a great year in Code Club. She was really enthusiastic about their club experience: 

“At Code Club we learn how to code! We also improve our teamwork skills, there’s a lot of people at Code Club and most of the time you work together to create different things. 

My favourite part of Code Club is the presenting and coding, coding is fun!” 

Budding coder, Obuma

Children get ownership over their Code Club

Rich Hind has been involved with Code Club since 2016. After a brief hiatus, he is back running his Code Club at Congleton Library in Cheshire, England. 

“Getting back into the library and teaching in-person was fantastic and really is the highlight of my week. And I had forgotten how great it was to be standing in front of the class. 

Returning to the classes this time I have created my own lessons based on the children’s ideas to help them feel part of the process, and this has really given them  a sense of ownership and that the classes are for them.”

You can keep up to date on Congleton Code Club in Rich’s blog

Congleton Library Code Club

Coding together! 

We’ve had great fun coding alongside your Code Club members at our online codealongs. Seeing your club members exercising their coding skills with young people from across the world has really reminded us all what an amazing global community we have!  

We’re looking forward to running more online codealongs and getting to meet your club members in September. What themed codealongs would you like to see us run? Share your thoughts by emailing the team at support@codeclub.org.

Keep in touch with us

We love hearing about your Code Club’s achievements and how we can assist you in running your Code Club. Please reach out to us any time on Twitter or Facebook, or by emailing us at support@codeclub.org.

Club members’ stories: Code Club is ‘Code-mazing!’

Code Club is all about our young members and helping them discover how they can use code for the things that matter most to them.

Meet 8-year-old, budding coder Oliver from Congleton in Cheshire, England. He’s recently joined Congleton Library Code Club, led by educator Rich Hind, who has been part of the Code Club community since 2016!

Oliver at Congleton Code Club

What do you do at Code Club?
“We code using Scratch.”

Why do you come to Code Club?
“Because I enjoy coding and want to learn more.”

What do you learn at Code Club?
“We learn what all the code blocks do and what happens when you put them together.”

What is your favourite part of Code Club?
“Coding, obviously! ”

Can you share one memory from Code Club that always makes you smile?
“Winning the biggest chocolate bar ever!”

Can you tell us about one time you helped someone else at your Code Club?
“I’ve actually not done that, no one needs help!”

Tell us about something you’ve made at Code Club that you’re really proud of!
“A bug maze”

If your friend was thinking about joining Code Club, what would you say to them?
“You learn how to use harder coding — I would tell them to join!”

If you had to describe Code Club in one word what would it be?
“Code-mazing!”

Complete this sentence: My Code Club leader Rich is amazing because…
“He knows everything about coding and he’s friendly.”

Code Club educator Rich had this to say about Oliver’s responses:

“I am really glad that Oliver is enjoying his time with us in Code Club (although, thinking I know everything about coding is a bit far!) and he is thoughtful and super engaged in what we do. I have seen him helping others in our class, but he is far too modest to tell you!”

You don’t need special expertise to start running your own Code Club, and you can help even more young people, like Oliver, learn coding and digital skills. Start a club today!