Code Club

What Code Club is

Code Club is a global network of free coding clubs for school-aged young people, run by local volunteers and backed by a library of free coding projects. It is part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which the site describes as an educational charity with a global mission to help young people reach their potential through computing and digital technologies; the footer gives it as a UK registered charity. For a parent, Code Club is a place to send a child to learn coding with peers at no cost. For a teacher, volunteer or community group, it is a ready-made program they can run themselves, with projects, training and safeguarding guidance supplied.

The home page states the terms plainly: "Code Clubs are free and open to all school-aged young people." It also gives three figures for scale: "2+ million young people involved in Code Club over 10 years", "100+ countries have active Code Clubs", and "90% of young people increase their skills and independence in coding."

Three ways to take part

The site is organized around three roles. Young people join a club: the site's Find a club tool connects them with a local group where they can "learn to code, develop your skills, and have fun" alongside other young creators. Adults run a club, and the site is explicit that "You don't need any coding experience to run a Code Club." Others volunteer at a club as mentors. One of the community stories on the home page describes Sahibjot, whose early interest in gaming led him to build a game of his own and then join a Code Club at his school.

Anyone thinking of starting a club can leave an email address and receive "a short series of emails with useful information to help you start your own club."

The projects

The learning material is the part of Code Club anyone can use, in or out of a club. The learn-to-code page says the projects "have step-by-step instructions to teach you how to create games, animations, and much more", and that there are "hundreds of options, in up to 30 languages." The home page adds that there is "a project for everyone", whether a young person is an experienced coder or just getting started.

The main entry point is the project path: "Each of our project paths guides you through a series of six projects that will help you build your coding and design skills." Three paths are featured:

• Scratch, to "Create animations, apps, and interactive stories by adding code, costumes, and sounds."
• Python, to "Make digital art, games, and more while exploring one of the world's most popular programming languages."
• Artificial Intelligence, to "Discover the foundational concepts of machine learning through creative projects using AI applications and technologies."

Beyond the paths, the project library covers making a website with HTML, physical computing with the Raspberry Pi Pico or the BBC micro:bit, and building 3D worlds with Unity. For a child moving from blocks to typed code, the site suggests a first text-based activity: getting to know the basics of Python "while building a painting app." New projects keep arriving; a recent post on the Code Club blog introduced a Code Club arcade of "Six brand-new Scratch games to create, remix, and play."

The Code Editor and Code Club World

Two tools sit alongside the projects. The Code Editor, "created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation", runs in the browser and lets young people "make your own games and art using Python or design websites in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. No setup required!" That matters for clubs meeting on shared or school computers, since nothing needs installing.

Code Club World is a separate, game-like space for younger or newer coders. The learn-to-code page describes it as a place to "Create cool stuff while learning to code! Make your way around an island through fun games and activities." Its own site presents it as free coding games and activities for kids, covering Scratch, Python, HTML and CSS.

Mentors and club leaders

Code Club depends on adults who are not necessarily programmers. The mentor page puts it this way: "To be a mentor, you do not need to be an expert in tech; you just need to be willing to guide young creators." It adds that working through the projects with young people "is a great way for you to learn new skills."

The site sets out three steps to become a mentor: find a club and request to volunteer, which connects you with the club leader; get a background check following your region's policies, with guidance from Code Club; and meet the club leader to plan how to use your strengths. Mentors help with coding, but the page also describes the wider job, supporting young people in "life skills such as teamwork and project management", and helping the club leader with practical tasks such as venue logistics, social media and spreading the word locally.

Training is free. A "How to mentor" online course teaches how to "provide encouragement, guidance, or technical help to young people at a local club", and covers the resources, mentoring styles and growth opportunities available to mentors, at the learner's own pace. The site also runs "online and in-person events and training opportunities", and a help page with frequently asked questions and a way to contact the Code Club team. The mentor page tells the story of Nadia, who volunteered at a local Code Club while studying in the UK.

Safeguarding

Because clubs bring adult volunteers together with children, safeguarding gets its own place on the home page: "Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do." The site provides safeguarding resources so leaders have "the right policies and practices in place" to create "safe, inclusive spaces where young people can learn to code." Combined with the background-check step for mentors, that gives parents a clear picture of how clubs are expected to operate.

Who it suits

Code Club suits a family that wants a child to learn coding with other young people at no cost, and a school, teacher or community volunteer who wants to start a club without writing a curriculum. The six-project paths in Scratch, Python and AI give a club a structure from the first session, and the project library and Code Editor let a child carry on at home. The availability of projects in up to 30 languages makes it usable well beyond English-speaking countries.

Its limits come from the same model. Each club is run locally by volunteers, so when it meets and how long sessions last depend on the club rather than on Code Club itself. A family that wants a paid tutor, a fixed schedule or a structured course with a teacher's feedback will find Code Club better as a free complement to that than a replacement for it, and where no club runs nearby, the free projects and Code Club World are the way in.