News & Updates

The Computing Quality Framework is a tool designed to help primary and secondary schools to track and review their progress in developing an exemplary computing curriculum. Read more to find out how you can join the framework and earn your Mark!
20 FEBRUARY 2024

Dave Gibbs, Education Strategy Lead at the National Centre for Computing Education, discusses the national curriculum and its power in preparing young people for an AI future.
16 FEBRUARY 2024

Yesterday, we were delighted to bring together educationalists, industry and policymakers to champion a shared commitment to removing barriers to participation for females in computing and tech.
07 FEBRUARY 2024

Rachel Vidler, National Primary Upper Specialist for Computing at the National Centre for Computing Education, explores the world of data loggers and how you can integrate them into the Key Stage 2 computing curriculum.
24 JANUARY 2024

Sarah Zaman, Primary Computing and Cyber Security Specialist, delves into the significance of Safer Internet Day and why this day serves as a crucial reminder to establish a secure online environment for young individuals.
24 JANUARY 2024

Computer science opens doors to a vast number of rewarding careers in tech and many more. We have highlighted some of the enrichment activities that can help you interest more girls in the subject of computing and support their future career choices.
19 JANUARY 2024

We recently caught up with Laura, who supported her school to complete our I Belong programme, to see how she got on, and why she thinks it's important more students study computer science.
18 JANUARY 2024

Roshni Modhvadia, Researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute discusses current public perspectives on AI and why we need to empower young people in AI decision-making processes.
15 JANUARY 2024

We have hand-picked units from the Teach Computing Curriculum across key stage 3 that align with topics and pedagogical approaches most likely to support girls’ engagement with the subject.
11 JANUARY 2024

We recently caught up with Pete, who has supported his school to complete our I Belong programme, to see how he got on.
08 JANUARY 2024

We recently caught up with Helen, who supported her school to complete our I Belong programme, to see how she got on, and why she thinks it's important more students study computer science.
28 DECEMBER 2023

Tailored specifically for Early Career Teachers (ECTs) in primary and secondary education, our upcoming webinar series will empower you to confidently navigate the intricacies of teaching computing as you embark on your career.
19 DECEMBER 2023

Alan Harrison, National Specialist for Secondary Computing Leadership, looks at how we can use the new plethora of Generative AI tools to help with planning, teaching and learning.
15 DECEMBER 2023

We’ve created a guidance booklet on the GCSE options process to encourage more students, particularly girls, to consider choosing it as one of their option subjects.
12 DECEMBER 2023

Alan Harrison, National Specialist for Secondary Computing Leadership and the National Centre for Computing Education, discusses teaching about (generative) AI and what role it should play in education.
06 DECEMBER 2023

Join the National Centre for Computing Education’s Specialists Claire Garside and Pam Jones during this short webinar, where you’ll be able to explore strategies for your upcoming GCSE option events.
01 DECEMBER 2023

Isaac Computer Science is the free online platform for students and teachers and is part of the National Centre for Computing Education. Explore the range of events on offer and how both you and your pupils can benefit from the platform.
23 NOVEMBER 2023

The National Centre for Computing Education has appointed leading practitioners and industry representatives from across the tech and digital sectors to support its ongoing strategic direction and aims.
16 NOVEMBER 2023

Simon Roberts, Secondary Computing Lead at the National Centre of Computing Education, discusses how you can maximise your students' success this mock exam season through attending our tailored exam board residentials.
15 NOVEMBER 2023

To mark the start of Green Careers Week, we look at how technological innovation is helping businesses shape sustainable goals and the environmental and social responsibility required to tackle global challenges like the climate change crisis.
06 NOVEMBER 2023

We are very excited to announce that we are expanding our residential offer at the National STEM Learning Centre! Enjoy a visit to the historic city of York and return to the classroom inspired and full of new knowledge.
18 OCTOBER 2023

Phil Wickins, National Specialist for Primary Computing Leaders at the NCCE, discusses the importance of becoming a primary computing leader, and shines a light on just some of the resources, courses, and events that can help you along the way.
17 OCTOBER 2023

Ada Lovelace Day celebrates women's achievements in STEM, while also highlighting the social disparities that persist in these fields. It serves as a reminder of the need for diversity and inclusion to create a more equitable future in science and technology.
10 OCTOBER 2023

This year’s GCSE and A level exam results have now been revealed, with some real positives to celebrate for computing and computer science. However, girls heavily remain underrepresented in this high-demand subject.
24 AUGUST 2023

Not enough girls study computer science which is holding them back from rewarding technology careers. We're on a mission to change that - will you join us?
22 JUNE 2023

The interest for studying computing and computer science is rising amongst the current generation of students - Ofqual's latest report into the number of students studying GCSE, AS and A level shows.
02 JUNE 2023

We are excited to work together with Micro:bit and BBC to provide training to teachers on how to use micro:bits in their primary classrooms. With micro:bits you will be able to enhance pupils' learning of the computing curriculum and support their learning in other subject areas.
15 MAY 2023

Designed to help teachers track student progress, these quality assured question banks can be used with key stage 3 and GCSE Computer Science students across 10 topic areas.
12 APRIL 2023

An interview with Allen Tsui who has completed all three of the Teach Computing certificates. In this blog, he discusses his background and how he got into teaching computing, along with his experience on the NCCE CPD.
03 MARCH 2023

Today we are sharing the results of the Relevance intervention, which was designed to explore answers to this question, and to specifically investigate whether learning about computing in real-world contexts would increase girls’ intention to study GCSE Computer Science.
29 NOVEMBER 2022

When female pupils participate in non-formal computing initiatives, they may not see how this learning relates to them achieving their long-term goals. This intervention aimed to address this barrier by focusing on strengthening the links between non-formal and formal learning within schools.
01 NOVEMBER 2022

Today we are publishing the evaluation report for the next intervention from a series of interventions designed to address various barriers to girls’ uptake in computing.
14 OCTOBER 2022

We've published the results of a project that explored the use of a teaching approach called peer instruction in secondary schools with Year 8 (pupils aged 12 to 13), with the aim of increasing girls’ engagement in computing lessons and study choices.
24 AUGUST 2022

Today's evaluation report shares the results of the Pair Programming intervention. It explores whether using a teaching approach called pair programming has a positive impact on girls' attitudes towards computing.
07 JULY 2022

Today we have published the first of a series of evaluation reports for the Gender Balance in Computing programme. This first evaluation report concerns the feasibility of our pilot study of a teaching approach based on storytelling in key stage 1.
10 MAY 2022

Culturally relevant pedagogy is a framework that emphasises valuing all learners' knowledge, heritage and ways of learning. By drawing on students' own experiences and cultural knowledge you can ensure that the computing curriculum is relevant, engaging and accessible to all.
25 NOVEMBER 2021

Hayley Leonard shares how we can demonstrate the importance of computing for helping others and improving society, with the aim of keeping more girls and women engaged in the subject.
03 NOVEMBER 2021

The Computer Science Student-Centred Instructional Continuum (CS-SCIC) was created for professional development to help teachers understand their choices when designing learning activities for teaching programming (Waite & Liebe, 2021).
30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Code Tracing supports program comprehension, encouraging learners to read, understand and record the behaviour of a program throughout it's execution.
18 MARCH 2021

Concept maps could be presented to learners to convey connections between concepts or created/completed by learners themselves. They can even be used to capture and assess pupil understanding.
17 MARCH 2021

Support learners to develop and apply programming skills and comprehension by applying them to a real-world, tangible project.
17 MARCH 2021

Support learners to consolidate their programming knowledge by applying it to real-world, tangible projects. This approach to teaching computing focuses on structuring the learning activities around the design, creation and evaluation of a digital artefact.
17 MARCH 2021

Computing is a discipline rooted in three main traditions: engineering, maths and science. Depending on our own experience, we’re each likely to favour one or more of these perspectives, which can have an impact on how we present computing to our learners.
17 MARCH 2021

Program comprehension has become recognised as an important step in learning to program. What exactly is program comprehension, why is it so important, and how can educators develop these skills with their learners?
16 MARCH 2021

Current circumstance has had a profound impact on the way that education is delivered to students around the world. This quick read introduces some terms, frameworks, and barriers related to distance learning, and aims to support educators as they transition to online teaching.
16 MARCH 2021

PRIMM is an approach that can support teachers in structuring lessons in programming. In this quick read we explore the five stages of PRIMM and some of the research behind the approach.
16 MARCH 2021

Surveys and interviews are powerful tools for collecting data (usually qualitative) from participants. In this 2 page read we compare these similar approaches and highlight when each might be more appropriate.
16 MARCH 2021

In many research projects observing and recording student behaviour is a useful way to measure the impact of new ideas and approaches. In this quick read we explore structured and unstructured observation techniques as well a verbal observation approaches.
16 MARCH 2021

Alternate conceptions (often referred to as misconceptions) are learners’ beliefs about a concept that are overly simplified or inaccurate.
10 MARCH 2021

Culturally relevant pedagogy is a framework that emphasises valuing all learners' knowledge, heritage and ways of learning. By drawing on students' own experiences and cultural knowledge you can ensure that the computing curriculum is relevant, engaging and accessible to all.
10 MARCH 2021