News & Updates
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
Support learners to develop and apply programming skills and comprehension by applying them to a real-world, tangible project.
17 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Alternate conceptions (often referred to as misconceptions) are learners’ beliefs about a concept that are overly simplified or inaccurate.
10 MARCH 2021
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we have cast our net further afield than usual (much further!) to speak to Asawari Shiposkar, an inspirational educator based in Mumbai, India. Asawari has over 25 years of experience as a teacher, academic, trainer, author, researcher, and consultant.
08 MARCH 2021
Using a semantic wave structure helps novice learners understand complex technical terms in programming by simplifying language and linking it back to abstract concepts for deeper understanding.
07 MARCH 2021
Live coding exposes learners to the programming process, showing decision-making, error correction, and development, while promoting good practices and reducing cognitive load.
05 MARCH 2021
Peer instruction uses multiple choice questions not just for assessment, but for teaching through student discussions, helping correct misconceptions and deepen understanding.
04 MARCH 2021
We're proud to share with you the first Pedagogy Quick Read, which highlights the importance of considering the cognitive load that learners encounter when we design lessons, slides, and other supporting material.
01 MARCH 2021
Worked examples help novice learners in subjects like Maths and Science by demonstrating problem-solving steps.
01 MARCH 2021
Applications are now open for schools to gain recognition for their work to encourage young people to engage with computer science and develop cyber security skills.
22 FEBRUARY 2021
One tool that can help learners develop program comprehension is Parson’s Problems, which are exercises that require learners to rearrange lines of code into the correct sequence.
12 FEBRUARY 2021
Hayley Leonard explores the role that emotions play during problem solving in programming.
14 DECEMBER 2020
To celebrate two years of the NCCE, we are running a fantastic competition to give away a class set of 10 Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kits to one lucky teacher!
16 NOVEMBER 2020
It is with some excitement that we can announce that, after several months of working behind the scenes, our Gender Balance in Computing (GBIC) programme is reopening today!
03 NOVEMBER 2020
An inventor, computer scientist, and engineer, Mark E. Dean has spent his career working to make computers more accessible and powerful. His groundbreaking work has made a lasting impact on the way we use computers today.
26 OCTOBER 2020
Ada Lovelace Day was founded in 2009 to raise awareness of the achievements of women in STEM. In this article, we take a closer look at the person behind the celebration...
13 OCTOBER 2020