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Physical Computing Kits

The National Centre for Computing Education are excited to be offering Physical Computing Kits on loan for all primary and secondary schools in England. Our kits are a great way to engage young people in the hands-on experience of learning computing.

What are Physical Computing Kits?

Physical Computing Kits are comprised of trays with different types of computing device, designed for each key stage. The kits provide students with a unique hands-on experience of computing, enabling them to enrich their learning in a fun and engaging way.

We offer Physical Computing Kits to both primary and secondary classrooms, and each kit is available for all schools to loan from Computing Hubs in their region.

What do they include?

Since April 2023, the NCCE has spent some time improving its Physical Computing Kits offer by developing and sourcing new resources to create a comprehensive kit which is cohesive across the network. The updated kit better meets school demand, especially regarding micro:bits and Crumbles, which are the most popular aspects of the kits.

In addition to the current kit, we have now introduced a robotics tray. On top of this, we have also included 2 trays of Vu+ Data Loggers per computing kit, as well as 4 bags of 6 individual BeeBots.

  • Crumble trays – aimed at Key Stage 2
  • Data loggers - aimed at Key Stage 2
  • Micro:bit trays – aimed at Key Stages 2 and 3
  • Raspberry Pi Pico trays – aimed at Key Stage 4
  • Raspberry Pi 3B+ trays – aimed at Key Stage 4

For more information about what's in the trays and the teaching resources and courses that accompany them, check out our new physical computing kits guide.

Physical Computing Kit CPD

We now offer a range of CPD courses that allow you to explore physical computing and how the Teach Computing Curriculum can be used to engage your students.

Physical computing kits - KS1 BeeBots

Physical computing kit - KS2 Crumble - short course

Physical computing kit - KS3 micro:bit - short course

Physical computing kit - KS4 Raspberry Pi Pico - short course

How you can get a kit

Our range of Physical Computing Kits are available to loan from our network of Computing Hubs. If you would like to find out more or would like to loan one of the kits, please contact your local Hub. You can find your local Hub here.

Read our blog!

To read about how our Physical Computing Kits have evolved since their initial launch in 2021, and what we have changed, take a look at our latest Physical Computing Kits blog here.