Secondary computing enrichment activities
Encourage your students to develop important life skills through enrichment and engage with the wider community in practical, enjoyable, and meaningful ways.
Explore a variety of activities, challenges and opportunities designed to enrich your students' learning. Encourage their wider career goals, help them pursue their learning, and study concepts to a greater complexity in a fun hands-on way.
These enrichment activities are brought to you by the NCCE and our partners and can support you through the secondary teacher certification.
Featured enrichment
CyberFirst Girls Competition
The competition supports girls interested in a career in cyber security. Each team is made up of four Year 8 girls. It is consistent with the computer science syllabus from the national curriculum, but also contains advanced cyber topics not in traditional education to stretch lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge.
Digital Futures Virtual Careers Fair
Inspire young people to find out more about careers in digital and technology sector with the Digital Futures virtual careers fair, featuring content from over 20 exhibitors to inspire the UK’s next generation of technology innovators.
I'm a Computer Scientist
Students connect with people using computing in their work through text-based conversations. They see their studies and interests reflected in careers supporting them to see computer science as something 'for them'.
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3Dami
Get your students collaborating with 3Dami! Create 3D animated films through summer camps and after school workshops. Students experience all stages of production and develop teamwork, creativity and technical skills, preparing them for creative careers in the future.
Apps for Good
Apps for Good provides free creative computing courses. Each course supports students to build an app prototype for a community they care about and receive virtual feedback on their app ideas from our industry volunteers.
Arm School Program
Improve your learners’ engagement in Computing by introducing project-based learning (PBL) combined with Physical Computing. Find out how learners can experience the thrill of innovating while also gaining and practicing the skills and knowledge they need.
Astro Pi Mission Space Lab
Astro Pi gives secondary school students the chance to write computer programs that run on Raspberry Pi computers onboard the International Space Station! Mission Space Lab.
Bebras Challenge
A computational thinking challenge that aims to enthuse students in all things computer science and promote computational thinking.
CanSat
Students can design and build their own simulation of a real satellite, integrated within the volume and shape of a soft drink can.
Cisco Cyber Camps
Curious about the world of cyber? Get your students started today with the Cisco Cyber Camps for girls and non-binary students aged 13-19. Students will follow a free, online, self-paced cybersecurity pathway and engage with an all-female team of leading cybersecurity educators.
Class Chats with Amazon
Bring an Amazon employee to your classroom to help your students understand what it’s like to work in the tech industry and what it takes to get there.
Climate Detectives
Identify a climate problem, investigate it by using available Earth Observation data or taking measurements on the ground, and then propose a way to help reduce the problem.
Code Club
Code Club is a network of free coding clubs for those in key stage 3 and 4 to learn to create games, animations, and websites. We provide teachers with all the tools to set up their club – even if they have no previous coding experience.
Coding for Climate Action
Students learn the basics of computer science and apply their new skills to code a micro:bit invention to combat a climate change challenge in their community.
Computing Ambassadors
Computing Ambassadors from a wide range of industries can connect computing lessons to the real-world, inspiring young people to filling careers in coding, programming, artificial intelligence (AI), systems engineering and many more. Choose from activities offered or make a request via the STEM Ambassadors platform.
Cyber Security Challenge
From immersive afternoon workshops and modular cyber games to local careers fairs that bring together hundreds of students at a time, Cyber Security Challenge UK aims to raise awareness of the opportunities that exist in the industry.
CyberFirst Girls Competition
The competition supports girls interested in a career in cyber security. Each team is made up of four Year 8 girls. It is consistent with the computer science syllabus from the national curriculum, but also contains advanced cyber topics not in traditional education to stretch lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge.
Digdata
Help your students develop key employability skills in problem solving, data literacy, storytelling, and presentation through virtual work experience with leading UK organisations.
Digital Futures Virtual Careers Fair
Inspire young people to find out more about careers in digital and technology sector with the Digital Futures virtual careers fair, featuring content from over 20 exhibitors to inspire the UK’s next generation of technology innovators.
Do your :bit
Bring together the micro:bit and the UN’s Global Goals to provide inspiring activities for your classroom or club and an exciting digital challenge for you to run.
Dresscode
Annual coding competitions for with a unique theme for each season. Open to all secondary students, these challenges provide a chance to develop coding skills, unleash creativity, and create something they are truly passionate about. With both group and individual competitions and lots of prizes to win!
FIRST Tech Challenge UK
A student-led robotics challenge, enriched by industry connections, designed to make STEM less intimidating, more diverse and inclusive.
FIRST® LEGO® League
Learn more about a global challenge for teams of young people to work together to explore a given topic and to design, build and program an autonomous LEGO ® robot to solve a series of missions. (NOTE: National and International finals are in April & May).
I Belong Events
I Belong events are designed to inspire and engage KS3 students in computing and introduce them to the range of careers available in technology. Teachers and students can get involved in a variety of activities, ranging from webinars, online workshops and in-person events.
I'm a Computer Scientist
Students connect with people using computing in their work through text-based conversations. They see their studies and interests reflected in careers supporting them to see computer science as something 'for them'.
Into Film
Into Film is the UK’s leading charity for film in education and the community. They provide screen industry careers information and advice, support young filmmakers, and bring the power of moving image storytelling into classroom teaching.
Isaac CS Discovery Events
Isaac CS Discovery events are for GCSE and A level students, providing inspiration about the career possibilities that computer science opens up. They can include expert speakers from industry and academia, panel discussions about studying at university, creative, hands-on workshops and sessions from potential employers.
Moon Camp
In Moon Camp, students can explore and design their own settlement in the solar system with a 3D modelling tool.
My Skills My Life
My Skills My Life is a resource which allows young people to find out about their career personality types and matches them with role models with rewarding and successful careers in STEM. The platform features over 1,200 profiles of women working across the STEM industries to open their eyes to opportunities that they may not otherwise know about.
National Cipher Challenge
The National Cipher Challenge is an annual codebreaking competition designed to attract school and sixth form college pupils to Maths and Computing. It is suitable for classroom or after school club activities and is most suited to 13-18 year olds and it is free to use.
Perse coding team challenge
A challenge to test students’ programming prowess; students battle against teams from across the UK to submit short code solutions to a range of challenges to compete for a prize. The challenges increase in difficulty, and a supervising teacher does not require any coding expertise to participate.
Research Placements and Experiences
Placements are a fantastic opportunity for students to apply their skills and knowledge learned at school in a meaningful contribution to the work of researchers and industry professionals.
STEM Clubs
STEM Clubs are out-of-timetable sessions that enrich and broaden the curriculum, giving young people the chance to explore subjects like science, technology, engineering and maths in less formal settings.
STEM Online Mentoring
A free national online mentoring scheme designed to help 13-19-year-olds explore their future career options. By chatting with trained and experienced STEM professionals, young people can ask for careers advice, learn more about potential careers and pathways.
Skills for Innovation
The Intel® Skills for Innovation Initiative equips educators and decision-makers with technology and skills-based strategies to create engaging, innovative learning experiences that prepare students for a technology-driven future. (Intel SFI registration code IntelSFIUK)
Tech She Can
The charity Tech She Can provides free Tech We Can resources to highlight the many exciting ways technology is advancing in different areas, how technology relates to varied hobbies and passions, and the tech roles of the present and future.
Young Coders Competition 2025: Budgeting Better
The Young Coders International Competition challenges kids aged 7-13 to create a Scratch game based on a yearly theme. It offers prizes, certificates, and valuable feedback while supporting teachers with a 6 or 12-week curriculum of free teaching resources.
Your Voice is Power
Your Voice is Power is a project-based curriculum, mapped to the National Curriculum for Computing that introduces the fundamentals of computer science to students through an exploration of music and social change.
goIT Live
TCS’ free flagship STEM programme sparks students' problem-solving and creativity as they dive into STEM, design thinking, and entrepreneurship, tackling real-world challenges and presenting their innovative solutions to their peers and industry experts.
goIT Monthly Challenge
Empowering the digital innovators of tomorrow to develop a creative tech-based solution to address one of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) each month as part of our self-paced monthly challenge.
iDEA
A free online platform that offers teachers and students a treasure trove of bite-sized, industry-backed learning modules enabling students to earn digital badges and prestigious awards while building vital digital skills and exploring cutting-edge topics.
