DJ Adams

CodeClub Thoughts

I’ve been a CodeClub leader for a while now at my local primary school, Woodhouses Voluntary Controlled Primary School, in Manchester. The club is after school on Friday afternoons and each session runs for an hour. We’re taking a break brought on by the Easter holidays, and I’m on holiday this week too, so I thought I’d put some thoughts together on how it’s gone so far. Overall, it’s been a fantastic experience, if slightly chaotic and exhausting (in a good way) at times. The rewards of seeing enthusiasm and interest in the CodeClubbers, and above all their progress, have been great.

After registering my interest as a volunteer last year, I didn’t get round to contacting a school until December, where I approached Woodhouses Primary, as it was in the village where I lived. I’d got my CRB check done back in September, via STEMnet, as advised by CodeClub, and that was a very straightforward process. In fact, I’m as much involved as a STEMnet Ambassador now as I am a CodeClub leader. Definitely worth looking into!

The CodeClub website had some great resources to help build a case to put to a school, and good notes for volunteers on what to do, what to expect and even ideas on what to say (if you were unsure). I arranged a meeting with the Headteacher and Year 6’s Form teacher, and as soon as I explained what it was, how it worked, and that it was free, the deal was done. The following week I stood up in front of Year 5 and Year 6 children with some simple slides and explained what programming was all about. At the end, when I asked who might be interested in becoming a member of an after-school CodeClub, there were a lot of raised hands!

The school decided to restrict the availability to Year 6 children only, because of sheer numbers, and to give the Year 5 children something to look forward to! After all was said and done, I ended up with a total of 13 CodeClubbers.

Here are some bite-sized thoughts on my experience so far.

One final thought: If you’re wondering whether to take the plunge and become a CodeClub volunteer, just go for it. The support is great, the community is growing, the time logistics will sort themselves out, and the rewards are unlimited. Go for it!