The full schedule of the conference is not yet available. The day will include the following presentations and workshops.
Engaging KS3/4 students with AI and Python Code
Mark Weddell, City of London School for Girls
WORKSHOP
In this session, Mark will share examples of AI concepts and algorithms, with Python code examples used with students.
Whilst running a course aimed at introducing students to AI and machine learning, it was clear that students felt a disconnect between the AI concepts and the more simple algorithms they were coding towards their GCSE studies. Using the AI concepts studied, we decided to show our students some native examples of Python code which carried out the same or similar tasks. Whilst some of the scripts are beyond that expected of a GCSE student to write, the data structures and code are within their understanding and students responded well to seeing possible “next steps” after GCSE.
During the workshop, Mark will introduce the AI concept as well as share the code. There will also be time to modify or improve the code and discuss how it can be used with students.
The session will be led by Mark Weddell, Acting Head of Department at City of London School for Girls, a selective independent girls school located in the Barbican Centre, where 25-30% of girls elect to study Computer Science at GCSE. Code examples will be available to all attendees.
Building Programmers, Not Just Programs: A Spiral Approach to KS3-4 Computing
Rebecca D’Cruz, St Albans School
PRESENTATION
Teaching programming is hard; not because the concepts are insurmountable, but because we so often try to introduce them all at once. Drawing on Bruner’s (1960) spiral curriculum model and over 15 years of classroom experience, this workshop presents a practical, structured approach to threading programming across the full KS3 and KS4 journey. Rather than treating each year group as a fresh start, the session argues for deliberate, cumulative progression: revisiting core ideas in new contexts, increasing complexity gradually, and giving pupils the time to make connections for themselves.
Participants will explore a concrete scheme of work that moves from block-based and flowchart tools in Year 7 and 8 (Rapid Router, Flowol, micro:bits, Raptor) through to text-based Python and assembly-level programming via Little Man Computer in Year 9. The session will examine how each tool and context has been chosen to reduce cognitive load (Shaffer et al., 2003) while still maintaining rigour, and how the same underlying concepts of sequence, selection, iteration and decomposition and can appear across multiple years without feeling repetitive. Practical resources, sequencing decisions, and honest reflections on what has and has not worked will be shared throughout.
Attendees will leave with a ready-to-adapt curriculum map, a rationale they can use to justify their sequencing choices to senior leaders, and a set of free and low-cost tools they can implement immediately. Whether you are building a KS3 computing curriculum from scratch or revisiting an existing one, this session offers a principled and field-tested framework for developing confident, resilient programmers.
Build a 3D world in seconds with Flock XR
Dr Tracy Gardner and Rebecca Franks, Flip Computing
WORKSHOP
Flock XR is a free, open-source platform that enables young people to build interactive 3D worlds using block-based coding. Designed by Flip Computing, an inclusion-first technology education company, it bridges the gap between beginner tools such as Scratch and professional 3D development platforms including Blender, Unity and Unreal Engine.
Flock XR supports the growing focus on creativity and digital skills highlighted in the Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations. By combining coding with storytelling, design and world-building, learners develop computational thinking skills such as sequence, selection, repetition and variables through imaginative projects.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore how learners can create immersive 3D experiences while developing core computing knowledge. We will share examples from school pilots and provide practical ideas for bringing more creative and inclusive approaches into computing education.
The Royal Institution’s Masterclasses
Kathryn Cassidy Pachon, The Royal Institution
WORKSHOP
The Royal Institution’s Masterclasses are extra-curricular workshops in mathematics or computer science. They nurture students’ curiosity and inspire them to continue STEM engagement into the future. Through Masterclasses, students connect with scientists and STEM enthusiasts, gaining insight into the depth and breadth of these fields. Students are helped to realise that STEM subjects are for everyone, inspiring future science careers.
I will introduce our 6th form to primary Masterclass model, in which, we work with groups of 6th formers and their teachers in developing and delivering their own Masterclass series. This model of Masterclasses is a brilliant practical experience for 6th formers.
In this workshop I will also demonstrate an example off-the-shelf Masterclasses, our free online resources, which can be easily used in the classroom. In ‘Bats to Bytes’ we will explore how tools like the micro: bit can collect and analyse data and be used to coach cricket batting technique. By measuring the movement of a cricket bat and using real-time feedback, you will discover how computer science can revolutionise sports while building critical data analysis skills.
Making Sense of Progression in Data Science
Duncan Maidens and Gary Coxhead, Raspberry Pi
PRESENTATION
With the growing prominence of machine learning and artificial intelligence, it is increasingly important that young people develop the knowledge and skills needed to understand and critically engage with these technologies. As educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that learners are not only users of AI systems, but are equipped to make sense of how they work and the data that underpins them.
Data science provides the foundational concepts that drive modern AI, offering learners insight into how data is collected, analysed, and used to inform automated decision-making. In response to this need, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has reviewed a range of international frameworks and educational resources that incorporate data science concepts.
This work has been synthesised into a coherent, thematic progression spanning Key Stages 1 through 5. The progression outlines how core ideas in data and AI can be introduced and developed in an age-appropriate way, supporting a structured approach to curriculum design.
This presentation will share the rationale behind this work, the methodology used in reviewing global approaches, and the resulting progression framework. Attendees will gain practical insights into how data science can be embedded across the computing curriculum to support AI literacy for all learners.
Wrestling with a Subroutines-First Approach in GCSE Programming
Greg King, Magdalen College School, Oxford
PRESENTATION
The Craig’n’Dave Time2Code resources (https://time2code.today/python-course) take a subroutines-first approach and include a lot of complexity right from the start. Introducing subroutines early gives the students much more practice during the course, potentially laying a more solid foundation for progression to A-Level. When we tried this approach, students really struggled to pick out the important concepts from the other complexities and they ended up writing ‘word soup’ answers to explanation questions on the topic.
The presentation would start by explaining the thinking/reading behind the initial set of resources (https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/2026/january/intro-to-subroutines-with-python/) which specifically target order-of-execution and using parameters with pre-built subroutines. The third of this initial set tried to get students to write their own subroutines and it proved to be a step too far. It would then go on to my (currently ongoing) attempts to embed subroutine writing/use in normal classwork and, once embedded, how to build from that towards understanding parameters and return values in terms of the ‘data flow’ of a program.