Straight answers to the questions parents actually ask: what Scratch is for, when to move to Python, and what to do when other clubs have not worked out.
Written by our mentors
73 guides for parents · 161 posts from the clubs
Learning to code can seem intimidating, there are so many different programming languages so where's the best place to start!? We want to make it easy to get into coding, which is why we're here to tell you about the different programming languages we use across our clubs! Read on to find out more...
Here at The Code Zone we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to develop key digital literacy skills! Read on to find out more about how we encourage our members to stengthen their tech knowledge...
Did you know that all members of The Code Zone also get access to Minecraft Mod Worlds? Read on to find out some of the cool ways you can learn to code with Minecraft...
Here at The Code Zone we pride ourselves in the fact that we give our members the choice of what they want to work on and it turns out, lots of people out there agree! In this week's blog we’re here to talk about some of the findings and benefits of letting children choose what they want to learn!
Learning to code isn't just about developing programming skills, it can also help our members build their confidence when it comes to other parts of their lives! Read the blog to find out how...
Seen us talking about Game Jams? Want to know what's so great about them? Just keep reading to find out more!
Looking for a new after school club? How about a fun new activity for the summer holidays? We've got you covered with our online coding clubs!
Our clubs combine learning to code with gaming - but why is this such a good way to learn how to code? Find out in this week's blog post...
Coding with blocks works a little bit like building with Lego, you simply find the blocks you need and stick them together. In this week's blog post we're here to tell you why this method of learning to code is so brilliant!
Our mentors are at the core of what we do here, but exactly is their role in their clubs? Let's find out...
In celebration of animation and all things fun and visual, here are some amazing things that you can create in our clubs!
At The Code Zone, we believe coding is more than just a skill—it’s a way to build community. This Mental Health Awareness Week, discover how our clubs support young coders' mental well-being through friendship, mentorship, and acceptance.
Everything here is written by the mentors who run our coding clubs for children aged 6 to 16, which means it comes from people who spend their evenings watching children actually learn to code rather than from a marketing team.
The guides answer the questions parents send us. When a child is ready to move on from Scratch to Python. What to do when a coding-mad child has outgrown everything you can find for them. Whether coding clubs work for autistic and ADHD children, and what to ask any club before you pay for it. How to help with a bug when you cannot code yourself. None of them need you to be technical, and none of them assume you have already decided to join anything.
We try to be honest about the limits too. Several guides recommend platforms we do not teach and tools we do not sell, because a parent working out what comes next deserves the whole picture rather than the part that suits us. Where we do make the case for a mentor, it is because the thing no platform can do is notice that a child has gone quiet.
If you would rather see what a session is really like before reading advice about one, club news is the other half of the blog: game jams, Minecraft builds and weekly roundups written up by whoever ran them.
The Code Zone teaches children aged 6 to 16 to code by building their own games. Outside the UK that is the Game Dev Academy, which is self-paced: there is no fixed session time, so a child works at whatever hour suits them in any time zone.
A STEM-certified, background-checked mentor answers by text and video message during the week, so nobody is left on their own with it, and children build their own games rather than working through a set course. Creating an account is free and takes no card details, so you can see the platform before deciding anything.
Children start in Scratch, and the mentor sets harder work as soon as they are ready for it. Levels move down as readily as up so the work always fits, and staying where you are is a perfectly good outcome.
Mentors write a note on every child, which is how we know when somebody is ready to move on, and it is why a child who has gone quiet for three weeks does not simply go unnoticed.
More than a third of our members are autistic or have ADHD, based on what parents tell us when they join.
In 2025 we received the Autism Inclusion Award from the National Autistic Society, the UK's leading autism charity, and in 2026 we were ranked second in the UK in Club Hub UK’s Top 100 Children’s Activity Providers, scored by five independent judges on safeguarding, inclusivity and community impact.
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