Paul CTO & Co-Founder
Seriously Valerie - stop flying that drone at me!
More about Paul
The Code Zone's Co-Founder and technical lead, bringing years of experience in developing cool software and a passion for educating future generations!
In charge of all things code related, Paul it the tech lead at The Code Zone. Freelance software developer for 15 years, a degree in "Computing For Artificial Intelligence", "The Code Guy" is the Technical Director and Co-founder of The Code Zone. Starting with small clubs in his son's school, he realised more needed to be done and set about to take code out into the community in a big way.
Games Paul has made
Built in the same place you would be building, and shared the same way.
Paul has been collecting badges too
495 XP so far, which is pro coder level.
Flight
Cosmic Awareness
Technology Control
Time Travel
Fire Starter
Electricity benderOur mentors
Every Code Zone mentor is background-checked and STEM-certified, and is trained to adapt to how a child learns rather than expecting the child to adapt. Mentors write a note on every child, which is how we know when somebody is ready to move up a level, or would rather stay where they are.
The Academy is self-paced, so there is no fixed hour and nothing to be late for. Children build their own games instead of following a set course, starting in Scratch, and a mentor answers by text and video message during the week. Levels move down as readily as up, and staying put is a perfectly good outcome.
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, and in 2026 we were ranked second in the UK in Club Hub UK’s Top 100 Children’s Activity Providers, judged by five independent judges on safeguarding, inclusivity and community impact.
Questions parents ask about our mentors
- Are Code Zone mentors background-checked?
- Yes. Every mentor is background-checked and STEM-certified. Anything children share with each other on our platform is moderated by mentors, and we have a designated safeguarding lead.
- Will my child have their own mentor?
- Yes. A STEM-certified mentor follows what your child is building and answers them by text and video message, so it is the same person week to week rather than whoever happens to be free.
- How does my child talk to their mentor?
- By text and video message, in their own time. There is no session to attend and no camera to turn on, which for a lot of children is the part that makes it workable.
- Can we meet a mentor before we join?
- Creating an account is free and takes no card details, so you can look at the platform and the projects first. Your child meets their mentor when they start.
- What does a mentor actually do?
- They look at what your child has built and reply to it. The useful part is rarely showing a child the answer: it is asking the question that gets them to find it, then leaving them to it. Mentors write a note on every child.
- Are mentors trained in supporting neurodivergent children?
- Yes. Mentors are trained to adapt to how each child learns rather than expecting the child to adapt, and 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.
- What if the mentor is not the right fit for my child?
- Tell us and we will assign a different one. It is not a failure if the first is not right.