UK · Ages 9 to 13 · Community coding

After Code Club: the next step in coding

Code Club started in the UK in 2012 and has since involved, by its own count, more than two million young people. It is free, it meets in schools, libraries and youth clubs, and it is run by teachers and volunteers, many of whom are not programmers; Code Club says plainly that "You don't need any coding experience to run a Code Club." Children work through step-by-step project guides at their own pace, and an independent evaluation by Durham University found they build real coding skills, confidence and a sense of belonging. That design is its strength. It is also why some children eventually outgrow it: they finish the guides, want to build something no guide describes, and need someone who can read their code and tell them what to try next. This page is about that moment, and what a sensible next step looks like.

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Live teaching since 2020 · 10,000+ students · Built on the Raspberry Pi Foundation's published evidence

In short

Code Club is a free network of coding clubs, founded in the UK in 2012 and now part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, where school-aged children work through step-by-step project guides with volunteer or teacher mentors. The Foundation's 2025 survey counted 7,494 clubs active in the previous two years, in 102 countries, and an independent 2024 evaluation by Durham University found that children who attend build coding skills, confidence, interest and a sense of belonging. Because clubs are free and run by mentors who need no coding experience, a child who finishes the guides and wants to build their own projects may need more: a teacher who reads and reviews their code, a move from Scratch to a typed language such as Python, and projects with no instructions to follow. Modern Age Coders offers that next step in small live groups. We are not connected with Code Club. The first lesson is free, then USD 100 a month in a group or USD 150 one to one.

Start here

Three courses for life after Code Club

Deeper Scratch for younger children, typed Python for the ready, and web pages for the curious. Each card opens its syllabus.

Python and AI for Kids course thumbnail

CC / 01

Python for Kids

Typed Python for ages 10 to 13, the usual next language after Scratch.

Open the syllabus →
Scratch Coding for Kids course thumbnail

CC / 02

Scratch, Complete

For younger children who want to go far beyond the project guides before changing language.

Open the syllabus →
HTML & CSS for Beginners course thumbnail

CC / 03

HTML and CSS

Real web pages, for children who enjoyed the web projects at club.

Open the syllabus →

What clubs do well

Code Club works, and the evidence says why

From the Raspberry Pi Foundation's published survey and the independent evaluation it commissioned.

Code Club in numbers, as published
MeasureFigure
FoundedIn the UK, in 2012
Young people involvedMore than 2 million over its history, by Code Club's count
Clubs active in the last two years7,494, in 102 countries (2025 survey)
Creators in clubsAn estimated 257,000 (2025 survey)
Cost to familiesFree

In 2024 the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education evaluated Code Club independently. The Foundation reports that it found children "build their coding skills", "become more confident in learning coding, grow their interest in it, and develop a sense of belonging". The researchers also noted the structure behind that: "each young person has their individual projects to work on, which promote a sense of ownership and personalised learning", alongside chances to collaborate and celebrate each other's work.

Why the design works

Children pick projects and work at their own pace, so nobody is held back or left behind. The guides are written by specialist educators and are safe and age-appropriate.

The evaluation also found clubs can suit children who find ordinary classrooms hard, which is a real gift for some families.

Why it is kept light

Clubs are free and run by teachers, educators and volunteers from all walks of life. To make that possible, the guides carry the teaching, so mentors need no coding background.

That is exactly what lets Code Club reach so many children. It also sets a natural ceiling for a child who races ahead.

Source: Code Club and its About page, the Raspberry Pi Foundation's Learn page, and the Foundation's blog posts of 7 October 2024 (the Durham evaluation) and 10 June 2025 (the annual survey report). Survey figures come from mentors' responses and the Foundation's estimates. We have no connection with Code Club or the Foundation.

Signs of outgrowing

How to tell a child has outgrown the guides

None of these means the club has failed. They mean it has done its job.

Signs a child is ready for more
What you noticeWhat it usually means
They finish projects in one session and ask what is nextThe guides no longer stretch them
They change a project so much it no longer matches the guideThey want to design, not follow
They ask how a game they play was madeThey are ready for concepts the guides only touch
They start building at home without instructions, and get stuckThey need someone who can read their code
They are bored by drag-and-drop blocksThey may be ready to type a language such as Python
A mentor says they know more than the mentorThe club's volunteer model has reached its limit for them

One creator quoted in the Foundation's evaluation post put the joy and the frustration together: "Coding is really fun when I know what to do, but sometimes it is hard. But I always keep trying." The second half of that sentence is the moment that matters. When a child is stuck on their own idea, not a guide's, what helps is someone who can look at the actual code and ask the right question.

Keep the club

Outgrowing the guides is not a reason to leave. Many children keep the friendships and the fun of club while learning more elsewhere.

Add depth, not pressure

The next step should feel like more of what they love, a bigger project and a better tool, not like extra homework.

Let them lead

Children who have been choosing their own projects for years thrive when they keep choosing, with a teacher steering the skills.

The next step

What the next step needs

Four things a child who has outgrown a club usually needs, and why each matters.

From club to the next stage
At clubNext stepWhy
Step-by-step project guidesProjects with no guide, designed by the childDesigning is the skill that follows, and guides cannot teach it
A mentor who may not codeA teacher who reads and reviews the codeStuck children need someone who understands what they wrote
Sessions whenever the club meetsRegular lessons that build week on weekConcepts like variables, lists and functions need sequence
Mostly Scratch and guided web or PythonTyped Python, and HTML and CSS written from scratchTyped languages open the next level of projects

The table is not a criticism. Code Club is built for breadth: to reach as many children as possible for free, with volunteers. The next step is built for depth, for a smaller number of children who are ready to go further. Both are good; they do different jobs.

What we offer

Small live groups of five to ten children at the same level, with a teacher who reads every child's code and gives specific feedback.

Projects the children choose, with the skills taught in order so each week builds on the last.

What we are not

A replacement for Code Club, or connected with it. We are a separate paid service, and many of our students keep going to their club.

A shortcut. Progress still comes from a child writing code, getting it wrong and fixing it.

Scratch to Python

Crossing from Scratch to Python

The change most families ask about, and how to make it without losing the fun.

What carries over, and what is new
Carries straight overNew in Python
Sequences of instructionsTyping exactly, with spelling and indentation that matter
Loops and if-statementsReading error messages and fixing them
VariablesLists and dictionaries for storing lots of data
Making a game from an ideaBuilding programs in text files that grow over time

Children who have made games in Scratch already understand loops, conditions and variables; they have used them for years. What is new is the typing, the precision and the error messages. We start Python with small programs that echo things children built in Scratch, so the ideas feel familiar while the tool changes, and we keep projects playful: quizzes, simple games, drawings with code.

For children in upper primary, the Key Stage 2 coding page covers what the curriculum expects. Children who own a micro:bit or a Raspberry Pi may like the page on the step after the micro:bit, and competitive children first competitions for primary children.

Progression

Four rungs after Code Club

Placement follows what a child can build without a guide, which a first lesson shows quickly.

From guided projects to independent ones
RungUsuallyWhat should be true
1. Beyond the guidesAges 9 to 11Scratch projects designed from scratch, with variables, broadcasts and clones used on purpose
2. First typed codeAges 10 to 12Short Python programs typed and debugged, reading error messages without panic
3. StructuresAges 11 to 13Lists, functions and simple files, used to build a program that grows
4. Own projectsAges 12 and upA multi-week project planned, built and improved with a teacher's review

Rung one can take a while

Some children need a term of deeper Scratch before typing feels natural. That is time well spent.

The wider order of topics is on the coding roadmap.

Rung four is the goal

A child who can plan and finish their own project has crossed from following to making.

From there, the path leads to GCSE computing and beyond.

The catalogue

Nine courses for children moving on

Grouped by where a child is. The free lesson places them.

I

Deeper and first typed

Ages 9 to 13

UK / CC1 / 01

Scratch, complete

Far beyond the guides, with design at the centre.

Open the syllabus

UK / CC1 / 02

Python for kids

The first typed language, taught gently.

Open the syllabus

UK / CC1 / 03

Game development for kids

Bigger games than any club guide.

Open the syllabus
II

Making things

Web, maths and logic

UK / CC2 / 02

Maths through coding

From age 10, maths explored in code.

Open the syllabus

UK / CC2 / 03

Problem solving for kids

Logic puzzles that sharpen thinking.

Open the syllabus
III

For teenagers

Ages 13 and up

UK / CC3 / 01

Python for teens

From basics to real programs and apps.

Open the syllabus

UK / CC3 / 02

JavaScript for teens

Interactive web pages and games.

Open the syllabus

UK / CC3 / 03

Game development for teens

Real games in a professional engine.

Open the syllabus

How lessons work

A teacher who reads the code

Our teachers are in India, which keeps one time all year, so the UK is four and a half hours behind in summer and five and a half in winter. Lessons are arranged in UK time.

After school

Short, lively sessions for this age.

Early evening

Before tea, on a club-free day.

Weekend

Longer project time for keen builders.

Code actually read

Every child's program looked at by the teacher, with specific next steps.

Their own projects

Children choose what to build; the teacher chooses which skill it needs.

Skills in order

Variables, loops, lists and functions taught so each lesson builds on the last.

Stuck is normal

Getting stuck treated as the lesson, not a failure, with a question rather than an answer.

Show and tell

Children share what they made, as they did at club.

Small groups

Five to ten children at one level, so everyone is seen.

Student work

Things our young students have built

Four projects from lessons, made by the children themselves. More in student labs.

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

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An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

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Fees

Fees for next-step coding lessons

Unlike Code Club, this is a paid service. We charge monthly in US dollars, at a single rate for families outside India; a first lesson costs nothing, and invoices start only after you choose a course and a weekly slot.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

  • A lesson built around what your child made at club
  • An honest view of the right next step
  • A phone number is all we need
Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Five to ten children at one level
  • The same teacher each week
  • Code reviewed in every lesson
  • Projects the children choose
Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A teacher for one child
  • Paced to a child who races ahead
  • Suits a child with a big project in mind
Enquire

What families say

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

Parents' Google reviews, copied as written.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Questions about life after Code Club

What parents ask

What is Code Club?

A free network of coding clubs for school-aged children, founded in the UK in 2012 and part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Children work through step-by-step project guides with teacher or volunteer mentors.

Does Code Club actually work?

The evidence says yes. An independent 2024 evaluation by Durham University found children build coding skills, confidence, interest and a sense of belonging.

How do I know my child has outgrown it?

Common signs are finishing projects too quickly, changing them beyond the guide, building at home and getting stuck, or being bored by blocks. None of these means the club failed; it did its job.

Should my child stop going to Code Club?

Not necessarily. Many children keep the friendships and fun of club while learning more elsewhere. The two do different jobs.

When should my child move from Scratch to Python?

When blocks start to feel limiting and they can plan a project, often between 10 and 12. Some children benefit from more time in deeper Scratch first.

Are you connected with Code Club?

No. We are a separate, paid service with no connection to Code Club or the Raspberry Pi Foundation. We describe their programme from their own published material.

What does your next step offer that a club cannot?

A teacher who reads and reviews each child's code, skills taught in sequence week by week, and support for projects no guide describes.

What ages do you teach?

Children from about 6 upward, and for this next step mostly ages 9 to 13, grouped by what they can already build rather than by age alone.

Is it online?

Yes, live and online, in small groups or one to one, at UK times that fit around school and club.

What does it cost?

Nothing for the first lesson. Lessons after that cost a monthly fee in US dollars, less in a group than one to one, with both amounts in the fees section; we never ask for payment up front.

Elsewhere on this site

More for young coders in the UK

The primary curriculum, hardware, and competitions to try.

After the micro:bit

The next step for children who loved school micro:bits.

Key Stage 2 coding lessons

What the curriculum expects from 7 to 11.

First competitions

Gentle contests for primary children.

Python classes online

How we teach Python to a high standard.

AI classes for kids

What children can safely learn about AI.

Coding classes in the UK

Every UK page we publish.

Start here

Book a free first lesson

Leave a number and we will call at a UK time that suits. Bring something your child made at club; the lesson starts from it and ends with a clear next step.

Curious before you call? Our courses each list a full syllabus, the teaching approach page explains what we do in lessons, and student labs gathers projects children have made.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · contact@modernagecoders.com

Send a WhatsApp for the quickest answer; it is free from a UK phone. The team replying is in India, so the number opens with +91.

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