For parents

The honest guide for grown-ups.

You're weighing up cost, safety, screen time and whether your child will actually stick with it. Here's everything, in one place.

The screen-time reframe

They're already at the screen. Let's change what they do there.

Ofcom reports that 97% of UK 8–17 year olds play games online. Club Coders doesn't add screen time; it swaps some of the passive hours for active ones where they're designing, typing Python, predicting, learning about safe use of AI, testing and explaining.

Children who program a game learn the skills that help them in school and life: breaking a big problem into small ones, tolerating frustration, reading error messages, iterating. These skills are needed in maths, science and every GCSE and life skill that also require persistence.

1Mentor, the same every week

75Minutes per live session

1Learner card and demo day every season

0Joining fees, lock-ins or chat rooms

Safeguarding

How we keep online sessions safe.

We follow the NSPCC and SWGfL guidance for online tutoring. The short version: a checked adult, a controlled room, a game with no chat, a record of everything, and parents welcome to sit in alongside their own child.

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Enhanced DBS checked

Peter holds an Enhanced DBS certificate and is on the DBS Update Service. Any future mentor is Enhanced DBS checked and safeguarding trained before they meet a student.

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Controlled Zoom room

Joined in a web browser with club usernames only (no Zoom account or real names). Waiting room and passcode on, meeting locked once everyone's in, screen sharing controlled by the mentor, no private chat between participants.

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No chat in the games

the groups have no direct messaging of any kind. Learners can't contact each other through the app. Usernames are a first name or nickname only.

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Every session recorded

Zoom recordings are kept securely for 90 days for safeguarding, then deleted. No cameras are used.

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Sit in with your child

You're welcome to watch your own child's sessions by sitting with them. To join separately, arrange it with Peter first: you join muted, under a name that shows you're a parent. Please don't record or share anything showing other children.

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AI use is controlled by the teacher-only

Learners never type into an AI tool. They write a request card in the game; it's checked for personal information; only Peter sends it to the AI; every change is tested and approved before it's kept.

A note on setup at home: we ask that children join from a shared family space rather than a bedroom where possible, and that a parent is in the house during sessions. Our full safeguarding policy names the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the complaints route.

What you get as a parent

You'll always know what they're learning.

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We welcome a call before the first sessionA 10-minute call with Peter to agree the slot and anything we should know about your child.

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A learner card every seasonA PDF at the end of each season: the missions completed with evidence, the computing outcomes shown, and Peter's note, plus a demo day where your child presents their work. Usernames only.

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Termly tournament and demo dayAt the end of each season every coder is invited to shows their built game and explains their code and developments. Families invited.

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Direct line to the mentorEmail Peter any time. Replies within one working day where possible.

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Inclusive by designSmall groups, predictable structure, voice only (no cameras), and a mentor with years of experience supporting neurodivergent learners. Tell us what helps.

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Insured and registeredPublic liability and professional indemnity insurance and ICO data protection registration.

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Money-back promiseReserve a founding place and it's refundable before session one.

School & exams

Not a tutoring service. Better preparation than one.

GCSE Computer Science is examined in Python. Both games are programmed in Python, and every mission is tagged to the specifications: variables, data types, selection, functions, validation with normal, boundary and invalid data, testing and evaluation.

Variables, lists, dictionaries, selection, Boolean logic and functions, by building a robot and its brain
Input validation and test data types, by trying to break the game on purpose
Decomposition, abstraction and evaluation with evidence (every lesson)
Safe, acknowledged use of AI, which the Joint Council for Qualifications now requires in coursework

We don't teach to the exam and we're not a replacement for school. We make the programming half of the course make sense.

Year 8–9

Perfect timing. Builds confidence before options are chosen, and shows whether Computer Science GCSE is a good fit.

Year 10–11

Runs alongside the GCSE. Free pause during the exam window. The learner card is a record of exactly which specification points they've demonstrated.

Year 12–13

Brains that beat the Expert computer, features built with AI and credited properly: talking points for university and apprenticeship interviews.

Home educated

Daytime groups. Structured, social and progression-based, with a learner card each season for your records.

Full FAQ

Everything parents ask.

What ages is Club Coders for?

13 to 17. Groups are arranged roughly by age, so a 13-year-old beginner won't be in a group with 17-year-olds. If your child is 12 and keen, get in touch; we'll be honest about whether it's right for them yet.

Does my child need any coding experience?

No. Lesson 1 starts with sliders, a prediction and a look at the robot as code. By lesson 3 they're writing a Python function. The missions are the same for everyone and the game checks them, so nobody can fall behind unnoticed.

What equipment do we need?

A Windows 10 or 11 laptop or PC from the last five or six years, broadband, headphones with a mic. The Club Coders app is a download with no installation. Mac and Chromebook aren't supported yet. Tick the box on the taster form to hear when other platforms arrive.

Who teaches the sessions?

Peter Brewer, the founder: a Computer Science and AI graduate, robotics research manager and STE(A)M educator with over ten years' experience, including work with the Royal Institution and the University of Birmingham. He also wrote the games. As the club grows, additional mentors will be Enhanced DBS checked, safeguarding trained and professionally trained by Peter.

How big are the groups?

Small. Groups are kept small so the mentor can see every learner's screen and help everyone. Your child keeps the same group, mentor, day and time every week.

Is it live or pre-recorded?

Live, every week. Recordings exist only for safeguarding. The arena only opens when Peter launches the group.

Can they play between sessions?

Not yet. The games run on the class server and open when the teacher launches the group, so they're a club activity rather than a game played alone at home. Their robot, fighter and brain are saved on their account. Studio+ adds a second weekly session.

What about AI? I'm not sure I want my child using AI for coding.

Neither are we, uncritically. Learners never talk to an AI. They write a structured request card inside the game (no personal information, a clear goal, a test, a prediction). Only the teacher sends it to advanced AI, the teacher and the game environment tests the result, the teacher keeps or undoes it, and the learner answers review questions about what changed. Lessons includes finding a bug hidden in AI-written code and we make sure they can code the brain themselves first. More on how we teach AI.

What data does the game keep about my child?

A username (first name or nickname, letters and numbers), a hashed password, their robot and fighter designs, their brain code, which missions they've completed and the short reflections they type. It lives on a UK server with nightly backups kept 14 days. No surname, school, email or address. Learner cards show usernames only. Full details in the privacy policy.

They can already learn to code for free on YouTube or at Code Club. Why pay?

Free resources are brilliant, the problem is finishing. Most children who start a free course stop within a few weeks because nobody notices when they stop or have problems. Club Coders is the accountability layer: a fixed slot, the same mentor who can see their code, other players to work with and play against, missions the game checks, and a learner card every season. You're paying for the finishing, not the information.

Will this help with GCSE Computer Science?

Yes, substantially: the course is based on Python and every mission is linked to the OCR and AQA specifications. But we're a club, not a tutoring service, and we don't teach to the exam.

My child is autistic / has ADHD / is anxious about groups. Will it work?

Often, very well. Predictable structure, small groups, no camera, a quiet way to ask for help, missions that reward getting something to work rather than talking, and a mentor who's supported neurodivergent learners for years. Tell us on the booking form what helps and what doesn't to make your child more comfortable.

What happens at the free taster?

Robot Lab lesson 1, for real, in a small group: tune a robot, edit it as Python code, make a first AI request and check what it did, then a practice game. You're welcome to sit with them and watch. Afterwards you get an email with slot options and the founding offer. No card details, no pressure.

How do payments, cancelling and pausing work?

Monthly rolling by card through our secure booking system. No joining fee, no minimum term. Cancel before the next billing date; pause for free for up to two months a year. First month money-back guarantee if they don't enjoy it.

What if they miss a week?

They can often watch the recording and, with notice, drop into another group at the same point in the season that week if there's space.

Do you offer in-person sessions?

Club Coders is now fully online. This lets us run consistent, small groups for children anywhere in the UK, and abroad, at a lower price than venue-based clubs. We will be looking at in-person events in the summer of 2027.

Still got a question?

Email Peter directly, or book a taster and ask in person.

Book a free taster Contact us