What do you think about Code Club? The results are in!

At the end of 2019 we asked the Code Club community to tell us about your clubs as part of our annual survey. The full report has now been published and here are some of the highlights from your feedback.

Who are our volunteers and club leaders? 

We received a total of 1583 survey responses from 69 countries across the world, from Vietnam, to Colombia, to Mozambique.

The majority of the volunteers and club leaders who responded told us they were between the ages of 35 and 54, and worked as educators or in a STEM role. Around 50% of our club leaders and volunteers identified as female, with 47% identifying as male.

Code Club’s impact on children

The most common theme from your comments was the positive impact of Code Club on young learners. Many of you shared the skill development that takes place in your clubs, not just in coding and STEM skills, but also in soft skills, such as creativity, confidence, problem-solving, and collaboration.

When asked about the impact seen in young people attending your club, we found that:

• 94% agreed that young people improve their programming skills
• 92% agreed that they became more confident in their computer skills
• 92% agreed that the children you reach are now more interested in programming
• 88% agreed that young people in your club were now better at solving problems with computers 
• And 83% agreed the young people in your club were better at teaching others computer skills

We were pleased to slightly increase the number of girls attending Code Clubs to 40%, and interested to see that the average Code Club size has fallen slightly — from 15 to 13 children. Most clubs had between 10 and 14 attendees

Clubs across the world told us that they loved how their Code Club acted as a ‘safe and welcoming space’, where young people were able to learn in an open and inclusive environment.

“Code Club has helped me to create a safe learning space for students who are curious and ready to explore the world of code. We have developed an environment where risk-taking, [and] sharing and celebrating mistakes have become the norm.”

The reward of running a Code Club

We were delighted to hear how much club leaders and volunteers enjoy learning alongside the young people in their Code Club. 

“The best thing about Code Club is to be able to teach and learn at the same time, contributing to the knowledge of future generations. I feel fulfilled!”

Many of you also shared how rewarding you found being an adult supporter at your Code Club, from finding joy in working with young people, to feeling pride in seeing the young people in your club develop.  

Resources

We also asked what projects you used most in your clubs. Scratch remains a firm favourite, with 90% of clubs using Scratch projects, while Python and micro:bit projects were also popular. 

You told us that you love our certificates, our variety of projects, and the project challenges. The fact that the Code Club curriculum is ready made and the availability of translated versions of the projects were also popular points. And you also appreciated our competitions, as they give young people a chance to engage in a project alongside other clubs around the world. 

Keep sharing with us! 

Join the conversation with us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d love to keep hearing stories and feedback from your club over on the #MyCodeClub hashtag.