What Dips Thompson, mentor of Cloudside Coders, learned during her first term at Code Club

Dips Thompson launched her Code Club, Cloudside Coders, at Cloudside Primary School in Nottingham, UK, in June 2025.

After completing her first term with creators aged between seven and eight, she’s sharing key lessons for new mentors.

Kicking off club sessions

Our Code Club runs after school, and I’ve built a routine that helps everyone transition. Some of my amazing Code Club creators have jobs — they help get the iPads and login details ready and hand them out. It gives them a real sense of ownership over the club.

Once everyone’s settled, we spend a few minutes catching up, discussing their week and what they’re excited to create. I then introduce a collaborative project, showing the finished version before guiding them step-by-step. This often sparks their own ideas, encouraging variations later, which is a helpful approach for my young group.

Navigating logins

My biggest piece of advice for new Code Club mentors? Don’t get bogged down with logins, especially for younger creators. I learned this the hard way in my first session and saw creators struggle with keyboards and password complexities. 

We introduced Scratch logins in Week 3, and by Week 6, most creators could confidently remember their passwords. It was a game-changer!

Introducing Code Club projects

In our first session, I showed the Code Club project site, explaining the layout and how to use it. For my young creators, having two tabs open and following instructions independently felt a little overwhelming for them. We now follow the Scratch pathway together. I choose a project, and most creators follow my step-by-step guidance on their own devices. 

My goal is to gradually build their confidence and skills until they can tackle projects independently.

Adapting when things don’t go to plan 

Things rarely go exactly as planned in Code Club, and that’s totally normal. If I notice too many creators stuck on the same piece of code, struggling with logins, or if a lack of digital literacy skills is holding us back, I know it’s time to adapt.

I often split creators into groups to address common problems more efficiently. If a significant number of students can’t access a project due to digital literacy gaps, we’ll pause for a quick skills session, and maybe practice mouse control, typing, or navigation. I also encourage a “brain, book, buddy, boss” system. This empowers them to first think, check resources, ask a peer, and only then come to me. This approach builds their independence.

Giving creators ownership

To give creators more ownership, I encourage them to customise sprites and backgrounds. For our “Catch the Bus” project, for example, we kept the core code, but they were free to choose their own characters and settings. This led to awesome variations like “Catch the Hippo” or “Catch the Train,” which truly ignited their creativity. I’m hoping that as they get more confident, they’ll choose their own projects and pathways entirely. 

Tips and resources that made running my Code Club easier

I’ve found a few key tips and resources helpful when launching my Code Club. 

Practical tips

• Device checks: To ensure iPads are fully charged for Code Club sessions, we have a dedicated tech monitor who checks them on Code Club day. This has been super helpful.
• Scratch Classroom: I use Scratch Classroom with anonymised accounts to easily generate usernames and passwords. This allows young people to log in quickly and save their work without frustration.
• Peer support: I strategically group more confident programmers with less confident ones. This buddy system effectively handles many common questions.
• Testing projects: Before I introduce any new project, I build it myself first. This helps me anticipate questions and spot any misconceptions creators might encounter.

Essential resources 

The Code Club website offers fantastic resources that were invaluable when I was starting out:

• Code Club project site: A treasure trove of coding projects
• Leader guide and session checklist: Essential for planning and running sessions
• Code Club online course: Super useful for getting tips and ideas
• Code Club Login letters/account permission: A lifesaver for getting parental consent
• Progress Maps: A great way for creators to track the projects they’ve completed

Our Code Club is still in its early stages, but I have high hopes for it. I’m excited to dive back in come September and explore more Code Club resources, such as the one-page projects, and possibly even get creators involved in the Astro Pi Mission Zero and Coolest Projects.

Inspired by Cloudside Coders? Join the movement, and start a Code Club in your community!