Support for secondary early career teachers and trainees
We support early career teachers and trainees to develop their subject knowledge of the computing curriculum and pedagogy that underpins it through professional development, resources and local communities.
Professional development
Computer Science Accelerator programme
Strong subject knowledge is paramount to successfully delivering any area of the curriculum. Your first step to success as an early career teacher is to access the Computer Science Accelerator, a flexible, professional development programme which aims to upskill your subject knowledge and confidence up to GCSE. The programme is available during your training and caters for computing specialists and non-specialists.
Learn more about the Computer Science Accelerator
Learning pathways
Our learning pathways will help you get started and offer a structured route through the programme based on your experience.
For non-specialist trainees or early career teachers, our new to computing pathway gives a broad look at different elements of computing, which can help increase your teaching capacity. We also have an intensive CPD offer, allowing you to access multiple days of CPD to help kick-start your journey.
Funding
Computer Science Accelerator courses are free for trainees and teachers working in state-funded education. We also offer subsidies to state-funded schools for supply cover to help teachers participate in CPD during the school day.
Develop your teaching practice
Once you have completed the Computer Science Accelerator, you will receive free access to all NCCE courses if you work in secondary state-funded education, including our follow-on Secondary certificate.
This certificate will enhance how you teach secondary computing and give you the confidence to apply those skills in the classroom, including:
- pedagogy
- assessment and progression
- curriculum design
- leadership
Find out more about the Secondary certificate
Resources
Teach Computing Curriculum
If you are on placement or have started your first year of teaching and would like support with lesson and unit planning, our curriculum contains everything you need to teach computing. It includes lesson plans, slides, worksheets, homework and assessments.
Pedagogy
If you already have a secure knowledge of the curriculum, we can help you augment this with evidence-based computing teaching practices that will promote good teaching and learning. The work of the NCCE is underpinned by our 12 principles of computing pedagogy, embedded across everything we do, including our Teach Computing Curriculum and CPD.
Communities
STEM Community
The STEM Community consists of over 18,000 educators, collaborating and supporting one another to improve STEM education for young people. The New to secondary computing group caters for teachers joining the profession or teaching computing for the first time. Discuss computing education with like-minded professionals across the country, and share good practices and resources.
View the group on STEM Community
Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice - run by Computing at School - are local networks of computing teachers that share expertise and best practice. They can be a valuable source of peer support, especially in your early career. CAS supports trainees through virtual meetings throughout the year, providing information about resources and organisations to help you to teach and embed computing concepts in the classroom.