In August 2024 with help from TeacherTapp, we asked teachers to “Think of your school’s computing curriculum. What are the top three challenges for your school?” The 1,323 responses from secondary teachers told us that their top three challenges are:

1. Shortage of specialist computer science teachers (58%)
2. Curriculum time (41%)
3. Teacher confidence (31%)

This feedback highlights a big challenge for schools in providing a computing curriculum students deserve if they are unable to allocate time in the curriculum and put a qualified and confident teacher in front of them.

Although the insights from Teacher Tapp are disheartening, they strengthen our resolve to create a world where every young person has the skills to shape their future and use technology to tackle big social challenges like climate change - an issue recently highlighted by the Department for Education’s 2024 climate literacy survey.

Our ready-made introductory computing courses are short and flexible, offering a zero-cost solution for both computing and non-specialist computing teachers. The course materials ensure that anyone with teaching experience can deliver them whether that’s as part of their curriculum or as an extra-curricular or enrichment activity.

With support from industry partners, we reached more than 700 UK schools in 2024 with one of our three themed computing courses -  AI for Good, App for Social Action and Innovate for Climate Change - where students independently work in pairs or teams to create an app prototype to tackle a social challenge important to them.

Here are 3 things to consider when planning your computing curriculum:

1. Does it support your school or trust’s broader strategic goals?

Emma Darcy, Director of Technology for Learning, Denbigh High School has been delivering Innovate for Climate Change for three years. She said, "Principle Ten for Chiltern Learning Trust is about climate change and sustainability and leading in technology for learning. The Innovate for Climate Change course fits in so fantastically for that."

2. Are you nurturing responsible citizens with essential skills, as well as introducing coding? 

Kamona Karim is Teacher of Computing at Putteridge High School in Luton. She teaches Innovate for Climate Change and describes the experience for students as ‘invaluable’. Kamona said students “learned so much about teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience.” She continued, “Watching them grow in confidence and take ownership of their project was incredibly rewarding. It’s moments like these that truly highlight the impact of Apps for Good, not just in fostering technical skills, but in empowering students to think critically and creatively about real-world problems.”

3. Are you engaging a diverse group of students in computing?

KS4 students Iesha and Shannon realised that computing aligned with their passions and career aspirations and both are now studying computing GCSE in Year 10. Shannon told us that creating their climate action app helped her learn more about the environment and how she can help. She said, “Apps for Good made me change the GCSE I picked. I wasn't planning to do IT but now I've got it in my three options.”

You can hear directly from Emma Darcy, Kamona Karim, and students Iesha and Shannon in their "Computing meets climate innovation: One multi-academy trust’s approach" Teaching & Learning session at 14:50 on Friday 24th January 2025. Alternatively, hear more on the  Teachers Talk Radio Podcast.

If you want to know more about how a zero cost Apps for Good course could be delivered in your school or trust, let’s talk! Our Education Manager and former teacher, Kathy, is on hand to help and support you. Contact us at education@appsforgood.org or visit our website, www.appsforgood.org