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Why Volunteer?

Sharing your experiences of teaching computing through CAS is one of the most powerful ways to make a difference beyond your own classroom. Whether you choose to contribute a resource, write about your practice, or volunteer as part of a local community, your insights help strengthen and inspire others across the network. Every idea shared supports colleagues to grow in confidence and creativity, while helping pupils everywhere benefit from high-quality, engaging computing education. Volunteering with CAS also offers valuable opportunities for your own professional growth — building leadership skills, expanding your network, and shaping the future of computing education together with like-minded peers.

At CAS, we believe that sharing practice and building community are central to supporting every child to thrive in the digital world. The Computing at School (CAS) community offers a powerful platform for this sharing across the UK. Whether you choose to share a ready-made resource, reflect in a blog, post a quick update, or engage in rich discussion on the Forum, each action has a ripple effect — benefiting your school, colleagues, and ultimately the next generation of digital learners.

And if you’re looking to amplify your impact, volunteering with CAS is a fantastic way to invest in the future of computing education: you’ll build leadership skills, grow your professional network, and inspire change beyond your immediate classroom.

Listed below are some examples and guides on how you can contribute to the CAS community.

How to volunteer with CAS

If you’d like to go further than sharing - and engage as a volunteer  -  there are several ways you can partner with CAS. Volunteering is a fantastic way to amplify your impact, build leadership skills, and deepen your community connections. Here’s how:

Why volunteer?

  • You extend your influence beyond your classroom — helping shape computing education regionally or nationally.

  • It develops your leadership, communication and networking skills (valuable for your role as Head of Computing and for professional growth).

  • It raises your profile: being a volunteer leader or contributor to CAS is recognised and respected in the computing education community.

  1. Become (or ensure you are) a CAS member

    • If you’re not yet a member, join the CAS community via the website (this also gives access to resources, forums, newsletters).

  2. Decide where you’d like to contribute

    • Do you prefer face-to-face local community events? Or online discussions? Or writing/sharing materials?

    • Consider your available time (CAS mention just a few hours per month for a local community lead) and your strengths (e.g., your experience in A-level Biology, A-level Art, cross-curricular teaching).

  3. Reach out to CAS

    • For leading a local community: the CAS “Local Communities” page invites you to apply to create or lead a new community. 

    • For community leader roles: contact the email listed (for example compatsch@bcs.uk) as per the CAS Community Leaders page.

  4. Plan your contribution

    • If you are leading a community: schedule meetings (virtual or face-to-face), set an agenda around teaching computing, share resources, invite speakers.

    • If you are contributing online: join the Community Leader forum, start posts in the online communities, write blogs.

  5. Promote and sustain

    • Tell your school, spread via your networks (for example through Barefoot Computing and your online physical computing community).

    • Monitor and reflect on what you do: what went well, what didn’t, what could you refine next time? This aligns with your charity’s message of critical evaluation and informed use of technology.

  6. Celebrate and share outcomes

    • Report back to CAS (they often highlight volunteer work during National Volunteers Week).

    • Share your journey: blog posts, post meeting summaries, case-studies. This encourages others and builds your profile.

  • Lead or co-lead a CAS Local Community (regionally you might already engage). CAS describe this as “low maintenance, high impact”.

  • Serve as a Community Leader in an online CAS community (Primary, Secondary, Online). The CAS website lists “CAS Community Leaders” who share practice, organise meetings and connect others. 

  • Contribute to CAS events: run a workshop, present at the annual CAS Conference, write blog posts, moderate forum discussions.

  • Mentor newer teachers through CAS networks (your experience as Head of Computing could be very valuable).

  • Advocate CAS and computing education in your region: spread the word, encourage membership, organise local CPD events together.

Resources

If you have a resource to share, simply upload it to the [resources page] and complete the creation form. You can then share the direct link with others or leave it in the collection for members to discover when browsing

Why This Matters:

  • Sharing a resource means your hard-won lesson plan, activity, or tool isn’t just used in one classroom - it becomes part of CAS’s national pool of teaching-materials, benefitting many colleagues.

  • It builds your professional reputation: as someone who contributes, you become a go-to teacher in the community.

  • It encourages collaboration and refinement: others may adapt your resource and feed back improvements.

  • Go to the CAS website, login (or join if you’re not yet a member).

  • Navigate to the Resources  section.

  • Upload your file/resource, fill in details (age range, context, summary, any special equipment needed).

  • Once live, share the link in your network, on social media, or in your local community.

  • Let your computing department, or trust, know you’ve done so—this can raise your profile internally too.

Writing Blogs

If you want to share something that isn’t a resource – for example, an event you organised, a new initiative, a trip, or an extracurricular activity – writing a blog is a great option. Blogs allow you to tell your story, reflect on your experiences, and inspire others. You can also add photos to bring your post to life.

Why this matters

  • It gives a human voice and narrative to what you’re doing: inspiration flows from real-people stories.

  • Reflection helps you as well: writing a blog consolidates your own learning, and sharing helps you think critically about your practice.

  • Others learn from your journey: what worked, what didn’t, what you would do differently. That’s valuable for the wider community.

  • Log in to the CAS site and head to the blog submission area (or follow the “writing a blog” link on that page).

  • Draft your post: include context (school type, year groups, challenge you addressed), your approach, impact (pupil responses, teacher reflections), future-thinking (what’s next).

  • Add imagery (photos of the activity, pupils (with consent), materials used) to make it engaging.

  • Submit to CAS.

  • Once published, share via your networks and invite comments/discussion (which increases reach and impact).

Sharing in Online and Regional Communities

Within each online community, you can write posts that are sent to all members. This is ideal for sharing announcements or updates that don’t require replies, such as information about an upcoming event or a new blog you’ve written

Why this matters

  • It’s a quick and easy way to reach colleagues, share news, ideas, or ask for support.

  • It helps you stay visible and active: being part of the conversation fosters relationships and keeps you informed.

  • It supports your local network: you may spark interest among colleagues in your region or set up collaborations.

  • Join the relevant CAS online community (Primary, Secondary, Post-16, etc).

  • Write a post: succinctly state what you’re sharing (e.g., “Just published a blog on our robotics club – link here”), perhaps ask a question (“Anyone tried VR in Year 8? Would love your tips”).

  • Use the “announcement” or general post type (if you don’t require replies) or use the discussion mode if you want engagement.

  • Monitor responses and engage as appropriate: reply to comments, thank supporters, share follow-up.

The CAS Forum

The forum is the perfect place to start a discussion. If you want to ask a question, seek advice, or share something, the forum will help you connect with colleagues and gain valuable insights.

Why this matters

  • Forums are dynamic: they allow back-and-forth, problem-solving & peer-support.

  • If you have a challenge (e.g., “How do you assess extra-curricular coding clubs in KS3?”) you can crowd-source ideas from experienced teachers.

  • You contribute to the communal brain-trust: your question may help others later; your answer to someone else helps build your professional profile.

  • Log in to the CAS forum.

  • Choose the correct sub-forum (Primary, Secondary, etc) so your post reaches relevant colleagues.

  • Write a clear subject/title (so people know what you’re asking/sharing).

  • Provide context: what you’re doing, where your school is, what you’d like help or feedback on.

  • Engage with replies: respond to suggestions, thank contributors, maybe summarise outcomes later for others.

  • Optionally, once the discussion concludes you can write a mini-blog about what was learnt and post that back into resources/blogs for wider audience.