Celebrating Innovation and Community at the CAS North East Conference 2025

We were thrilled to welcome educators, researchers, industry partners, and computing enthusiasts to the CAS North East Conference 2025 on the 30th June —a day packed with energy, creativity, and collaboration. Hosted at Newcastle University and supported by a fantastic range of speakers and workshop leaders, this year’s conference offered a dynamic exploration of the present and future of computing education across the North East

🎤 Inspiring Keynotes

The day began with a compelling keynote from Nik Kelsey, Director of Education for CyberFirst North East, who opened the conference by highlighting the growing impact of the National Cyber Security Centre's CyberFirst Schools programme across the region. He shared how schools are embedding cyber security into everyday teaching and culture with support from a growing pool of local Cyber industry ambassadors, helping students build vital skills for the digital world. Nik was joined by Adam Bell, a CyberFirst STEM Ambassador from CyberSmart, who addressed the increasing risk of cyberattacks on schools and offered practical advice on how educators and institutions can stay safe online.

Later in the day, delegates were treated to an insightful keynote from Dr Becky Allen (University of Sunderland), who took us on a journey through her academic background in Music Technology, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence. Becky shared her innovative work on sonification and pedagogy, offering creative and accessible ways to introduce AI concepts in the classroom. Her cross-disciplinary perspective inspired teachers to think beyond the traditional boundaries of computing education.

Together, Nik, Adam, and Becky reminded us of the importance of preparing students not only for the technology of today, but for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

💬 Diverse and Practical Workshops

This year’s conference featured over 20 workshops, grouped into four themes: pedagogy and primary, ethics and tools, research and creativity, and A-Level and assessment. From EYFS to KS5, sessions offered hands-on ideas, classroom-ready resources, and inspiring insights.

Teachers explored how to bring computational thinking to life, integrate AI tools into workload management, and embed cybersecurity into the curriculum. Creative technologies like Flock XR, Turtlestitch, and MediaLib sparked ideas for cross-curricular computing, while sessions on the NCCE Quality Mark, hybrid GCSEs, and evidencing learning supported whole-school improvement.

There was something for everyone—whether diving into Python with Strype, trialling Crumble controllers in STEM lessons, exploring retrieval strategies at A-Level, or strengthening early years computing foundations.

💬 Reflecting on a Day of Impact

Every session delivered meaningful insights, whether you were new to teaching computing or a curriculum leader looking for the next step. With workshops spanning EYFS to A-level, pedagogy to policy, AI to physical computing, the day truly reflected the breadth and passion of the computing education community in the North East.

We would like to thank all our presenters, attendees, and supporters who made the day a success and of course, the amazing venue team at Newcastle University.

A huge thank you to our fantastic presenters from schools, universities, and industry who made each session engaging and impactful.

📥 Workshop slides and resources are available on the CAS website, so you can revisit key takeaways and share ideas with your colleagues.