21 May 2025
Competitions and extracurriculars - Secondary online event
If you were unable to join us for the "Competitions and Extracurriculars" online community meeting, don't worry! You can catch up on all the content and a recording of the session below.
Inspiring Innovation: Competitions and Extracurriculars in Computing Education
Key Takeaways
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Competitions offer meaningful opportunities to motivate students and deepen their interest in computing beyond the classroom.
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A variety of competitions exist for different ages and abilities—from creative design tasks to advanced algorithmic challenges.
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Embedding competitions into curriculum time and aligning them with learning objectives can widen participation.
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Team-based and girl-focused competitions can help improve gender balance and inclusivity.
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Sharing resources and experiences through platforms like CAS helps reduce the administrative burden and encourages wider involvement.
Exploring the Session
This CAS Secondary online community meeting focused on how competitions and extracurricular activities can be used to enhance computer science education. A wide range of initiatives were discussed, from well-established national contests to newer, localised events that promote inclusivity and creativity.
Pete Dring opened the discussion with a look at how he integrates competitions through lunchtime clubs and project work. He highlighted the PA Consulting Raspberry Pi Competition, where students created a healthcare panic button inspired by real-life needs. He also mentioned CanSat, a physics-meets-computing challenge to launch a sensor-laden "satellite" in a can, and the importance of balancing enthusiasm with the practicalities of time and staff capacity.
Andrew Csizmadia shared impressive figures from the Bebras Challenge, a problem-solving competition run internationally and designed to promote computational thinking from Year 2 through to post-16. It was particularly interesting to hear that the number of home-educated participants had grown significantly—a sign of how accessible the challenge is becoming.
Paul Baker introduced the Perse Coding Team Challenge (PCTC), developed to bridge the gap between introductory coding competitions and the highly challenging British Informatics Olympiad (BIO). Delivered in teams and using the familiar Bebras ‘Cuttle’ system, PCTC is designed to support progression and collaboration, particularly benefitting girls and students from non-selective schools.
We also heard from Kathryn Boast, who is piloting a new Girls' Robotics Challenge at King's College London, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The aim is to provide an accessible, confidence-building entry point for girls aged 12–16, with strong potential for national growth.
Rabina Sanghera from WorldSkills UK reminded us that national-level competitions extend beyond digital skills and into wider vocational and technical areas, such as cybersecurity and web development. She emphasised the importance of embedding “pressure-testing” experiences into the classroom to prepare learners for real-world challenges.
The session wrapped up with an open discussion about practicalities—how to run competitions sustainably, manage paperwork, incentivise sixth-formers to support, and how gender and confidence play a role in student engagement. It was clear that competitions can serve not just as enrichment, but as core components of a rich, engaging curriculum.
Next Steps: Questions to Ask Yourself
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How can competitions support or extend what I’m already teaching?
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Are there existing competitions that align with the interests of my students?
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Could team-based or student-led models help me manage workload more sustainably?
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How might I increase participation among underrepresented groups, such as girls or pupils from lower sets?
Classroom Ideas
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Launch a unit with a challenge brief from a national competition and allow students to submit their entries as part of their classwork.
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Set up a lunchtime club where older students mentor younger ones through coding tasks or entry preparation.
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Introduce low-stakes internal competitions to build skills and confidence ahead of larger events.
Further Resources
CAS Competitions and Challenges