27 May 2026
At the heart of the UK’s computing education community sits Computing at School (CAS) — a powerful network of educators, volunteers, and industry experts all working towards one shared goal: to support teachers and inspire the next generation of digital learners.
As a sponsor at this year’s Craig’n’Dave Festival of Computing, CAS brings with it a wealth of experience, resources, and forward-thinking insight — from tackling the challenges of AI in education to helping teachers build confidence in the classroom. We caught up with the team to learn more about their impact, their mission, and what they’re bringing to the festival this year.
Who is Computing at School (CAS)?
Computing at School (CAS) is dedicated to revolutionising computing education. They are a community of professional practice that forms a nationwide network of computing educators powered by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
At the heart of CAS is a vibrant community of volunteers – teachers, technologists, and advocates – whose passion and generosity continue to inspire. Together they work to ensure that every teacher, from early years through to FE, has the skills and confidence to deliver engaging, inclusive, and effective computing lessons so that every child leaves school equipped to participate in and contribute to a healthy digital society.
Since its inception in 2008, CAS has grown from a grassroots movement into a nationwide force, reaching 90% of UK schools and supporting over 3.5 million pupils.
Read more about their impact here: BCS education impact report.
What does Computing at School (CAS) offer teachers?
At its core, CAS helps computing teachers develop their professional knowledge and expertise, make connections, and share resources and insights. We deliver this support in two main ways: building the CAS community and providing the resources teachers need.
They offer a range of support for teachers, whether they are computing subject specialists or just starting to get to grips with the computing curriculum.
- Resource library of teaching and classroom resources that have either been created by CAS or shared by members of our community. Ranging from simple activities through to full lesson plans and schemes of work, as well as ideas and resources for activities outside the classroom.
- Online communities based around different computing themes and topics, where teachers can share ideas, ask questions and build their confidence.
- Webinars on different topics, highlighting key themes and developments relevant to teaching computing.
- Local and regional communities focusing on key topics relevant to the local area. Many regions also organise face-to-face events.
For EYFS and Primary teachers, they also have Barefoot, which provides lesson plans, CPD for teachers and live lessons for multiple age groups. Barefoot resources and support are designed especially for teachers with no computing background to help them confidently teach the computing curriculum and also provide ways to integrate it across other subjects.
The Challenges CAS is Addressing
The challenges all teachers face are improving student outcomes and managing their own growing workloads. In addition, the growing impact of AI in and on education is a challenge all teachers (not just computing teachers) face.
We know that it’s critical that schools engage with AI proactively to ensure it benefits staff and students alike, yet recent survey by BCS of 5,298 secondary school teachers from 2,600 schools in the UK identified that limited progress is being made. It also revealed that there are real concerns over the lack of practical support for its safe and effective use.
CAS has created dedicated sections of their website to provide support to teachers and is working on some exciting developments that we hope to be able to share at this year’s Festival of Computing.
The information and support CAS provide around AI isn’t just about helping teachers teach the subject; it’s also about how they can use it effectively themselves to reduce their own workload.
They understand that they can’t solve the challenges teachers face on their own, that’s why they work with their extended network and other organisations to develop, curate and share resources, CPD, events and more to help teachers face these challenges with greater confidence.
An exciting example of this is the new AI Confidence modules created by BCS, The Chartered of IT has also created AI Confidence in partnership with The Hg Foundation, Microsoft Elevate and Cognizant. The CAS team and community have been involved in developing these modules to ensure they meet the needs of those working in education.
New Developments in AI Support for Teachers
AI continues to rapidly reshape education, creating both exciting opportunities and new challenges for teachers. CAS and BCS are working together to ensure educators are supported with practical tools and confidence to navigate this change.
“AI is opening exciting opportunities for educators. While 57% of teachers believe AI will play a bigger role in education in the future, only 9% of UK teachers currently feel confident teaching AI. This means there’s huge potential for growth – and with the right support, every educator can build the confidence to lead in this space.
In May this year BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT launched AI Confidence, a new series of free online CPD designed specially for school staff in partnership with The Hg Foundation, Microsoft Elevate and Cognizant.
No prior experience is needed, and each module is packed with practical, real-life examples that make AI accessible and relevant. Each AI Confidence module focuses on a specific application of AI in education, tailored to different roles. For example, Exploring AI in the World of Work inspires Careers Leads and Advisers with fresh ideas, while Supporting Inclusion with AI gives practical strategies to transform learning experiences for learners with diverse needs.” – Katy Clark, Community Engagement Manager
Find out more about AI Confidence HERE.
CAS and the Craig’n’Dave Festival of Computing
As a key event in the computing education calendar, the Craig’n’Dave Festival of Computing brings together teachers, experts, and organisations passionate about the subject. For CAS, it’s a natural fit — and an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and support the wider teaching community.
“The Festival of Computing is one of the key conferences for computing teachers, so we felt that as the subject association for computing, and a community of professional practice that forms a nationwide network of computing educators, we have to be there. As well as catching up with existing CAS members, we’re also hoping to introduce more teachers to the free support and resources we offer.
Craig n Dave have also been really big supporters of CAS and we’re delighted to support their work in return. We’re both working to support teachers and their students, so it makes sense to collaborate where we can.” – Katy Clark, Community Engagement Manager
What can people expect to see from CAS at this year’s festival?
This year at the Festival of Computing, CAS is delivering hands-on CPD sessions designed to support teachers through curriculum change and the rise of AI in education.
“Our Secondary Subject Lead, Becci Peters, will be co-hosting a CPD session around the new Computing GCSE, exploring how to design a purposeful, coherent KS3 curriculum that is rigorous, engaging, and justifiable during this time of change.
Becci is also speaking at the OCR Fringe Event (3.50pm) about AI Confidence, a series of free online CPD modules designed specifically for school staff by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT to help all teachers and school staff become more confident in AI, even (or particularly!) if they’ve previously avoided it.” – Katy Clark, Community Engagement Manager
You can check out the Festivals CPD sessions HERE.
“Sharing resources, encouraging discussions, members helping and inspiring each other, and connecting through community events is what CAS is all about. For us, it’s really important that we stay closely connected to the computing teaching community and the FoC is a key way to do that.” – Katy Clark, Community Engagement Manager
Want to know more about CAS? Check out their website HERE
Teachers can join Computing at School for free HERE. As a member of the CAS community, they can access all of the resources and also sign up for online and in-person events.
“At CAS, we’re here to support all teachers with an interest in computing education, across all education phases and levels of experience. CAS is a community of friendly, knowledgeable teachers and subject experts always willing to share their expertise with others.” – Katy Clark, Community Engagement Manager
Don’t miss it
Wednesday, 1st July 2026 – Festival of Computing, at Bromsgrive School.
It is going to be a packed day full of innovation, inspiration and one of this year’s sponsors. A huge thank you to Katy Clark from CAS for chatting to us! If you want to know more about CAS, check out their website.
Want to know more about this year’s Festival of Computing or the CPD sessions available? Click HERE.
If you’re attending the Festival of Computing this year, make sure you visit CAS in the marketplace and attend their CPD sessions.
Still need tickets? Get yours HERE.
The Festival of Computing 2026, co-founded and hosted by Bromsgrove School with AQA as headline sponsor, is the UK’s ultimate secondary computing education event.
See you there!
