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Frequently Asked Questions
Who teaches the courses? About the codetoday instructors
All our instructors at codetoday are UK-based employees who we recruit and train ourselves. We don't use freelancers who wouldn't know our style and our curriculum. We have very high standards when recruiting instructors to ensure we have brilliant communicators on our team who can engage our students.
All our instructors have an enhanced DBS check which we keep up-to-date. All new team members go through our rigorous training programme to ensure they can run lessons using the teaching methods and styles that we feel are essential to run these courses. We also monitor our courses and instructors on a continuous basis.
How does the subscription work?
When you subscribe, your child will have access to a weekly class on the same day of the week and at the same time throughout the year. Students progress from one level to the next seamlessly, and they'll receive a certificate when they move to the next level.
You can cancel or pause your subscription at any time. So there's no long-term commitment needed. Minimum pause period is one month.
How does payment for subscription work?
A deposit is due upon subscription. This deposit covers your first month of coding lessons. The next payment is collected at the start of the second month of the course. For example. you subscribe in September for a class that starts in November. A deposit is due immediately, but further payment won't be due until December as your deposit covers the first month of coding (November). So you can subscribe now to secure your space even if your course doesn't start this month without any extra cost.
For holiday courses, payment is due when you book the course.
If I subscribe now, when does my class start?
New courses start frequently throughout the year. When you subscribe, you'll be able to choose the start date for the course. You can see the schedule showing when courses start throughout the year on the weekly classes page.
What if my child misses a session?
Don't worry if your child needs to miss a session. We have summary videos for all our content that can be used to help catch up. Our instructors will also make sure they bring students up to speed when they return. We also have the Codetoday Community. This is a private forum for our students where they can ask questions and post their code for feedback. This is our way of supporting students even when they're not on the live sessions.
If you'll be away for a longer period, you can pause your subscription (see details below).
How do I cancel or pause my subscription?
You can cancel your subscription by logging on to the online learning platform and going to your account section. You'll find the link to cancel your subscription there.
To pause your subscription, email us and let us know for how long you'd like to pause your subscription. We need at least 3 days' notice before the next payment date to pause your subscription. Minimum period for pausing a subscription is one month. We cannot pause subscriptions for shorter periods of time.
Are holiday courses part of my subscription?
Lessons run every week of the year except for the two weeks of Christmas and New Year. We also run stand-alone holiday courses. These are separate from the subscription service. Students who have a subscription should carry on with their regular subscription lessons during the holidays. The stand-alone holiday courses are designed for students who wish to do a short course over the holidays. Holiday courses are booked as single courses and run over four days during school holidays.
What do I need for the courses?
Any computer can be used to attend our courses. You will require access to the internet and Zoom. In the early levels, all the coding is done on a web-based coding platform, so no additional software is required.
In later levels, we will ask you to install the required software on your computer. We will send you detailed instructions on what software to install should this be required for your course.
We recommend you do not use iPads or other tablets for coding as these make coding harder for students. Although Chromebooks may be used, it will not be possible to use dedicated coding software on Chromebooks and students will need to keep using the web-based coding platform they use in the early levels. If possible, do not use Chromebooks for coding.
Do you offer advanced courses as well?
Yes. Our curriculum spans a very broad range, starting from the very basics but also extends to advanced material. The way we deliver courses changes as students advance through the curriculum. In our children and teenagers programme, we introduce advanced topics in programming as students progress, and we also use coding within projects linked to other areas of the educational curriculum such as maths and science.
In the subscription service, students will move seamlessly through the curriculum
Do you offer courses in other languages besides Python?
No, and here's why: We believe that the most important aspect for a beginner learning how to code is not learning the programming language but learning how to think in a computational way. In our courses, the emphasis is on this. We choose Python as the language of instruction as this is the language best suited for beginners of any age. It is also a very broad language that can be used for many different applications. Our advice is to first become confident in programming in one language, and then it is relatively easy to switch to other languages at a later stage.
What are the class sizes?
Courses are limited to 6 students per course. We keep class sizes small to ensure that the instructor can support each student individually during the sessions.
Where are the courses held?
With our Live Online courses, participants can join from anywhere in the world as long as they have internet access.
What about safeguarding of children?
This is of paramount importance for us. All our instructors have up-to-date DBS certificates (formerly CRB) and every venue and course format is carefully risk assessed.
What is coding?
Don't worry, you're not the only one to ask this question. Have a look at our Parents' Guide to Coding for more details.
Do you have more information on your curriculum and how children progress through it?
Yes. we are very proud of our curriculum and our courses. Read more about the curriculum here.