Support

Computing at School (CAS), as the subject association for computer science, has been a key influence on the development of the new computing curriculum. CAS has a vibrant support community, including members from industry and from all phases of education. There's a dedicated forum for members in secondary education, and many local and regional events, including training. See Computing at School for more information or to join (free membership).

Naace is the ICT association concerned with advancing education through the use of technology, both within and beyond the computing curriculum. Naace members share a vision for the role of technology in transforming learning and teaching. Its members include teachers, school leaders, advisors and consultants working within and across all phases of UK education. Membership requires an annual subscription but many resources are available for free.

CAS has worked in collaboration with the British Computer Society (BCS) to establish a Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science. The network coordinates and provides training opportunities for serving and trainee teachers. The initiative is supported by the DfE, CPHC (Council of Professors and Heads of Computing), Microsoft and Google. The programme aims to build a high-quality, sustainable CPD infrastructure at low cost by nurturing long-term collaboration between employers, universities, professional bodies, schools and teachers. See the CAS site for more information.

Many local authorities and CLCs (City Learning Centres) provide support and advice for schools and teachers on all aspects of the curriculum, including computing. Contact your local advisors or consultants for details of events and support in your area.

The Science Learning Centres offer CPD and other support to teachers and other school staff working in STEM disciplines including computing and ICT. Their national portal is here, and training opportunities may be found by searching there or by following links to the five regional Science Learning Consortia.

Twitter is a great informal source of ideas and advice once you've built up a useful list of contacts. The CAS Twitter account: @compatsch, its followers and those it follows may be helpful in developing your own personal learning network.

Facebook has groups for computing teachers teaching KS3 and teaching GCSE