For schools: coding from the first step
Free lessons that start with how a computer works, so a whole class can begin together, whatever they knew before.
Why it works in class
- Nothing to install and no student accounts: open the page and begin.
- Five-minute lessons that fit a starter activity or a full session of three or four.
- A pretend computer in the browser: students can make folders, move files and type commands without touching the school's system.
- Recorded guides with captions, so the class can work with headphones or with the sound off.
A first week
- Day 1: Computers follow instructions. Program a robot chef and hunt your first bug.
- Day 1: Everything is a file. Open files and read their endings: .png, .txt, .mp3, .py.
- Day 2: Folders keep things tidy. Make your first project folder and move files into it.
- Day 2: Paths: every file has an address. Follow, build and type a file’s address.
- Day 3: Meet the terminal. Type your first commands: dir, cd and cd ..
- Day 3: Practice: tidy and find. A mission: tidy the files, then find them again.
- Day 4: Level 1 test: Find the Cat. Use everything from Level 1 to find the cat.
Lesson 1 works well as a whole-class demo on the board: ask the class to order the robot's steps before pressing Run. Lesson 7 is the Level 1 test, done alone, with the Cat Finder sticker at the end.
Talking points
- Why does the order of steps matter? (Lesson 1)
- How does the computer know what kind of file something is? (Lesson 2)
- Why does a path need every folder on the way? (Lesson 4)
- Is red text in the terminal a disaster or a clue? (Lesson 5)
On your own class page
The practice terminal can sit on your class page or learning platform too: copy one line of code from the terminal widget page. It needs no accounts and stores nothing. For a wall chart or a desk card, print the PowerShell cheat sheet.
Questions and answers
Do students need accounts or emails?
No. Students open the site and start. Progress is saved in the browser on that device, so a shared computer keeps one learner's progress at a time.
Can I see my class's progress?
Not as a class: with no accounts there is no teacher dashboard. Each student’s Stats page shows their lessons, stars, badges and level certificates, and its Parent Progress part prints as a one-page summary a student can hand in.
Does it work on school laptops and tablets?
Yes, in any modern browser, with nothing to install. The practice terminal also works on tablets, with tap-to-insert command keys.
Last updated: 13 November 2026