Coding Masters

Samsung Electronics Europe's stated vision is a world where digital making is a basic skill for every young person, alongside maths and literacy, so that the next generation becomes creators rather than only consumers of the digital world. In Poland, Coding Masters was created to bring programming classes into schools nationwide, with financial support from Samsung Electronics Poland and delivered as the Polish arm of EU Code Week, alongside partner the Copernicus Science Center.

Teach participants to code and create their own digital content in order to build creative problem-solving skills and classroom confidence, including explicitly for children with additional needs such as Asperger's, ADHD or autism.

Skilled trainers introduce teachers to programming software such as Scratch and equip them with techniques to run coding classes over an eight-week period; the Coding Masters team then provides year-round support, encourages knowledge-sharing, and organises events and videoconferences. In 2015 alone the programme organised nearly 500 Code Week events across Poland, including a Coders' Picnic at the Copernicus Science Center.

Since 2013, more than 1,700 Polish schools have taken part, described as the largest education initiative of its kind in Poland, involving almost 3,500 teachers and around 150,000 students. Over 80 of the participating schools are special-needs schools, where programming classes are reported to help children build peer connections, teamwork and focus, including children diagnosed with ADHD.

The programme is presented as a model for scaling coding education nationally through a train-the-trainer approach combined with ongoing support, with an explicit design accommodating children with physical or mental additional needs.