Committee members

Mark is a distinguished educational technology expert with over 20 years of experience as a teacher and leader. He is an award-winning author, known for "Perfect ICT Every Lesson" and "The EdTech Playbook," and his ICT Evangelist blog has won the UK Education Blog of the Year award. A former local authority lead teacher for Computing, Mark has spent the last ten years supporting schools in the UK and beyond with consultancy in Computing and leadership on digital in schools, trusts, and school groups. He focuses on enhancing teaching and learning with technology to improve learning outcomes and reduce teacher workload.

Joe is a former tech professional and current educator with 15 years experience in teaching and supporting the development of computer science education. Joe has worked with several organisations such as the British Computing Society (BCS), Computing at School (CAS), National Centre of Computing Education (NCCE), STEM Learning UK, Raspberry Pi Foundation, Teach First, Kingston university, BETT UK, Foundation of Education Development (FED) to name a few.

Joe is an elected member of the BCS (membership constituency) and a professional member since 2007. Joe is also a mentor on the "my digital future" programme supporting young people (aged 16 to 25) from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds who are looking to get into the tech industry.

Rachel Arthur is Chief Learning Officer at The Raspberry Pi Foundation. She oversees the development of the Computing curriculum content, resources, Educator development and the research team. Rachel has years of classroom experience as a computing teacher and previously worked in teacher development at Teach First.

Miles is Professor of Computing Education at the University of Roehampton, where he runs the secondary PGCE in computing course, teaches on the University's digital media and social science research methods degrees, and is a member of the University's AI working group. Prior to joining Roehampton, he spent 18 years in four schools, much of the time as an ICT coordinator and most recently as a head teacher.

Over the years he has contributed to a number of computing related projects including England's national curriculum computing programmes of study. He chairs the National Centre for Computing Education's academic board and serves on Computing At School's community board.

Pete Dring is the head of computing at Fulford School in York. He volunteers on the CAS education and community board and the NCCE advisory board with the aim of making computing as creative and inclusive as possible. He is an I Belong Champion, encouraging girls into computer science and has been accredited as a CPD leader by STEM Learning. He is accredited by Microsoft in career essentials in AI, and is an active contributor to the CAS forums where he kicked of the debate on grading in GCSE Computer Science through his analysis of candidates data.

Jake is Director of Education Partnerships at the videogame developer, Sumo Digital and has
previously been Educational Advisor to The Independent Game Developer’s Association
(TIGA) and Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at The University of Sheffield.

He has a PhD in Learning Sciences and has written several hobbyist books on game
programming which he has taught to every age group from primary to post-graduate. He led
the Trailblazer group for the Level 7 Game Programmer Apprenticeship which his team now delivers within the Sumo Academy.

Joysy is the ex-Director of Education at Nesta and ex-CIO of Ada, National College for Digital Skills. She founded Startup Leadership Program UK. She was appointed by the Department for Education to the Edtech Leadership Group and by the Welsh Government to the Schooling Reimagined expert panel.

She was awarded an MBE for services to the technology sector and nominated as Top 100 Most Influential BAME leaders in UK Tech.

She is a school and university governor, adviser at Foundation for Education Development and The Royal Society, and trustee at Voice 21. She has a Computer Engineering (with Honours) degree and an MBA with Distinction from London Business School.

Yiannis has over 25 years of senior leadership experience in the private sector and UK Further Education as an active member in a range of networks and strategic groups. In 2023, he joined The Bedford College Group. A Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Management and the Royal Society of Arts, and Councillor of the CBI. Yiannis was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to further education. He is passionate about fostering inclusive growth and supporting students and colleagues.

As CEO at Barnsley College, Yiannis led the institution to an Ofsted "Outstanding" rating and won a National Association of Colleges Beacon Award.”

Mark Martin MBE, known as @Urban_Teacher, is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Education Practice. With an expertise spanning AI and data science, he has been at the forefront of championing EdTech and computer science education, delivering digital skills for the last two decades. His deep knowledge has made him an influential voice in the UK tech scene, serving as an advisor to the government, big tech companies, institutions, and charities. He fervently champions home-grown talent, digital skills, and education equity. As a testament to his dedication and impact on the UK, he co-founded UKBlackTech in 2017, now one of the UK's leading tech communities that champions innovation and digital transformation. Mark's contributions to education, technology, and diversity in UK technology were recognised in 2019 when he was honoured with an MBE. In May 2022, he was listed among the top 50 most influential people in UK IT by Computer Weekly.

With over 30 years in primary education, Kay is passionate about providing the best education for all, developing confidence, and promoting innovation in an ever-changing digital world. She has a strong passion for digital skills and has taken the initiative to lead and drive digital transformation throughout her career. Alongside her Senior Leader role, Kay is Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Officer for the Northern Alliance, collaborating to share ideas, create resources and support improvements. She recently worked with Education Scotland on refreshing the Digital Skills curriculum. Kay appreciated the chance to broaden her perspective on digital education and collaborate with others in education and industry to drive meaningful improvements.

Ian McChesney is a Senior Lecturer in Computing Science. His first degree is in computer science and he has a PhD in software engineering. He is a Fellow of The British Computer Society, a Chartered Engineer and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has over thirty years of experience in higher education through teaching, curriculum development, research, and technology transfer with industry. His research interests are in the areas of software engineering teamwork and computer science education. He is a BCS HE accreditation assessor and is currently Chair of the BCS Northern Ireland Computing Education Committee.

Fiona is a Reader of Computing Education and Director of Students in Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her research and practice focus on inclusive computing and STEM education: how can we bring more people from diverse backgrounds into these teaching environments, and how can we make these environments engaging and supportive to diverse people once they are there? She also does work around how government policy can support greater engagement from broad demographics with computing and STEM within schools. She represents BCS on the RSE’s Learned Societies’ Group and co-chairs the BCS Scottish Computing Education Committee.

Nikki has been teaching for 12 years and currently teaches at a secondary school with 6th form on the Wirral, alongside examining for one of the exam boards and running training courses for them and the NCCE. She has a particular interest in robotics and her team has represented the UK in international competition several times, she’s a mentor (Teach Coding) to a girls school in Kenya and is currently completing a Masters degree at King’s College London. Her plan for the next school year is to investigate emerging technologies and their uses within the school workplace.

Simon Peyton Jones, FRS, is a leading computer science researcher at Epic Games, where his main research interest is the design and implementation of functional and functional logic programming languages.

He has been deeply involved in computing education at school since Computing at School (CAS) was launched in 2007, and he still serves as CAS’s chair. He chaired the working group that wrote the Programmes of Study for computing in 2012, and was appointed chair of the National Centre for Computing Education in 2018.

Sue Sentance is the Director of the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, where she leads a team dedicated to advancing research that improves the quality and accessibility of computing education for young people. In her role as Chief Learning Officer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, she played a pivotal role in the Department for Education (DfE)-funded National Centre for Computing Education, and also led the Gender Balance in Computing research programme. Known internationally for her contributions to programming pedagogy, physical computing, and curriculum reform, Sue developed the PRIMM approach to teaching programming, now widely adopted by educators around the world. Sue was awarded the BCS Lovelace Medal for Education in 2024.

Katie Vanderpere-Brown has been a Computer Science specialist teacher for 15 years. Her current school role is Assistant Headteacher at Saffron Walden County High School as well as an NCCE Curriculum Hub Lead and NCCE National Lead for A level and GCSE Computer Science. She is also a practising teacher. Katie has worked for the Raspberry Pi foundation as an author of courses and curriculum materials as well as creating content for the A level Isaac platform. Katie was also part of the Ofsted working party to help develop the Computer Science Research Review. Katie has been involved in the training and mentoring of new teachers to the profession, including authoring subject specialist training materials, and new curriculum content.

Matt has been teaching Computing since 2004 and is a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. He was previously Assistant Head and Computing Subject Leader at Headington School. He leads the primary schools for the BBO Computing Hub and is a CAS Master Teacher, BCS Certified Computer Science Teacher, and Raspberry Pi Certified Educator. Matt has developed content for the Teach Computing Curriculum and is a member of the NCCE Leadership Practitioners panel. He has written for HelloWorld magazine and collaborates with Dr. Jane Waite on primary programming pedagogy research. Matt is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and the Higher Education Academy, and Vice-chair of Governors for Oak Green Primary School.

Dr Mark Zarb CITP SFHEA is an Associate Professor based within the School of Computing, Engineering and Technology at RGU, Aberdeen. He is involved in both teaching and research, contributing to the development of courses and modules within the computing curriculum. His research work often focuses on improving educational practices in computing, with an emphasis on developing effective teaching methodologies and tools to enhance learning experiences for students in this field. As an active member of the academic community, Dr Zarb regularly publishes his research findings in academic journals and conferences, contributing to the broader discourse in computing and education.

Julia’s mission at BCS is to give every young person the digital skills they need to succeed in life and work. Under her leadership, the Computing at School (CAS) teachers’ network has grown in influence and now has over 25,000 teacher members. BCS’ Barefoot scheme, which supports primary teachers with learning materials and lesson plans, has so far reached 3.3 million children across the UK. Julia played a lead role in establishing and managing the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), an £84 million government-funded programme to upskill teachers to deliver world-class education in computing in schools. In 2023, Julia was awarded an MBE, for Services to Education.
Julia is a Trustee of The Blackdown Education Partnership a Multi Academy Trust, in Mid Devon. Julia began her career in education 26 years ago as a teacher in Cheshire. In 2006 she joined Liverpool-based company, MGL, developing her vision for tech in schools, and how it could transform outcomes for learners. She joined Exeter-based South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) in 2009, supporting its work on online safety and education. Later joining BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT in 2017, holding a number of leadership roles, and is now Managing Director, Education and Public Benefit.

Niel leads BCS’s work in schools, provides policy advice to the Department for Education, and developed BCS’s submission to the Treasury leading to a £100 million investment in computing teachers’ CPD. In the early 1990s he developed the first National Curriculum for IT. As executive director at the government’s EdTech agency, led the government’s strategy for IT in schools, influencing over a billion pounds of investment, and developed and delivered a £300 million scheme providing technology to 250 000 low-income families. Niel chairs the Digital Poverty Alliance and has worked with the British Council supporting countries in the Western Balkans to develop their digital skills. Niel was awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday honours list for his services to education.