Raspberry Pi Foundation Annual Review 2024

Introduction from the Chair and Chief Executive

Sir John Lazar and Philip Colligan welcome readers to the 2024 Annual Review, highlighting the vital role of education in a period of rapid technological change. They emphasize the Foundation's progress in supporting schools and teachers, launching the Code Editor for Education, and adapting the Computing Curriculum for international use. The Experience AI initiative has reached over a million teenagers, and the Code Club network continues to grow, with nearly 8,000 active clubs. The Foundation has also invested in research to deepen understanding of computer science education. The successful listing of Raspberry Pi Ltd. on the London Stock Exchange has secured future growth, providing an endowment that, combined with other funding, enables the Foundation to advance its global strategy. They express gratitude to the Board of Trustees, Members, partners, donors, educators, volunteers, and supporters.

Our Impact in 2024

In 2024, the Raspberry Pi Foundation achieved significant milestones:

• 9,475 young people participated in Coolest Projects events worldwide, showcasing 6,208 projects.
• 26,386 young people from 28 countries participated in the Astro Pi Challenge.
• Experience AI reached over 1 million young people.
• 1,469,200 questions were answered by students on the Ada Computer Science online learning platform.
• 23,158 participants enrolled in online courses for educators.
• 114,797 downloads of Computing Curriculum resources were recorded globally.
• 7,949 Code Clubs ran in-person sessions in 119 countries.
• 716 attendees from 50 countries participated in 10 online research seminars.
• 467,190 young people from the UK participated in the Bebras challenge.
• 38,704 subscribers in 168 countries receive Hello World magazine.

Our Mission and Goals

The mission of the Raspberry Pi Foundation is to enable young people to realize their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies. Their vision is for every young person to develop:

• Knowledge, skills, and confidence in using computers and digital technologies effectively.
• Sufficient understanding of societal and ethical issues related to digital technologies.
• Mindsets that enable them to confidently engage with technological change and continue learning.

The Foundation's activities are organized around three ambitious long-term goals:

1. Enable every school to teach computing through classroom resources, software tools, and professional development for teachers.
2. Inspire millions of young people to become tech creators through a global network of coding clubs, online resources, showcases, and challenges.
3. Undertake original research to deepen understanding of computing teaching and learning, and use that knowledge to advance the field.

Education

The Computing Curriculum

The Computing Curriculum provides 500 hours of classroom resources for ages 5-16, covering computational thinking, computer systems, data, programming, and the societal impacts of technology. It is built on a progression framework and includes lesson plans, slides, worksheets, homework, and assessments. The curriculum has been adapted and localized for India and Kenya. In 2024, updates were made in collaboration with Oak National Academy.

Impact:

• Over 3.58 million downloads of curriculum resources since 2020.
• 144,797 downloads in 2024.
• 90% of educators reported high-quality materials.
• Since 2024, working on updated curriculum and lesson materials for England.

Supporting computing education in Kenya

In Kenya, the Foundation partners with the Frontiers County Development Council and Mombasa County Government, collaborating with Tech Kidz Africa. They have adapted the Computing Curriculum for Kenya, providing training to over 450 educators. An estimated 55,000 learners in grades 6-10 are being reached.

Impact:

• 453 teachers trained.
• 93% of teachers felt confident teaching students using the resources.
• 94% of teachers reported improved student knowledge of computing concepts.
• 92% of teachers reported improved student computing skills.

Supporting computing education in India

Odisha: Partnering with Panchasakha Sikhya Setu, the Foundation has supported computing education in Odisha. A localized version of the Computing Curriculum was endorsed by the state education department. Thousands of teachers have been trained across over 8,000 schools.

Impact (Odisha):

• 94% of teachers agreed students' digital literacy skills improved.
• 89% of educators agreed students improved coding knowledge and skills.
• 95% of teachers agreed training increased knowledge of Scratch, AI, and cybersecurity.
• 91% of educators agreed students were aware of IT career paths.

Telangana: The Foundation works with the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) to expand computing education for disadvantaged students. Two Centres of Excellence in Computing have been established. The curriculum has been adapted for students up to age 21, and is being implemented across 238 schools.

Impact (Telangana):

• 96% of school students and 85% of college students learned new things.
• 91% of school students and 83% of college students improved computing and coding skills.
• 91% of school students and 80% of college students understand computing's role in the world.
• 90% of school students and 89% of college students want a job in coding and computing.

Across partnerships in Odisha and Telangana, an estimated 1.2 million young people were supported in 2024.

Non-formal learning

Experience AI

Experience AI, a partnership with Google DeepMind, equips teachers with resources to deliver engaging lessons on artificial intelligence (AI) to young people aged 11-14. The program aims to make AI relevant and accessible, particularly to underrepresented groups in AI careers. In 2024, the network expanded to 22 countries, with localized resources and professional development.

Impact:

• 276,372 downloads of Experience AI lessons.
• Reached over 1 million young people.
• 92% of educators found resources high quality and useful.
• 95% of educators agreed students' knowledge of AI concepts increased.
• 90% of young people better understand AI and machine learning.

New resources were launched focusing on AI safety, including data privacy, media literacy, and responsible AI tool usage. The Experience AI resources were mapped to UNESCO's AI competency framework.

Partnership with Asociația Techsoup in Romania: This partnership focused on testing new AI safety resources with teachers and students.

The UK Bebras Challenge

The Bebras Challenge is an annual global computational thinking competition. The Raspberry Pi Foundation runs the challenge in the UK, engaging young people aged 6-18 with puzzles and problems. In 2024, over 460,000 students participated in the UK. The Coding Challenge, a follow-up to Bebras, saw 20,799 students complete it.

Impact:

• 467,190 participants from 1,699 schools in 2024.
• 38% of participants were girls.
• 7,401,018 questions answered.

Teachers report that Bebras helps create achievement and confidence, encouraging problem-solving from different angles.

Online professional development

The Foundation offers free online professional development courses for educators, covering computing skills, knowledge, pedagogy, and classroom practice. Courses include Python, Scratch, web development, cybersecurity, networks, and AI. In 2024, new courses on AI literacy and Code Club leaders were introduced, and 16 existing courses were enhanced with culturally relevant pedagogy.

Impact:

• Estimated 23,158 participants in online courses.
• 90% of educators found courses high quality and useful.
• 89% of educators reported increased knowledge, skills, and confidence.
• Over 280,000 engagements with online courses since 2016.

Ada Computer Science

Ada Computer Science is a free online platform developed with the University of Cambridge, offering comprehensive learning resources and self-marking questions for advanced computer science qualifications. It helps students deepen their understanding and prepare for exams. The platform's automation features save teachers time and monitor student progress.

Impact:

• 15,815 active users from 140 countries.
• 1,469,200 question attempts.
• 81% of students reported better understanding of computer science concepts.
• 93% of teachers agreed resources are high quality.

The platform was used in a computer science cohort for the University of Cambridge's STEM SMART program, supporting 538 students.

Code Club

Code Club is a global movement supporting free coding clubs for young people aged 9-16. The Raspberry Pi Foundation provides resources, learning experiences, training, and support for club leaders. In 2024, a new look and ambition to reach 10 million more young people were launched. CoderDojo, merged with Code Club, offers resources and support for all coding clubs.

Impact:

• 7,949 Code Clubs ran in-person sessions in 119 countries.
• Girls represent 38% of Code Club attendees.
• 2,878 new Code Clubs verified in 2024.
• 93% of club volunteers reported improved computing and digital making skills.
• 92% of volunteers reported increased confidence in learning computing and programming.

An independent evaluation of Code Club by Durham University found gains in coding skills, increased confidence, development of life skills, and a sense of belonging.

Community story: Prabhath's mission to expand STEM participation through Code Club

Prabhath and colleagues founded STEMUP in Sri Lanka to ensure equal access to STEM education. Partnering with Code Club, they established coding clubs, providing students with essential digital skills. STEMUP has expanded nationwide, supported by over 1,500 volunteers. They focus on reaching rural areas and empowering young people to explore emerging technologies.

Digital making projects

The Foundation offers 300 free online projects to help people learn digital technologies, designed for all skill levels. These projects are used in schools, clubs, and at home. In 2024, two new AI pathways with 15 projects were launched, along with new Code Club projects focused on AI and machine learning. A structured introduction to Python was also developed.

Impact:

• 1.2 million learners and 643,158 project completions.
• 90,015 badges awarded.
• 2,333 project pathway completions.

Code Editor

The Code Editor is an online tool for learning text-based programming, designed for ages 9 and up. It offers a beginner-friendly interface and is optimized for constrained devices. In 2024, Code Editor for Education was launched, providing classroom management features for schools.

Impact:

• 27,600 users saved 100,902 projects.
• 444 schools joined Code Editor for Education, with educators creating 676 classes.
• 5,549 projects created by students using the platform.

Teachers praise the platform for its ease of use and cloud-based nature, making it suitable for Chromebooks.

Community story: Sahibjot's Coolest Projects journey

Sahibjot, a fourteen-year-old from India, participated in the Coolest Projects global online showcase with his Python-based ping-pong game. Mentorship and Code Club involvement helped him create and submit his project, which received a special mention.

Coolest Projects

Coolest Projects is a global showcase for creative tech projects made by young people. It provides a platform for sharing digital creations and finding inspiration. In 2024, in-person events were held in Belgium, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the UK. Participants can enter categories including Scratch, games, mobile, web, and hardware projects. The Coding with Commitment award, sponsored by Broadcom Foundation, encourages projects addressing social challenges.

Impact:

• 9,475 young people participated in 2024, showcasing 6,208 projects.
• 47% of participants identified as female.
• 89% of young people and 86% of mentors agreed that participation increased confidence in coding and making.
• 91% of young people and 87% of mentors agreed that participation inspired them to continue in computing.
• 80% of online participants were motivated by making something they are proud of.

Scouts' Digital Maker Badge

In partnership with the UK Scout Association, the Foundation developed the Scouts' Digital Maker Staged Activity Badge to introduce digital making to young people and Scout leaders. The badge covers five stages, providing learning resources and hands-on projects.

Impact:

• 24,172 Digital Maker badges sold in 2024.
• 163,401 badges sold in total since 2018.
• 1,073 Scout leaders trained.
• 295 leaders trained were from areas of educational disadvantage.

Training was delivered to Scout leaders on getting groups started with digital making and sourcing computing equipment.

The European Astro Pi Challenge

The European Astro Pi Challenge, a partnership with ESA Education, gives young people the opportunity to write computer programs that run on Astro Pi computers aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The challenge inspires engagement with computing and space exploration.

Impact:

• 26,386 young people from 28 countries participated.
• 24,378 young people entered Mission Zero.
• 2,008 young people took part in Mission Space Lab.
• 43% of Astro Pi participants were girls.
• 87% of Astro Pi Mission Space Lab teams reported increased skills or confidence and were inspired to continue learning.
• 87% of surveyed mentors agreed young people increased confidence, and 85% agreed they increased skills in computing and digital making.
• 114,010 young people have run their own programs on board the ISS since 2019.

A streamlined approach to Mission Space Lab was piloted in 2024, focusing on a single experiment to measure the ISS speed, leading to 77% of teams achieving flight status.

Research

Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre

This initiative between the University of Cambridge and the Raspberry Pi Foundation focuses on rigorous original research in computing education. The Centre aims to translate research into practice to drive meaningful change.

Progress in 2024:

• Conducted 12 research studies on topics including culturally relevant pedagogy, AI in programming education, AI literacy, and data science.
• Submitted 20 academic papers (17 accepted) and produced 20 non-academic outputs.
• Delivered 40 invited talks and presentations to 2,299 attendees worldwide.
• Increased engagement with research outputs by 48%.
• Hosted 8 internal knowledge-sharing events.
• Hosted a computing education research seminar series showcasing leading-edge research.

Computing education research seminars

The seminar series provides a platform for academics and practitioners to share research and connect educators globally. Seminars are held online and free to attend, with recordings and blog posts summarizing key points available. The 2024 series focused on teaching programming with or without AI, exploring the latest research and best practices.

Impact:

• 10 seminars on teaching programming.
• 716 attendees in total.
• 50 countries represented.

Researchers presented on topics such as using AI code generators, student identities in AI interaction, and preparing students for an AI-driven world.

Teaching programming with AI

In 2024, research focused on working with secondary school teachers in England to explore how AI tools can support programming education. Studies examined augmented error messages generated by large language models (LLMs) and used feedback literacy as a framework to understand teachers' views on AI tool output. The research aims to inform the development of the Code Editor and integrate AI-powered tools into programming lessons.

Hello World

Hello World is a magazine for computing teachers, featuring content created by practicing educators. Published at least three times a year, it is complemented by a compendium, newsletter, blog, and podcast. In 2024, three new editions were published, covering global approaches to computing education, technology's impact, and generative AI. The magazine had 38,704 unique subscribers in 168 countries, and the podcast had 28,000 downloads.

Donors & funders

How our work is funded

The Raspberry Pi Foundation's work is funded through an endowment created from the IPO of its commercial business, combined with funding from individuals and organizations. Key donors and funders include Allianz, Amazon Future Engineer, Atlassian Foundation International, Broadcom Foundation, Cisco Foundation, Cognizant, EPAM Systems, Inc., ESA Education, Google.org, Google DeepMind, Humble Bundle, Kingston Technology Europe, Meta, Oracle, The PA Foundation, Qube Research and Technologies, Redgate Software, Riot Games, and Unity Social Impact.

The Foundation also thanks organizations that provide in-kind or pro bono services, including Atlassian Foundation International, Google, GoTo, Microsoft, Red Sift, Slack, and Zendesk.

Information on how to support their work through donations or partnerships is available on their website.