Coding and programming courses, online and NCFE approved

Understanding code and writing it: how programs are structured, how problems are broken down, and the practices a developer works to. Studied online, assessed by the work you produce rather than by examination.

The school currently holds NCFE approval for 2 qualifications in this subject, from Level 2 to Level 3. 2 are open for enrolment now, from £395 to £495. 2 of them can be completed entirely at your own pace. All of them are studied online from anywhere in the UK, and every one is awarded by NCFE and regulated by Ofqual.

Every qualification below is awarded by NCFE and regulated by Ofqual

The qualifications

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Coding

Enrolling now NCFE Approved Self-paced

An introduction to coding: languages, terminology, design principles, best practice, testing and DevOps, plus communication and project management. 155 guided learning hours, assessed by portfolio.

Duration: 155 guided learning hours, 255 total qualification time; self-paced online study

£395 View details →

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NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Coding Practices

Enrolling now NCFE Approved Self-paced

Level 3 coding: methodologies, requirements, coding standards and design, databases, writing and debugging interpreted and compiled code, testing, and deployment. 180 guided learning hours, UCAS points are allocated to this qualification; see UCAS for the current tariff.

Duration: 180 guided learning hours, 260 total qualification time; self-paced online study

£495 View details →

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Not sure which of these fits you? Tell us where you are now and what you want the qualification for, and we will say which one suits and which does not. Ask us a question, or call +44 207 0990 956, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.

What you need before you start

Very little, and that is deliberate.

No prior qualification is required for either level. You should be 16 or over.

No work placement is needed. The specification for Level 3 says so in as many words, which is not true of every qualification we offer.

You do need a computer with a development environment on it. Units 03 and 04 at Level 3 ask you to write, debug and fix real code, so a phone will not do.

Learning to code and becoming a developer are not the same thing

Plenty of people can write a loop. Far fewer can be handed a problem and produce something another person can maintain.

The first is syntax. You can pick it up from a video in a weekend.

The second is practice. It covers how you break a problem down, how you test what you wrote, how you name things, and how you work inside somebody else code.

These qualifications are built around the second. The syntax is the easy half and it is treated that way.

Start at Level 2 if you have never written code

Level 2 Understanding Coding assumes nothing. It is for someone who has not written a line.

You learn what a program is and how one is put together. You meet variables, conditions, loops and functions. You write small programs and you read other small programs.

It is a real qualification rather than a taster. It is regulated, and the certificate is issued by NCFE.

Most people who start here are testing whether they actually enjoy it. That is a sensible thing to test cheaply.

What Level 3 Coding Practices adds

Level 3 is about the habits that separate working code from good code.

You plan before you write. You test what you built. You use version control, because every workplace does. You document enough that the next person is not stuck.

You also handle the parts nobody shows you in a tutorial. Debugging something you did not write. Reading an error properly. Knowing when the design is the problem rather than the line you are staring at.

It is the level to choose if you already code a little and want to be trusted with more.

Which language, and does the choice matter

Less than people think, at this stage.

The ideas transfer. Someone who understands loops, state and structure in one language picks up the next one in weeks rather than years.

Employers know this. Most adverts ask for a language, but what they are testing at interview is whether you can think.

So pick the language that fits the work you want, and do not spend three months choosing.

How the study actually works

Everything is online. There is no venue and no travel.

There is no exam. You are assessed on a portfolio, which for coding means the work itself.

You study at your own pace, with no due dates, because most people fit this around a job.

Your tutor marks the work and NCFE quality assures the marking, so the standard is not ours alone.

Who these are for

Someone changing career who needs proof, not just a finished tutorial.

Someone already scripting at work who wants the underlying practice.

Someone who wants a regulated qualification rather than a certificate of attendance from a bootcamp.

No degree is needed. No work placement is required.

Other ways people search for this

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