Jedi Coders

What it’s like

Kids build game-playing AI and their own chatbot with a web interface, in two-hour sessions over a bootcamp or five-day programme.

This one's for the kid who's already bored of Scratch and wants to build something that actually thinks. Sessions run at two hours a day, either over a weekend bootcamp or spread across a five-day programme, and the projects on offer include coding game-playing AI and building a chatbot with its own web interface. It's proper programming, not a taster session with stickers at the end.

Coding lessons start at £15, which is reasonable for what's on offer, but if your child wants tailored one-to-one coaching that's £30 an hour, climbing to £50 depending on how hard the topic is. That's a chunk of change for an hour, so it's worth thinking about whether your child needs the group bootcamp or the personal coaching before you book anything pricier.

Ages start from 7, so this is squarely for kids who can already read fluently and sit with a problem for a bit without needing constant redirection. Two hours a day is a decent stretch of concentration for that age group, and stacking it over five days means the ideas actually stick rather than being forgotten by the next session.

There's a free 15-minute first consultation, which is a sensible way to work out whether your child is ready for this before committing to a bootcamp or the pricier coaching.

Need to know

Best for

7 and up, once they can focus for a two-hour stretch

How long to allow

2 hours per day, over a weekend bootcamp or 5-day programme

Worth knowing

First consultation free (15 minutes)

• Tailored coaching costs more than the standard lessons, up to £50 an hour for harder topics
• The five-day programme spreads learning out more than the weekend bootcamp
• Minimum age is 7, so it's not one for younger siblings to tag along to

Plan your visit

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