In 2023 the Hg Foundation partnered with Microsoft and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT to pilot the TEALS Program to the UK. 

The TEALS Program had been running in the United States since 2009, helping over 100,000 students receive Computer Science learning pathways. The programme is also available to pupils in Canada, Mexico, Israel, Colombia, Kenya and India.  

As part of the UK pilot of the TEALS Program, the BCS recruited volunteers with a degree in Computer Science, or equivalent industry experience, who were trained and then deployed in schools to support teachers, particularly non-specialists, who teach Computing to 11-16 year olds. The intention was also that volunteers could help boost pupils’ employability skills by linking learning to the world of work and providing enrichment sessions such as connections with employers. 

The pilot in England focused on schools serving disadvantaged communities - where there are particular challenges in recruiting and retaining specialist teachers – and was accompanied by a qualitative evaluation from an independent consultant.   The pilot concluded in 2024.  Feedback from schools that fully engaged with the programme was positive, but there were challenges with integrating the programme into some of the target schools and in recruiting and training volunteers in the places where there was demand.   Although the decision was taken by the partners not to scale the programme, lessons from the pilot have informed related work across all three founding organisations.