At the chalk face: Why AQA backs our Craig'n'Dave Festival of Computing 2026.

At the chalk face: Why AQA backs our Craig'n'Dave Festival of Computing 2026.

A Behind-the-Scenes chat with this year's Festival of Computing Headline Sponsor AQA.

In this special Festival of Computing episode, Craig & Dave sit down with Frances Sparrow, Subject Lead for Computer Science at AQA, to talk all things qualifications, classroom impact, and what it really means to support computing teachers across the UK.

AQA aren’t just a familiar name in schools – they’re one of the UK’s largest education charities, setting and marking over half of all GCSEs and A Levels each year. In this conversation, Frances shares how AQA works with thousands of teachers and subject experts to shape qualifications, develop resources, and ultimately support students to succeed.

We also dive into why AQA chose to be the headline sponsor for the Festival of Computing, and what keeps bringing them back year after year. From meaningful teacher feedback to real conversations about curriculum reform, it’s clear this event is about more than just talks – it’s about collaboration at the heart of computing education.

And of course… it wouldn’t be the Festival of Computing without a bit of fun! 
Expect rubber ducks, QR codes, CPD sessions, and a AQA marketplace stand that’s gone next-level this year. 🦆

Frances also shares exciting updates on:
GCSE and A Level computer science developments.
Digital exams and the future of assessment. 
How teachers can directly influence the future of qualifications.

Plus, we hear why now is the perfect time for teachers to get involved through subject panels and direct feedback routes – not just forums and rumours!

Want to know more about AQA?- www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/computer-science
Book an appointment with Frances - https://shorturl.at/NgSuW

A huge thanks to AQA & Frances for chatting with us.

💡 If you’re a computer science teacher, this is a must-watch insight into how exam boards are evolving and how you can help shape what comes next.

👉 Watch now and join us at the Festival of Computing!

The festival is all about real teaching, real classrooms, and real conversations with fellow computing teachers. Expect inspiring talks, hands-on CPD sessions, and plenty of opportunities to connect with others who understand life at the chalkface.

🗓 Wednesday 1 July 2026
📍 Bromsgrove School

🎟 Find out more and get your tickets: Festivalofcomputing.com
For more from us - craigndave.org

If you’re a secondary computing teacher, this is the one CPD event you won’t want to miss.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and explore more support for teaching Computer Science with Craig’n’Dave.

#FestivalOfComputing #CraigAndDave #AQA #ComputerScience #GCSEComputerScience #ALevelComputerScience #TeacherCPD #EducationUK #ComputingEducation #EdTech #TeachingResources #DigitalExams #atthechalkface

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Hello everyone and uh uh welcome to a special uh episode where we have brought on our headline sponsor for the festival of computing. I mean, you're not the headline sponsor. Uh so firstly, let's uh but so who are you, Francis? For those that don't know, tell them who you are and what organization you uh represent. And firstly, thank you, Dave and I for being the headline sponsor at this year's festival.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

So um, my name's Francis Sparrow, and I'm the subject lead for computer science at AQA. Uh, a little bit about AQA. Um, we are an independent education charity. We are the largest provider of qualifications taught in schools and colleges. Um, we set a mark over half of all GCSEs and A levels taken every year. Um, we do GCSEs, A levels, EPQ, and technical awards. We actually work with about 27,000, I think it is, um, teachers, lecturers, subject experts, um to design our qualifications, set and mark the exams and create resources. Um, and all of the income that we get from um providing the qualifications gets invested back into education. So we use it to fund research research, um, and we have our unlocking potential program, which um works with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to uh develop and inspire young people who are facing challenges in life.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Of which there are many. So look, I mean, yeah, it if I just turned around and said to you, tell us about AQA. I mean, if you're watching this, you're a teacher. You're living under a rock if you don't know who AQA are. But I must say there were a few things there I didn't know. And uh yeah, it was very impressive. So once again, thank you ever so much for being our headline sponsor. I guess the next thing I want to ask is so what inspired you? Because we're only in our third year, obviously, and you have been coming each year, we've done it right back from when we were just Craig and Dave and friends. But you know, what's inspired you to kind of get involved, especially at this level in the Festival of Computing?

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Well, I mean, obviously, having been um ahead of computer science, I am very aware. Um, I've done a bit of fangirling in the past, uh. Um, so I'm very aware of your popularity um and the resources you have and what a God said may have been to many teachers. Um, and I just thought it's clear if you're organizing an event, uh, a lot of teachers are going to want to come along. Um, and when we attended last year, I think everybody who came from Bay QA were blown away by how many teachers we got to talk to and how well it organized and inspiring the event was. Um so I mean, I know computing teachers really value having a dedicated event for the subject at this scale as well, where they can meet all the relevant people in their field. And I thought it was really important for AQA to support and encourage that initiative.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

That's brilliant because unlike BET, the Festival of Computing really is intended just for the teachers of computer science, those people that are literally in front of students delivering the courses and qualifications that you're um offering. And of course, at this time of the year, praying they will do some revision and crossing their fingers, and everyone's hoping for the best. But I think last year at the festival, you surprised us because uh I think uh you've probably set a trend in motion to actually have a bet-like stand. We were very impressed. We're used to just six-foot tables that, if you're lucky, you might get a tablecloth, but probably not. And you turned up uh day in advance with people to um assemble a stand. It was very impressive. So this year, well, wait to see what we've got this year. What's gonna say? So, what can we look forward to? And what are you most excited about with this year's festival?

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Yeah, just to interrupt, sorry if we answer that. I just yes, I got an email shortly ago from someone at AQA saying, what is the height of the marquee? I went, I don't know what stand they're bringing this year, but they are up in their game. So that is appreciated. But yeah, sorry, David was saying, yeah, what so what yeah, what are you most excited about from this year's festival? And you know, I guess a follow-on from that, what will what are AQA bringing? Because obviously it's a headline sponsor, you've got some rage visibility.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

Um, well, what are we excited about? Um, I think you know, it's such a big time of change for computer science in qualifications at the moment. Um, and so you know, just being in an event where so many teachers are there is really exciting for us. Um, it's really vital for us to get feedback from teachers about what they'd like to see in the qualifications at this point. Um, and also for us to make a point of reassuring everybody, you know, that we're there every step of the way through the resort form process. Um, but you know, getting that feedback um into the production of the qualifications so that they can get the qualifications they want to teach that gets the best results for the students. In terms of what AQA are specifically bringing, and what I'm very excited about, um, is um we do actually have a rubber duck game where you can hook your rubber duck um on the stand and um it'll have a QR code on it, and you will win some. No, no, we have our very own. We had them at best, but unfortunately, they had a bit of a hole in the bottom, and some of them sank, which wasn't very helpful.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

But yeah, but hang on, Dave, you interrupted it. What was the exciting point? So hang on, they hook the rubber duck, they have a QR code on, and what was and then Dave spoke over you.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

Yeah, it's make our own merchandise. So we've got you know, various bits and bobs, water water bottles, pens, I I think. Well, I don't know, whatever marketing are bringing.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

I love that. Well, we've got well, you also know the space, and if you've not been to the festival before, it's at Bronsgrove School and we hold it in this beautiful marquee. And when I say marquee, this is Brongrove School, it's a different level. I mean it's it's enormous, it's huge, it's wonderful. So I do love this kind of fair aspect. I can see next year coming up and go, right, well, we've got, you know, you can fire down the Skittles and someone else that'd be great today's fair ground. But um, but so what um I mean, what can people actually expect from AQA though at this year's festival? Because obviously you've got a I mean you've got the raised presence, you say you're gonna be in the marketplace, but obviously there's a few other things that you're you're you're you're doing there as well. And if people want specifically to sign up to things, I know you're offering a few, and one of them's already sold out, by the way, one of the CPD sessions. So maybe tell us a bit around um, you know, those other things they can do if you want to engage more directly with AQA.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Well, so obviously, as the headline sponsor, we do have the keynote speech, um, which is from um Natalie Pereira, who is our new chief external affairs and communications officer. Great mouthful, but she's going to be talking about the curriculum reform in computing. Oh yeah, exactly that. Yeah. Um, so there's a bit of um uh speech writing going on uh with with her for that at the moment. Um we're also running two CPD sessions, um, one by our NEA lead moderator, Martin Colliver, and the other by myself. Um obviously Martin's looking at NA NEA, but I will be looking at those trickier bits of uh GCSE. Um we also have, of course, a stand in the marketplace as as previously mentioned.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Um with the rubber ducts.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

With the rubber ducks. Um yeah, and and really just want to encourage teachers to talk to us um about what we do and tell us what they want from the new qualifications.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

Yeah, it is worth saying, by the way, so the two sessions for the AQA, because if you come to the festival, we have three CPD slots, and there are about 10 talks you can sign up to in each one. So the NEA one that you mentioned, that was the second CPD slot to sell out. So I'm afraid if you're watching us now, uh that one's sold out. However, um AQA have indicated they're happy to share the materials for for that talk. So what we tend to do uh after the festival, uh anything that was used in that talk that AQA are happy to share, like a you know, a PowerPoint, for example, or PDF, we then put those on the website for the talk. And uh, you know, so uh I'm afraid yeah, you've missed the boat, but the other one's still available. Uh and what was the other one on again? You said the other one was the trickier questions.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Yeah, some of the tricky bits of GCSE, so you know, long-as questions and bits and pieces that um traditionally can candidates have found a little bit um more challenging.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Yeah. We always get strange requests from people, and I've got a vision now of you uh emptying all our water jugs into your uh puddling pool because you need to float these rubber ducks and all these all these bottles of water that we promised everybody this year because everybody wanted water and we didn't supply it. No, we only split it. They're all gonna be in your paddling pool.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's not that big, don't worry. But we are going to need to fill it with water, but I'm sure we can go get a jug of water from a tap somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

We'll find a way. We'll find a way. So it really sounds like the the motto of the festival inspiration, innovation, collaboration. It's really kind of resonating with the ethos of AQA.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yeah, it is. I mean, teachers are very much at the forefront of our minds at AQA and making sure that we do collaborate um with them. It's really important to us. Um, it's the teachers who inspire us to produce our qualifications. Um, you know, we we are with this reform, we're working really hard to create something in computing education that's really relevant and will stand the test of time, which is quite hard to do.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

Challenging in our subject.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Yeah, exactly. Exactly that. Um, so I mean it requires a bit of innovation on our part, um, as well as this constant loop of feedback and improvement with teachers, really at the heart of the process. Um, I mean, on that note, I would really like to encourage as many teachers as possible to sign up to our computer science teacher panel, um, which they can do on the AQA website, so that they can um feed back into the process in a really formal way. It's not too onerous. So, I mean, please do sign up.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Well, this this is it, isn't it? I mean, there are various obviously uh panels out there now from exam board levels to subject association, right up to national, and we know there will be another consultation when the draft comes out. This is the time to engage as teachers. Please don't complain to these hard-working subject advisors 14 months down the line when you don't like something, put it in now. They really do work ever so hard. This is the time for input. People are listening. Um, obviously, I say thank you again. I feel like I keep saying it for being our headline sponsor. I want to give the opportunity to just tell anyone listening about anything new or exciting you just want to share that maybe they're not aware of. So, I mean, anything, new products, exciting news, things you're allowed to share, anything in particular uh you want to make people aware of that's on the horizon?

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Well, I mean, of course, um, there's a lot changing at the moment, and we are influencing subject content and developing our spec in line with what the DFE are suggesting, and off-qual requirements, of course. Um, so you know, again, appeal to teachers to feed into that. Um, um, we have been responding to the off-qual consultation consultation about digital exams, um, calling on the government and the regulator. In fact, AQA want to be more ambitious about the introduction of digital exams so that young people, schools, colleges can really start to reap the benefits of digital exams. Um, you know, it's great to support candidates who've got special education needs and and disabilities, um, reduce some of the security risks associated with the release of papers. Um, and um uh after a bit of research, we feel it's also better for the environment. So there we have.

SPEAKER_02 13:17

Well, this is true.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Um in um I mean, in the meantime as well, we are developing new resources to support the current um qualifications. Um, and we've developed some new e-learning modules that teachers can sign up to on the AQA uh professional development section of the website.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Perfect. I mean, I I feel like it almost seems silly saying this, but I mean, if people want to find out more about AQA, um, you know, where where do they go? What's the best way of contacting? Especially like if it if it's subject-specific questions, because we do see a lot, don't we? We see a lot of people ask things on forums and we sit on other places. Please, there's actually an email you can contact, it's much better. This is a great discussion, but we don't sit on the forums all day. So, in terms of finding out more about AQA, computer science, specifically asking questions, getting in contact with yourself and subject advisors, what what's your what's your advice there?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Well, um the website is available, um, aqa.org.uk, and if slash subject slash computer dash science is the subject specific site pages. Um, there are on there, there are teaching guides and assessment guides and and and some great resources on there, um, as well as um saying what we're out and about doing. So it even has a link to the Festival of Computing on there. Um also the primary email address is computerscience at aqa.org.uk, and that comes into our customer services desk and will 99% of the time end up being forwarded to me. Um, and so that is by far the best way. Um you can also um book a direct link with me, but the easiest way to get that link, uh bearing in mind this is a podcast, um, I will give the link to to Craig and Dave, but um, is probably to email in and um and I can send you send you out the uh a Teams link to meet with me anytime you want. I love talking to people, love helping people. So um please do come in. I do keep a little weather eye on um some of the Facebook groups and and and and LinkedIn, but it is generally way better to discuss it directly with me online. You'll get much more of my time, attention, and all the rest of it.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

We say exactly the same thing, don't we, Dave? We we get we get an awful lot of questions on forums, and then obviously, you know, we answer and it's like or email us, you know. I I think there's some something I understand it, there's a bit of uh reticence and wariness these oh, an email it will go into a box, it will never get read. But you know, Dave and my safe read every email that that that comes in. Uh, you know, I know the subject advisors are very keen as well, and it's much easier to prioritize your workload, isn't it? If you've I've got these emails, I can deal with them, then I'm gonna go and check this form and that form and that form and dig through the comments. And it's it's it is difficult. So please, you know, say reach out to your subject advisors. That is what they're there for. It's in the title. Subject advisor.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Absolutely, definitely. Um, you know, and I'm I'm there to do that. That that's my job.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

It's so much easier though, if you can have a back and forth dialogue um in person. So uh again, the festival, we put it on uh completely free for teachers because it is that opportunity for you to have that one-to-one dialogue with um people that are changing the specification, people that are delivering the existing specification, people that can give you the real advice about delivering the specifications, so you're not actually um just soaking up all the hearsay and rumours from some of the uh Facebook groups and other things that are out there. You've got a real opportunity to get what you need from the people that are providing it. The festival's a great place for that. But for those teachers that are watching, uh Francis, what's the one message that you would like them to take away about AQA?

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Well, AQA would like teachers would like to be the first choice for teachers. Um, we want to shape the future of computing education and lead to the digital change. Um, and we want our qualifications to be fit for the future, and we want that any teachers listening to be part of making that happen so that the new qualifications we create are the ones that you want to teach.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

You've convinced me. You can't argue about it, can you? No, well look, Francis, thank you ever so much for this. We are very much looking forward to seeing you and I'm sure the rest of your team. Uh, again, if you want to know more, you can head over to our website, craigandave.org. Uh, we also have a dedicated festival page that takes you straight there. Which URL escapes me. Dave, help me out.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Festival ofcomputing.com.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

Thank you very much, Dave. And uh marketing will leave that in because they like me to look foolish. And uh do I, by the way. And yes, tickets are on sale now. We've already sold over half the tickets, and as we said earlier, some of the most popular CPD sessions are uh already sold out, but over 90% are still there. So please go over and purchase a ticket. Remember, although there's a £20 fee, it is completely free to teachers, and you get that refunded when you arrive. This is a free CPD event, July the 1st. Well, thank you very much. We'll see you there along with AQA and everyone else. Bye bye for now.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Thank you. Bye.