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Club Leader Hub

I always make sure that leading up to the Christmas, Easter, and Summer holidays, we have a mini dressCode party. I'd also give out certificates or recognition to every girl in the dressCode club at these times. If the girls still want to continue working on their projects, that's fine, but we usually just enjoy each other's company and have a lunchtime of fun. We play games like Pictionary, Hangman, Kahoot, or that guessing game where you put a post-it on your head. It's all about creating a community and friendships amongst the girls and making a safe, happy environment that they want to come back to.

Once the girls are no longer in the first two or three years of secondary school. I always encourage them to come back and be the dressCode senior mentos and role models for the next new group of girls. Before you know it, you'll have created a culture within the school, library or community where girls are frequently attending and even coming up to you asking about the dressCode club!

Keep an eye on the number of girls who pick Computing Science, too; I won't be surprised if you start to see that number creeping up. This has been a big part of our success in encouraging more girls into Computing Science at our school.

Remember, all your hard work helps to close the gender gap on a national level as well as within your own context! You are making a difference!

I had this feeling every year! But my secret was always knowing that it wasn't about the number of pupils. If I reached three girls, that was better than reaching none. I never measured success by the number of pupils attending my dressCode club; for me, it was always about whether the girls who were there were having the best time, feeling empowered, and knowing they belonged. By being consistent, creating a nurturing and fun environment, and never cancelling -with the invaluable help of my senior mentors - my dressCode club became a place girls wanted to be, and the numbers eventually followed, and became easier each year.

I usually had just three or four girls to start with, but as the year went on, I had more and more. The first year, I had six girls for the whole year, starting with just three up until about Christmas. I figured six girls were better than none, and I knew I was making a difference no matter how small!

Over the years, word of mouth spread with siblings and friends, and the club became so popular we eventually had to run it in two rooms! I would even hear pupils who gave tours say, "Oh, you have to join dressCode, it's the best club!" I also encouraged girls to bring their friends, as it could be quite daunting joining any club on your own, so this really helped.

I also ran dressCode gallery days, where we would invite pupils from all year groups, teachers, and parents to come along, see and try some of the dressCoders’ projects. This was a fantastic way to reach girls who were a bit unsure, as it gave them a chance to see what the club was like. Chocolates also helped!

Each year, when the new pupils are settled, our school runs a mini fresher's fair. This is a great platform that brings together the new year group in small groups across a couple of periods. They have a chance to hear all about the clubs on offer and sign up. I always set up a stand and talk to every girl I can, and I get inspirational senior girls who are keen to help out.

I also attend assemblies for the first three year groups to let pupils know about dressCode. At first, I would do this myself, but once I got senior mentors involved, this became a role they would do. Sometimes when assemblies were tight for time, the senior mentors would go to all the Computing Science or Maths classes to give a short presentation. I found using Maths classes was a great way to reach all pupils faster, as they see them more often and in larger class sizes.

I also have a little postcard I hand out at parents' night and have a stall at open evenings. The open evenings have a similar set-up to the fresher's fair, and I'd have laptops with some of the projects my dressCoders created. Eventually, these would be roles that senior dressCode mentors would run and would be able to log their hours towards their volunteering award. Parents with younger daughters would always ask if they could sign up, and this was always a yes. The club is set up so anyone keen can access it at home if they are not physically able to attend.

Recruiting senior dressCode mentors has been one of the keys to the success of dressCode clubs! Senior pupils who help run the club can log their hours toward a volunteering award, which is a huge motivator for them. This creates a cycle of learning and leadership that benefits both the mentors and the younger pupils.

I use this a similar set-up at any opportunity to raise the profile of the dressCode club - from fresher's fairs to open evenings and parents' nights.

I set up a big table with a pop-up dressCode banner and plenty of posters. I try to bring a brightly coloured tablecloth to make the stand pop and look as exciting as possible.

To grab attention, I bring iPads loaded with games, Scratch projects, websites, and cyber treasure hunts that previous dressCoders have created. This gives the girls a chance to see and interact with what they could make.

Bringing senior girls to help out is always a good idea. We make it our mission to speak to every single girl throughout the day so every new pupil knows about dressCode. I also really emphasise that if they can code, they can change the world! I find out what their interests are and always relate them back to dressCode, because you can make a website, a game, or a Scratch project for anything they can imagine. I also tell them about our Summer and December parties, as well as the competitions and prizes we have on offer.

Every year, I speak to the girls taking National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher Computing Science to see if they are interested in becoming a dressCode senior mentor. Studying Computing Science was never a requirement, and I often had girls from other subjects helping out, which was also great.

I always let them know what the role involves, including:

• Attending the dressCode Club and being a supportive role model for the younger dressCoders.

• Running a dressCode stall at fresher's fairs, parents' evenings, and open evenings.

• Occasionally being the dressCode DJ and taking requests—I even ended up having to create a rota for this!

I have high expectations for attendance from my senior dressCode mentors. I would never cancel a dressCode club; if I wasn’t able to attend, I would have another teacher stand in for me. This really helped build trust with the dressCoders, as they knew the club was always on no matter what. If a senior dressCode mentor wasn’t able to commit to attending the club regularly, they weren’t a good fit, and I would suggest other clubs they could support. The mentors were always interested in the volunteer certificates they would gain through their efforts.

The senior dressCode mentors became a team. They took ownership of the club and would come up with ideas for the dressCode party quizzes and games at Christmas, Easter, and Summer. Sometimes they would even create their own dressCode club competitions, which was fantastic. I would always include the senior dressCode mentors in any recognition and certificates, too.

They also took the lead on dressCode club hackathons, which are always so much fun. On top of that, they'd have ideas like bringing in guest speakers or running a little fireside chat from industry. Allowing the senior dressCode mentors to take ownership and help shape the club brought a wealth of new ideas and excitement that I never anticipated. I couldn't have done it without them. Year on year, my dressCode senior mentors became so much more than just club mentors; they became strong role models and ambassadors for the subject. I also watched their confidence grow, and their interest in Computing Science developed even further.

More information about dressCode senior mentor roles on the engagement and events page.

I head into my room with my lunch, turn the radio up, and wait for the girls to arrive. I always have seniors helping me run the club. I've found that two or three is the perfect number, but I’d never turn away a girl, so I’d always find something for them to do if more turn up. The girls will all arrive with their lunches, and we sit and chat about their day and what's going on. I've found it's so important to connect with them and take the time to get to know their interests. This creates a really nice, relaxed environment.

We let the dressCoder’s choose the songs they wanted to play, with a senior dressCoder taking on the role of 'dressCode DJ' and taking requests from the other girls. It helped make the club not just a safe, fun, and friendly environment, but their own space where they felt valued.

Once the girls have had their lunch, they log on to their computers and either start or continue their projects. The senior dressCode mentors and I make the effort to go around and see how everyone is getting on. It’s so exciting to see projects being completed and watch the girls progress over the months. I love seeing how proud they feel when they create something! The club provides a different environment from a classroom, as it’s not just about seeing who needs help; it’s about getting to know each girl as an individual. I also really encourage girls to work together in teams, having them create a group project where they can take turns designing, picking colour schemes, and coding. I've found this is a great way to encourage girls who are unsure about coding.

We also have lots of competitions throughout the year, such as dressCode's annual Halloween, Christmas, Cyber Advent, Summer of Code competitions and exclusive dressCode Club competitions, all with prizes up for grabs. I've found this really helps give a focus to the projects for pupils who are struggling for ideas and also provides a great chance for pupils to win a prize in a national competition.

It's important to note that these competitions are always optional. dressCode clubs are about girls exploring coding and their passions and giving girls the tools and support to create what they want, not being told what to do.

At the core of dressCode clubs, it's about helping girls explore coding and their passions. Empowering them and make them know they can do anything, and Computing Science is the perfect subject that allows them to make a difference in every area that they're interested in.

My dressCode club are not lessons. They’re about girls exploring and creating, so I avoid standing at the board and teaching like I would in a class. I would have lunch with them, take the time to get to know them and help make their ideas come to life through code!

The dressCode club resources is about giving the girls the tools and support to create what they want, not being told what to do. If a girl needs to make her character jump, you can point her to the right page in the resources to find out how.

Putting the Philosophy into Practice

I always let the girls explore their interests and what's important to them. This usually ends up with everyone making different things, with some girls making a website and others making a game. I would get to know them and find out what they like. For example, find out what tv show or movie they enjoyed and I'd suggest we try to make a game, project, website, or cyber treasure hunt about that. Or we’d look at the dressCode themed challenges and they’d pick one they would like.

I would also show the girls the project gallery for inspiration or the challenge pages to see if they find something they'd like to make. I'd encourage girls to work toeghether in teams; one could be the designer creating the characters or the buttons, while another does the coding or creates the ciphers. If they want to work individually, that's absolutely fine, too. I would encourage whatever they want and support them along the way.

The Importance of Consistency

I also do everything within my power never to miss a club! I would never cancel a club because I don't want girls to be unsure if dressCode is going to be on or not—it's always on! Although it's not always possible to be there due to external circumstances and other responsibilities, I always make sure to tell the girls the week beforehand so they know. I’d get another teacher to support and the senior dressCode mentors were always there to able to keep things rolling.

At the heart of the dressCode club is girls exploring coding and their own passions, giving them the tools and support to create what they want, not what they're told to do. dressCode club environments should be safe, fun, and friendly environment; it’s a space for them where they feel valued.

This core philosophy is why managing different skill levels was never an issue for me. If a dressCoder didn’t want to do a Scratch project and wanted to explore Python or Java, I would encourage and support them. As long as they were coding and doing something they enjoyed, that was all that mattered. I would also let dressCoder’s continue projects they were working on in class if that was what they wanted to do.

Ultimately, dressCode is about helping girls find the spark and joy that Computing Science can bring. It's about the realisation that they can make anything, create something new, and make a positive difference in their community and the world. Knowing that that there is a place for every one of them in the world of tech, no matter their skill level or passion and that is what will make your dressCode club a success.

My senior dressCode mentors are an invaluable part of the club, so when they go on study leave, the running of the dressCode club has to adapt. The most important thing is to never cancel the club. This builds a great deal of trust with the younger dressCoders, as they know the club is always on, no matter what.

During exam leave, here are a few things I do to make sure my dressCode club still runs smoothly:

• Bring in the Next Generation: A strategy that worked for me was to get S3 pupils to fill the mentor role. Depending on the year, it might have meant I had fewer dressCode mentors, but what it did in bucket loads was it gave those younger pupils a chance to be a leader. More than that, it was also priming them to become the new senior dressCode mentors the next year.
  
  To help with the transition, I would get the S3 junior mentors to spend time with the senior dressCode mentors during another lunchtime. This brings them together and gives the junior mentors a chance to ask any questions, come up with ideas they’d like to try, and get to know the girls in the club. This was so good because the ideas the girls came up with were always excellent, and we’d have new things to try with the dressCoders.

• Communicate the Plan: At the last session before exam leave begins, I let the girls know that our senior mentors are heading off to study. I reassure them that the club will still be on and that we’ll have a different focus for a few weeks.

• Leverage the Club's Community: The girls themselves will help one another, as they have built friendships and trust in the club. This is a time when the older girls in the group step up and support the younger ones.

We all know the gender gap is a global issue, but I never made a big deal about this or really talked about it with the girls unless it came up. I never made a big deal about it.

I focused on helping the girls find the spark and joy that Computing Science can bring, and the realisation that they can make anything, create something new, and make a positive difference in their community and the world. My goal was for them to see that there is absolutely a place for them in the world of technology.

I hope this guide has given you the confidence and practical advice you need to get your dressCode club up and running. If you have any questions or want to know more about a specific topic, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We're here to help, reach us through contact page.