Who we are
Inspire every child to create their best digital future
The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to inspire every child to create their best digital future.
We do this by:
- developing hardware and software that inspires young people to get excited about technology and the opportunities it presents for them
- creating free, user-friendly educational resources to support teachers in delivering engaging and creative lessons
- working with like-minded partners to deliver high-impact educational programmes across the globe.
Theory of Change
We believe that an ability to understand, participate and work in the digital world is vitally important to a young person’s life chances.
The BBC micro:bit is designed to excite and appeal to a broad range of young people including those who might have thought tech was not for them.
By inspiring more young people to learn digital skills, we aim to diversify the students who choose STEM subjects as they progress through school and into their careers. This, in turn, grows a diverse pipeline of talent, boosting social equity and contributing to the creation of better technology.
You can view or download our Theory of Change using the buttons below
Our values
Our values inform everything we do. They enable us, as a small organisation, to increase our impact through global partnerships that are tailored to the needs of specific users:
Trust
Partnership
Simplicity
Passion
Our story
The micro:bit was originally created as part of the BBC’s Make It Digital initiative, launched in 2014. 29 expert partners came on board, each contributing resources and expertise.
From early 2016, up to 1 million micro:bits were distributed to Year 7 students (or equivalent, aged 11-12), non-formal education settings and libraries across the UK in a project led by BBC Education.
The Micro:bit Educational Foundation was founded in October 2016 with the aim of bringing digital inspiration to students worldwide.
You can read more about the origins of the micro:bit and milestones in our story here.
Our impact
It is estimated that 63 million young people from more than 60 countries have benefitted from learning with the micro:bit so far.
From pilot projects to national rollouts, you can read more about the impact of these initiatives here.
Our partners
Founding Partners
We are grateful for the long-standing support of our Founding Partners, who have been with us since the very early days and continue to play an integral role in our work.
Arm
BBC
British Council
IET
Lancaster University
Microsoft
Nominet
Partners
With thanks to the following organisations who have made major contributions to our work:
Infosys Foundation USA
Lenovo Foundation
Nordic Semiconductor
World's Largest Lesson
With grateful thanks also to:
- Welsh Government / Llywodraeth Cymru
Community Partners
We work in close collaboration with Community Partners who deliver programmes focused on digital learning and creativity internationally. These include:
Global
Python Software Foundation
Africa
Africa Code Week
MakersPlace
Asia & Pacific
Centum Charitas Foundation
Infocomm Media Development Authority
MDEC
Smilegate Foundation
Tencent
code.org.ja
Europe
CCEA
CS Inc
Central South Consortium / Consortiwm Canolbarth y De
Computing At School (CAS)
DR
Digital Xtra Fund
EU Code Week / European Schoolnet
Education Scotland (DigiLearn Scot)
Hwb
IRIM
Kinia
Kompiuteriukų Fondas
Leeds Museums, Galleries and Libraries
Libraries NI
Microsoft Ireland (DreamSpace)
National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE)
Scottish Libraries Information Council (SLIC)
Scouts
Slovak Python User Group
Teknisk Museum
Ulster University
W5 Dreamspace
North America
AVID
BootUp PD
Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)
Georgia Tech College of Computing
GirlStart
Kids Code Jeunesse
SBCSS Inland Empire micro:bit PLN
Science World
Silicon Valley Education Foundation
Virginia Tech Innovation Campus
Latin America
Plan Ceibal
Programa Inova Educação - Secretary of Education of São Paulo State
Scratch al Sur
Sesi, São Paulo
Board
Stephen Pattison
Stephen has been the Foundation's Chair since 2017, but has been involved in the micro:bit project since its early days as VP Public Affairs at Arm. Stephen's varied career has included him working as a British diplomat in the UK and overseas, Head of International Business Development for Dyson, and CEO of the International Chamber of Commerce (UK).
Dr Ambily Banerjee
Ambily is a Senior Director, Clinical Research Equity, at Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine. She joined the Foundation board in 2021. Following her PhD in Molecular Biology, Ambily worked in academia before moving to the pharmaceutical industry in 2007. She is an active advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, and is also a board member for Slough Council for Voluntary Services.
Cerys Griffiths
Cerys jointly led the original BBC micro:bit project and has been a board member since 2018. A former journalist and editor, Cerys currently works as Head of Content Production for BBC Education. She also has overall editorial responsibility for Tiny Happy People, the BBC’s early years language and communication initiative.
Michelle Richmond
Michelle is the Director of IET's Membership & Professional Development Directorate and has been a Foundation board member since 2016. Having previously worked as Chartered Engineer, Michelle was "Young Woman Engineer of the Year" in 1990 and awarded an MBE for services to engineering in 2019.
Gareth Stockdale
Gareth has been a board director since 2016 and was appointed CEO at the Micro:bit Educational Foundation in January 2018. As Head of Operations for BBC Education, Gareth was the joint project lead for the micro:bit project and led the process which culminated in the formation of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation. Prior to this, Gareth worked for Twofour, using digital media to enhance education and training.
Lisa Opie
Lisa Opie is Managing Director of Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington. Part of the wider Ubisoft group, with 20,000 team members working across more than 30 countries worldwide, the studios are bound by a common mission to enrich players’ lives with original and memorable gaming experiences. New to games, Lisa was previously Managing Director Production, BBC Studios. She helped lead the division into the commercial market and oversaw a raft of titles including Planet Earth 2, Doctor Who, Trying, Strictly Come Dancing, and Good Omens, among many more.
Gary Campbell
Gary is Executive Vice President of Arm’s Central Engineering team, which encompasses most of Arm’s engineering functions. He joined Arm in 1998 as a CPU designer and holds a BEng degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. His passion for excellence enables Arm to deliver a continued increase in its cadence of products, on schedule with industry-leading quality and performance. Under his leadership, Arm’s engineering teams have doubled the number of products delivered in line with the growth of Arm and its expansion into new markets.
Meet the team
CEO
CTPO
Operations Director
Global Partnerships Director
Educational Content Manager
Head of Fundraising
Head of Asia
Front-end Web Developer
Social Media Consultant
Head of Partnerships EMEA
Device Software Lead
Head of Professional Development
Head of Product
Community Lead – Japan
Head of Partnerships, North America
Web Technology Lead
Finance Manager
Head of Marketing
Senior Producer
Senior Project Manager
Global Programme Manager
Web Developer
Head of Global Channels
Software Engineer
Programme Manager - Accessibility
Education Producer
HR & Administrative Coordinator
Latin America (Brazil)
Translations and Donations Manager
Education Production Assistant
Data Insights and Strategy Support Consultant
Support Desk Manager
Research Associate, Embedded software engineer
Assistant Producer
Project Coordinator
Work for us
We are a small but ambitious team who are passionate about education and the part technology can play in children's learning.
We're also a global team, many of us work remotely and we collaborate online with colleagues located across many time zones. The Foundation is an incredibly busy but rewarding place to work.
Contact us
Support and feedback
The best way to contact us to get help using your micro:bit device is by searching our support site or raising a support ticket - these are answered by real human beings in our team who have a vast amount of knowledge and experience of the micro:bit.
General enquiries and press
Email us at info@microbit.org
Registered address
Please note that as an organisation with team members working remotely all over the globe, we encourage contact by email to discuss any delivery options.
Micro:bit Educational Foundation
12 New Fetter Lane
London, EC4A 1JP
United Kingdom