Our mission | micro:bit

What we do

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a non-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.

We are custodians of the BBC micro:bit, an award-winning educational device. We are responsible for keeping the micro:bit easy to use, reliable and accessible, and we provide free supporting resources for teachers.

Two children measuring temperature outside with micro:bits

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.

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.

Download Theory of Change

View Theory of Change

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

About the BBC micro:bit

The BBC micro:bit is an award-winning educational device, designed to excite and appeal to a broad range of young people including those who might have thought tech was not for them.

For 8-14-year-olds

The micro:bit has been specifically designed for children aged 8-14 to uncover digital possibilities before preconceived ideas take hold.

Makes computing physical

Academic research shows physical computing helps learning by increasing student motivation, encouraging collaboration and supporting creativity. This learning approach has also been shown to break down barriers for girls and other under-represented groups.

Classroom-focused

We believe classroom teaching is the best way to reach the broadest range of students. Our user-friendly resources support busy teachers, including professional development, micro:bit classroom, Python Editor, and our exciting CreateAI tool.

Low cost, high quality

The micro:bit was created by an impressive team including Arm, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Samsung and Lancaster University. Together, we created a low-cost device that allows young people to apply the latest technology to topics that matter to them.

Inspires every child

We strive to make micro:bit’s resources accessible and engaging for all children - for example, by adjusting our resources for students or teachers with disabilities, and by making our content available in as many languages as possible.

Embeds social impact

Through initiatives like our do your :bit challenge, we encourage young people to apply their digital skills to things they care about in the world, aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

More about the micro:bit