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Blocks Studio

Build programs with blocks, then see them as Python.

+ New project

Start something new

Start blank or from a project to change.

Blank projectOne sprite, no blocks yetCatch gameArrow keys, score, livesPen artDraw patterns with the penSteeringMove with the arrow keysMazeA maze and a player to code
About Blocks Studio, and what schools get

Free block coding that leads to Python

Blocks Studio is where pupils build programs by snapping blocks together: sprites that move, games with a score and lives, patterns drawn with the pen. The same program is shown as Python as they build, so the step from blocks to typed code is a short one. It runs in the browser on school desktops and Chromebooks, and nobody needs an account to use it.

How it teaches programming

  • Blocks for the whole of KS3. Motion, looks, sound, events, control, sensing, operators, variables, lists, the pen and your own blocks, colour-coded by category.
  • The same program as Python. A Python view updates as the blocks change, with OCR Exam Reference Language, AQA pseudocode and a flowchart beside it.
  • A debugger pupils can use. Step through a script a block at a time, slow it down, set breakpoints and watch the variables change.
  • Set to the level. Simple shows fewer, bigger blocks for getting started; Full has every block.
  • Projects to start from. A catch game, pen art, a steering game and a maze, plus a library of sprites and backdrops, Character Studio characters and pupils' own pictures.
  • Scratch files open here. Load a Scratch project and carry on in Blocks Studio, with a report of anything that works differently.

Made for KS3 Computing

Blocks Studio has its own eight-lesson KS3 unit, Programming with Blocks: events and sequence, loops that draw shapes, keys and coordinates, selection, variables, a catch game to build, debugging and a final challenge. Its tasks check pupils' work as they go, with hints, and the same tasks can be set as homework that marks itself. When pupils are ready for typed code, the Python view is the bridge to GCSE.

Common questions

Is it free, and do pupils need an account?
It is free, with no account. A guest's project stays in their browser tab. Saving projects to an account to come back to comes with a free 7-day trial or a school plan.
How is it different from Scratch?
The blocks will feel familiar, and Scratch files can be opened here. The difference is that every program is also shown as Python, exam pseudocode and a flowchart, and teachers can set tasks that check the work and save it to the pupil's account.
Does it work on Chromebooks and school computers?
Yes. It runs in the browser with nothing to install, so it works on Chromebooks and locked-down school desktops.
Can I set it as work and see what pupils make?
With a school account, yes. Send it to every pupil's screen, launch it from a lesson or assignment so their project is saved against it, and open any pupil's project to see it running.

What a school account adds

Blocks Studio stays free and is one of about twenty tools. A school account adds saved work that follows a pupil between devices, the KS3 Programming with Blocks lessons with tasks that mark themselves, and a dashboard showing where a class is stuck.

What schools getSchool pricing

Also free: the Flowchart Studio, Logic Gate Studio, online Python editor and every other free tool.