BBC Partners with Farnell, OKdo to Manufacture and Distribute 675,000 micro:bits to UK Schools

BBC Education has announced the launch of its BBC micro:bit – the next gen campaign to get younger children hands-on with embedded electronics and programming — using the micro:bit platform, backed by new celebrity-studded educational materials and a manufacturing push that will see 675,000 units distributed to schools throughout the UK.

"In an ever-evolving digital age, BBC Education remains committed to inspiring the digital makers, inventors, and pioneers of tomorrow," Helen Foulkes, head of BBC Education, says of the new program. "The 'BBC micro:bit – the next gen' initiative is all about ensuring that every primary school student is given the tools to imagine and innovate with technology. Our aim is to not only equip these young minds with digital skills but to inspire creativity, challenge stereotypes, and nurture a passion for learning."

The BBC micro:bit was unveiled in 2014 as a partnership between the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and UK national broadcaster the BBC, offering a beginner-friendly microcontroller development platform with integrated LED matrix display, radio capabilities, accelerometer, magnetometer, and tactile buttons, with expansion via a PCB edge connector to the bottom of the board. An update to the project in 2020 added a touch-sensitive input on the logo, an on-board microphone, speaker, and a system-on-chip with additional memory.

The hardware was joined by what was, in effect, a relaunch of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project — launched in 1982 as an effort to introduce the UK to the at-the-time novel technologies and possibilities present in home computing systems. Where the original project saw individuals and schools splashing out on BBC Micro computer systems — subsidized by the UK government for schools, to bring the cost down — the BBC micro:bit equivalent saw hardware distributed to schools free-of-charge, something which will happen again in the project's latest push.

"Our experience and research show how pivotal early learning confidence and interest is to encourage longer-term studies of technology-related studies. Capturing children’s attention in these formative primary school years is critical and the micro:bit is a great tool to have fun and learn about tech," claims Micro:bit Educational Foundation chief executive officer Gareth Stockdaler. "We’re excited to welcome the next generation of teachers and pupils to the power of the micro:bit. Together with the exciting CBBC [Children's BBC] brands and support from Nominet, our new training and projects will provide a great introduction to a world of digital opportunities."

As part of the new rollout, Farnell and OKdo have been selected to produce new BBC micro:bit hardware, some to be sold to consumers but 675,000 units of which will be sent to primary schools throughout the UK at no cost. These will be supported by newly-developed educational materials, campaigns on BBC shows including Blue Peter, and online through a section of the BBC's educational site dubbed Code Your Own Way, complete with a simulated micro:bit for those without hardware, which will include lessons on data gathering, micro:bit-powered wearables, and machine learning.

UK primary schools eligible for the free hardware have until December 18th, 2023 to register on the official website; the devices will begin being distributed this fall and throughout early 2024, the BBC has confirmed.