Lisa and Martin Dowse, ComputerXplorers Sheffield, Kids computing classes in your area.

We’re Martin and Lisa, the faces behind ComputerXplorers Sheffield! We bought the franchise in November 2021, all in the name of achieving that elusive work-life balance after welcoming our two amazing daughters, Freya and Maisie. Family time is everything—even our beloved cat, Pebbles, who turns 14 in July 2026, gets plenty of attention! Before all this, Martin was a teacher of computing, media, and business studies, working with students from KS1 to sixth form, even leading a department. He also has experience in web development, so tech is second nature to him! Lisa, on the other hand, has had a varied career in business and administration, working across schools, events management, and a solicitors, as well as being a support worker and reprographics assistant. Together, we make the perfect team to bring a fun and engaging education to kids across Sheffield and surrounding areas. Seeing children grow in confidence, develop new skills, and get excited about technology is incredibly rewarding and we wouldn’t change it for the world!

Meet our team

Martin Dowse

Managing Director

As the director of the business, Martin oversees initial instructor training, ensuring our team receive their inductions, training, and on-going support. He also runs all of our academy sessions and serves as the overall curriculum writer for ComputerXplorers headquarters.

Lisa Dowse

Operations Manager

As Operations Manager, Lisa is the glue that holds everything together behind the scenes, taking care of all admin, bookings, and accountancy. She ensures that all classes are set up, manages daily communication between parents, schools and our team of instructors, and oversees the running of all our social media accounts.

Phil Vintin

Class Instructor

Phil has been with us since August 2022. His favourite food is Thai curry and he enjoys playing and watching football in his spare time. His guilty pleasure TV show is Secret Millionaire and his favourite animal is a dog.

Anthony Mercer

Class Instructor

Anthony came on-board in October 2024 His favourite food is Thai green curry and enjoys mountain biking and making music in his spare time. His guilty pleasure TV show is The Voice and his favourite animal is a dog.

Charlie Tompkin

Class Instructor

Charlie joined us in November 2024. His favourite food is curry and in his spare time, he enjoys walking his dog and gaming on his PC. His guilty pleasure TV show is Below Deck and his favourite animal is his dog, Roachford.

Ollie Berridge

Class Instructor

Ollie has been with us since April 2026. His favourite foods are spicy foods. In his spare time he enjoys to read and likes game development. His guilty pleasure TV show is The Tick and his favourite animal is a barn owl.

Coming Soon - Hiring

Class Instructor

Sheffield Map of Postcodes ComputerXplorers Sheffield Kids computing classes in your area.

Where do we operate?

Primarily we are located in:

  • Sheffield
  • Rotherham

However, we have the occasional work in:

  • Worksop
  • Chesterfield
  • Barnsley
  • Doncaster
  • Derbyshire
  • Nottinghamshire

See what our customers say about us

An amazing team! Our child not only learned so much but also had great fun throughout the entire lessons/seasons. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication so far — we truly appreciate everything you’ve done. Class: Tech Xplorers, Advanced Xplorers Ibrahim - Parent - March 2026
My son always finds the Minecraft sessions fun and engaging. The instructor, Martin, is friendly, welcoming and supportive of neurodiverse kids. Highly recommended! Class: Minecraft Xplorers Caitlin - Parent - November 2025
I have to say I don't quite know what to say about Martin and Lisa and the gang at ComputerXplorers ....... my son started going to their Woodhouse classes 2 some years ago, when I booked him in in desperation after he had not left the house for 18 months and wasn't in school. He walked in with me, told me to leave and he has been there every single week since (doing 2 classes back to back !). Martin has taught him so much, and my son can work under his own steam and pace and is bringing tasks home to complete and adores Martin - who is just amazing with him. I can't say enough good things about the classes they provide, from content to support to small class size environment - everything is perfect and they really know what they are doing !!! Thank you Martin and Lisa for everything Class: Tech Xplorers, Advanced Xplorers, Holiday Camps Sophie - Parent - August 2025
My daughters absolutely love coming to both the after school clubs and holiday clubs. There’s a variety of different topics each term with hands-on activities like coding and robotics which definitely engage my children as they come out of the sessions excited about what they’ve learned. Martin is very patient and takes his time explaining the activities to the children. Martin also fills parents in with what they’ve been learning when we come to pick up. Overall, it’s a fantastic club and I would 100% recommend! Class: Tech Xplorers Lauren - Parent - June 2025
My child has attended multiple sessions held by this provider; Academy, Home Ed, Minecraft, and Holiday Camps. Each session is well executed and engages my child on a weekly basis building on their knowledge, strength and understanding to progress each week, bringing out the potential in my child to a high standard and giving them the confidence to excel further. The longer sessions such as the Holiday Camps are broken up with various activities to give the children’s eyes a rest from the screens, including taking them outside for fresh air to the local park, where appropriate. They walk them with high vis jackets and also encourage hand washing after park visits, and before eating. Their keen eye for safety and hygiene hasn’t gone unnoticed by this appreciative Mamma! Both Martin & Lisa are fantastic and we are very fortunate to have found this excellent provider. Multiple Classes: Home Ed, Holiday Camps, Minecraft Education, Tech Xplorers & Advanced Xplorers. Ema - Parent - June 2025
I can't praise this club enough, it's very well run, the kids are really enjoying it and the teacher , Martin is great with the kids, very relaxed atmosphere. My grandson has really gained confidence since going and made some new friends, I've booked a second block of lessons for him. I would highly recommend. Class: Tech Xplorers Silvana - Grandparent - June 2025
A fantastic opportunity for all children to attend. My children look forward to their class every week and have so much fun learning something new with Martin. I definitely recommend these classes. Class: Tech Xplorers Stephanie - Parent - June 2025
I love it everyone was so kind and helpful. Class: Minecraft Education Anonymous Student - June 2025
Martin and Lisa are very approachable and my boy feels very comfortable with them to have fun and ask for advice. The sessions are well run and interesting. My boy is always excited to go. So much so he now attends 3 classes. Class: Minecraft Education x2 and Tech Xplorers Diane - Parent - June 2025
Absolutely recommended! My son is loving this and although we have to travel a little far it is well worth it. Thank you. Class: Coding in Python (Advanced Xplorers) Sarah - Parent - March 2025
Saturday is the one morning of the week my son doesn’t struggle to get out of bed! He can’t wait to get to Minecraft with ComputerXplorers in Woodhouse. Class: Minecraft Education Andy - Parent - January 2025
Very well organised and well explained and my daughter learnt something new. Class: Minecraft Education Alexander - Parent - January 2025
Absolutely fantastic session, very informative and knowledgeable. Martin & Lisa are both very friendly, lovely, calm and approachable people making the session easy even for those who struggle in social situations. Class: Block Coding via Scratch (Home Ed) Anonymous Parent - January 2025
The kids loved it, thank you for the opportunity. Parent - December 2024
My daughter loves the after school club, they learn so many different skills. Amy - Parent - December 2024
My daughter loves this club! There’s always something engaging and fun to learn, and lots of digital resources to enjoy at home too. All staff are lovely and very good at what they do! Dani - Parent - December 2024
My son has attended the after school club and has come out very excited after each session, none stop talking about what he has done. He has loved it. Chloe - Parent - December 2024
Working with Computer Xplorers has been very simple and straightforward. The bookings for the club are done externally so it means no extra work for the school. The children that do attend all speak very positively about the club. The staff are friendly and efficient. Class: Weekly After School Clubs Chloe Grayson - Administration Manager at St John Fisher Primary - November 2024
I have been working with Martin and Lisa at the Sheffield South ComputerXplorers group for around 2 years and it’s been a positive experience overall. They are both really helpful, non judgemental and, largely, let me crack on with it whilst always being available for any questions I may have. I teach 3 groups per week who each have their own interesting traits and what one group will like the next one won’t etc so you’re always kept on your toes. The sessions tend to pass really quickly as you are, usually, just answering questions about new things the kids are trying and trying to resolve them for them. The groups are generally well behaved and interested in what we are doing. Bloxels is probably the topic I find easiest and most fun to teach as it has such a large scope and each child tends to find the bits they like the best. Phil - Instructor - November 2024
I have worked with ComputerXplorers for the last 3 years, delivering after school clubs and also holiday activities. Lisa and Martin have delivered after school clubs in over 20 different schools across our MAT and have always provided a brilliant service and overall experience for the children. They check in with schools before week 1 to make sure all is ready and everyone prepared, and then deliver a fantastic enriching club for the students involved. The activities are inclusive, fun, interesting and teach children a range of skills that help their personal development and future aspirations. I will certainly continue to work with Computer Xplorers and look forward to offering the activities to more schools. John Bell - Extended Services Partnership Officer LEARNERS’ Trust - November 2024
My son says he found the sessions really useful and helpful in learning to code. The teacher was really nice and the atmosphere fun and relaxed. He would recommend the sessions. Class: Coding in Python (Advanced Xplorers) Mary - Parent - November 2024
My kids loved their experience at ComputerXplorers Sheffield. From coding in Minecraft to stop-motion animation, they got a lot out of the well-designed sessions. Shout-out to the tutors too, who were fantastic. Joanne - Parent - August 2024
This has been fantastic for expanding the skills and especially the confidence of my child. I would highly recommend as excellent value. Mary - Parent - July 2024
Kids attended the holiday session (Retro Games and Minecraft) and they absolutely loved it. The feedback from my kids were that the facilitators were very friendly and helpful. They also provided snacks and drinks which were greatly appreciated! Noamson - Parent - April 2024
School holiday club, my daughter had an amazing time. She couldn’t stop talking about her creating her own game and all the help she got. She really enjoyed playing minecraft and will show me how to play at home. Parent - April 2024
My son absolutely loves attending the Saturday morning computer club. He has gained brilliant skills and he continues to use them in his own time. Kirsty - Parent - March 2024
My daughter absolutely loves Computer Xplorers. She’s learnt so much and has grown in confidence since starting. At 10 she has completely left me behind now with her computing knowledge! Martin is fantastic and I really couldn’t recommend his classes enough :-) Lauren - Parent - March 2024
My daughter is really enjoying her weekly classes as well as the holiday camps. With the expert tuition she is really learning more and more computer skills all the time, and is already teaching me new things! She so looks forward to attending her class every week, they are both educational and fun! Jonathan - Parent - March 2024
Fantastic! My son attended through the holiday club and absolutely loved it. He cannot wait to come back in Easter. He came out of the session full of confidence. He made his own game using coding and he's very proud of himself. My son has additional needs and the team did an amazing job. Such a nice bunch of children too. Thank you for creating a safe, fun, educational environment for him. I will be recommending to other parents. Leanne - Parent - March 2024
Our kid loves attending! Thanks Mo - Parent - October 2023
My son has really enjoyed the first day and can’t wait for the next few! Thanks very much!! Jimmy - Parent - November 2022
My little boy did the courses through the summer and has loved every minute. He has learnt so much. Martin was great. Thank you for having us. Natalie - Parent - August 2022

What can we do for you?

 

Tech/Minecraft Xplorers

We offer a weekly Minecraft Education class alongside a weekly ‘topic’ class, which explores a new topic every half-term.

 

Advanced Xplorers

We offer weekly classes for ages 11+ focused on coding in various programming languages such as: Python, CSS, and HTML.

 

After School Clubs

These run weekly during term time and topics change every half-term. *Please note: children must attend the school to attend these clubs.

 

Holiday Camps

Our holiday camps run throughout the year for children aged 6-14 years. Available during the Summer, Easter and Christmas half-term breaks. Fun tech coupled with fun screen-free activities.

 

Home Education

These 2-hour sessions are ideally suited to home-educated children from the age of 7+. They run every 3 months throughout the academic year.

 

Workshops

We offer workshops that can be 1-hour, half-day (3 hours) or full-day (6+ hours) sessions, tailored to suit different themes, needs and interests.

Contact ComputerXplorers

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