Resources for beginners
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Hour of Code builds on logo to start with Scratch-like coding. New versions of Scratch are based on a language like Javascript. One of the nice things about Hour of Code is you can see this code as well.

For the full Scratch you can go to the Scratch website (click "Create" at the top). This lets you save and share code. There's also an older version you can download, but it isn't as good. For the website version there is a good getting started lesson. Simple things to start with after that are making a moving card or a simple game. You may hear of BYOB ("Build Your Own Blocks") which was a version of Scratch that allowed you to build your own blocks. This option is now built into the web version of Scratch.

Note that if you get children to sign up for accounts and share projects they will be sharing their code with the world, so you may want to monitor for local content, names etc. In addition, you may want to get them to turn off commenting on each project shared. The site is broadly self-moderated, but I've never seen anything bad on it. The default is not to share.

Python: this is popular and there are some really good books, but software built with it doesn't look so great. It is taught in a lot of secondary schools, but would be a perfectly good choice in primary coding clubs.

Ruby: this is taught in some primary school clubs, and there is a good online tutorial, but it probably has less use in the real world than Python or Javascript.

Javascript: this is used to make webpages do stuff. It is a bit harder, but there is a addon for MineCraft, which is a good way to learn.

iPads: For KS2 children wanting to learn Javascript using iPads, there is the free Hakitzu Elite: Robot Hackers, though there is obviously mild violence in this.

Processing: this is based on the Java language, but it is hard to tell. It is a fairly simple (for coding) way of making complicated animations and special effects. Lots of people give away code they've written for it and there are good tutorials. It is used for lots of films and there are some nice examples.

Programming for Geographical Information Analysis: Core Skills teaches Java from the ground up. It's not a simple language, but it is powerful and teaches you a lot about computing more generally than some of the other languages.