20th December 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Four years ago, in a counterintuitive move, ICT was removed from the national curriculum in a bid to improve computer science teaching in schools. This move was in order to enable schools to teach students practical computing skills including coding, as opposed to merely learning Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Somewhat predictably, removing the subject from the list of compulsory subjects has led to a dramatic reduction in the number of schools offering Computer Sciences. Last year on 28% of schools entered students for a GCSE qualification in computing, while only 24% of schools entered a candidate at A level. The decision has also aggravated the attrition of women in IT, with only 16% girls at GCSE, and just one in twelve at A level in 2015. These numbers have increased slightly in 2016, and on average female candidates outperformed their male peers.
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities were also underrepresented in this year’s cohort of GCSE entrants. Underperforming schools are also less likely to offer the new course, in a time when budgets are tight and qualified teachers are hard to come by. While some say this is to be expected, it was in fact not the case with the old ICT GCSE that is currently being phased out. 40% of entrants in the old GCSE were female and a much more representative proportion came from those on free school meals or ethnic minorities.
It is particularly important that the course be as inclusive as possible to ensure that the UK can compete in the digital economy. The inequality at this level will also trickle forward, undermining efforts to make technology professions a more equal and diverse profession. It is imperative for the future of IT in the UK that the new course is made more inclusive or we risk alienating an entire cohort from pursuing computer related professions.