Abstract
Computing At School was formed in 2008 by a small group of individuals from a range of sectors concerned about the inadequate teaching of Computer Science (Informatics) in schools. Its mission is to provide leadership and strategic guidance to all those involved in Computing education in schools, with a significant but not exclusive focus on the Computer Science theme within the wider Computing curriculum.
Six years after its inception, the landscape has been transformed by CAS’s efforts:
- The English National curriculum for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has been completely reformed, and now explicitly embodies Computer Science as a foundational part of the curriculum, starting from primary school.
- In 2008 there were no General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs) (age-16 national examinations) in Computer Science. Now every awarding body offers such a GCSE.
- CAS is now an online community of over 12,000 members. It supports over 100 face-to-face teacher “hubs” that meet regularly to share best practice.
- The government is funding CAS to run a national programme of training for Computing teachers, to give them the knowledge and skills they need to deliver the new curriculum with confidence.
CAS membership is open to everyone, and includes teachers, parents, governors, exam boards, industry, professional societies, and universities. CAS is now recognised as an influential organisation in terms of policy and decision-making at a statutory level. In addition, CAS is the UK national subject association for teaching computing.
This paper was CAS’s winning submission to the 2014 Informatics Europe Best Practices In Education award. It has a good snapshot of the state of play in 2014.