Gove wakes up to importance of computer science
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
3:38 PM
While welcoming the Education Secretary's speech on computer science today (11 January 2012), Voice: the union for education professionals has expressed concerns about the practicalities of implementing the new computing curriculum.
General Secretary Philip Parkin commented:
“Voice welcomes the Education Secretary's recognition of the importance of computing, his announcement of increased training and collaboration, and his new-found enthusiasm for giving teachers greater freedom on how to teach a subject area that, however, remains excluded from the much-vaunted English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure of supposedly 'vital' core subjects.
"However, there does seems to be confusion here between the functions of ICT and computer science. Whilst all pupils need to be ICT literate, they don't all need to be computer programmers.
"We look forward to reading and participating in the consultation, but we are concerned about how more specialist teachers will be recruited or trained and the curriculum prepared by September.
"More investment is required to ensure that schools can keep their hardware and software up to date."
Voice has always maintained that the EBacc is 'narrow and pointless" for reducing a broad and balanced curriculum to five subject areas, and ignoring ICT and many other important academic, technical and vocational subjects.
Disclaimer: Press releases published on this page are from key opinion formers
who promote their organisation's activities by subscribing to a campaign site within
politics.co.uk. politics.co.uk does not endorse, edit, or attempt to balance the
opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases are wholly the responsibility
of the originating company or organisation.
British schoolchildren are to be encouraged to embrace their inner nerd through changes to the ICT curriculum.
The government's flagship policy of getting more young people into apprenticeships has been criticised as being unclear and lacking purpose by MPs.
Science tests for 11-year-olds have finally been dropped by the government, as it responds to the findings of a group of experts.
Weedy Michael Gove takes on Bruiser Ed Balls and lives to tell the tale.
Reforms to make the school curriculum for 11 to 14-year-olds more flexible and better tailored to pupils' needs have been published by the exams watchdog today.
Leading UK scientists have today accused the government of "dumbing down" school science with a new GCSE that is "more suitable for the pub than the schoolroom".
Michael Gove has scrapped a teaching standards council as part of his drive to reduce bureaucracy in the education system.
The education secretary has expressed optimism over the progress of his 'free school' reforms, despite only a small number of proposals likely to come to come to fruition by September 2011.
Michael Gove has announced a revamp of history education so that children learn "our island story".
Britain must become a more "scientifically literate society" if it is to remain competitive and tackle key challenges such as climate change, Tony Blair urged today.
