Curriculum review change from GCSE computer science to ICT

[UnambiguouslySensible]

I wondered if I could ask what people think about the curriculum review proposal to change from GCSE computer science to ICT?

DS is utterly devoted to his GCSE computer science studies. However, I had to remove him from school and home school him, in order to get access to good teaching. It was like that because of a severe shortage of specialist teachers in the school.

We've also noticed that the universities emphasise maths and further maths for entry to university computer science courses. They don't seem to mind whether applicants have studied computer science at GCSE or A level.

Conversely, there have been articles in the press saying that employers are having problems getting good coders. This is because the computer science graduates are great mathematicians but inexperienced at actual coding. The employers are then having to get them trained on the job.

I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on it all?

DS absolutely loves GCSE computer sciene and is unstoppable in his enthusiasm. He is only sad for those who won't get to study this course once it is switched to ICT.

They are ultra rare, particularly ones who can actually teach.

Because we can't even find computing trainees any more. They simply aren't training enough.

I totally recognise the struggle with getting good CS teachers.

We're home schooling now and it is much easier because DH is a very expert computer scientist and I was a coder at work before DS was born.

DS was really frustrated and saddened by the state of CS teaching in his school, but is genuinely shocked at the idea that the government could just cancel the whole concept of GCSE computer science.

I mean, if there is no GCSE computer science qualification then nobody can do it, even if they can get the teaching at home.

I think of it a little bit in terms of the art and music GCSE courses. I mean, I would guess that very few entrants for these two subjects have learned everything they know about art or music from the classes the attend in years 10 and 11 at school. I would think most of them have been practising art and music since their toddler years, and they may have had instruction from family or other people in the community outside school.

However, in the case of art and music, the school system continues to provide access to formal exams in both subjects, so that young people can progress to careers in these areas.

I do wonder whether we should be thinking about GCSE computer science in the same way.

I’m shocked how little my children learn about ICT in school. They are mid teens and have no clue how to use excel or format a word document or PowerPoint beyond the very basics. They aren’t that interested in digital technology full stop though so maybe some kids just pick this stuff up on their own.

When I finished school in 1997 there was a scheme whereby teens got paid to do an NVQ in IT at the local college. This was brilliant and where I learned the majority of my ICT skills.

"DS was really frustrated and saddened by the state of CS teaching in his school, but is genuinely shocked at the idea that the government could just cancel the whole concept of GCSE computer science."

They aren't cancelling it, they're broadening it. Your original post implied that you hadn't read the relevant section of the white paper. Maybe you should both read it together.

Yes, almost by definition CS courses don't focus on coding 'fluency', versus coding principles, because there is such a large number of languages out there. Not much point being up to speed on C++ when you interview for a Ruby On Rails role.

Normally the way to show this is to have a portfolio of work - an app for your hobby, something you built at a hackathon, changes to opensource code that got 'committed' for example. The best coders I know regard their day job as just what they do to pay the bills, and their work on opensource projects is their real passion.

I have actually read it with him. It's somewhat vague, but makes it clear that the actual computer science will be significantly diluted.

Yes I've noticed this a lot with the portfolio. It became clear very quickly after DS started home schooling. He does now have quite a large portfolio of his own work. Again, that's a way in which CS resembles art and music.

I do think that these subjects have huge amount in common.

The more significant omission is that they've chickened out of broader 14-19 reform and just tinkered at the edges.

https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/broken-education-system-is-holding-back-the-young-top-scientists-warn-pm

https://royalsociety.org/news/2025/11/curriculum-assessment-review-response/

By the "actual computer science" do you mean the coding?

Future Computer Scientists will need to understand how and when to use AI to write code. I work in software development and it is a fast evolving field. It will always be difficult for a school curriculum that focuses heavily on coding to keep pace. Luckily it is very easy to learn different tools and techniques online. In my view, the GCSE should be a broad introduction to the subject which opens doors to a variety of career paths and which encourages curiosity and self-discovery.

Yes I know what you mean. This is a huge point of contention in our house.

By actual computer science (in the school curriculum) I would mean

Data structures and algorithms.
Writing algorithms and solving problems using code.
Hardware and how software (made up of the stuff above) runs on it
Data representation and how data can be stored in databases
Networks

What better way to understand an algorithm than by writing it out in code and putting it to use? High level programming lamguages are already at the highest level of abstraction you can get whilst expressing precisely what you mean.

There is an optional module of further maths A Level called decison maths where amongst other things you learn the a* algorithm and dijkstras. Then you are tested on it in the dullest possible way by writing out endless trace tables. Much more fun to be had in A Level computer science where you will be writing your own graph data structures and perhaps using them in a project to find the fastest route around the underground etc.

So I see coding as mainly a vehicle for students to learn computer science concepts and problem solving. I am highly skeptical of the idea that jumping into coding with AI will be a good idea any more than getting someone who can't read or write to use AI to write essays for them.

At GCSE at any rate students are learning really basic stuff like while loops. Not sure how anyone will be able to understand what the AI has even produced without that kind of background. In fact I anticipate some very poorly written computer systems with huge security flaws are being produced as I type.

I'd like to see AI in the A level curriculum but more along the lines of learning about neural networks and training algorithms and getting students to write simple AI applications, such as ones to recognise digits.

@Rosmarino those all look like reasonable inclusions, but as we obviously haven't seen the new proposed Computing GCSE curriculum, because it doesn't exist yet, we can't assume they won't be in it.

They won't be in it because there won't be enough space if they ram in a bunch of IT stuff!

Take a look at the present Edexcel GCSE spec. It is pretty good. The best of the exam boards. But other than some slightly tedious stuff about different types of secondary storage there isn't that much to strip away.

Learning the basics of data representation, hardware, networks and coding is already more than enough for a gcse.

What makes you think they plan to "ram in a bunch of IT stuff"? That's not my reading of the White Paper. They seem to want to spread the "IT Stuff" across all subjects where it might be relevant, to make it cross-curricular.

Regarding the GCSE it says:
"The Review therefore recommends introducing a revised GCSE in Computing that retains a foundation in Computer Science, while expanding to include content on the effective and critical application and creation of technology. This broader qualification should replace the current Computer Science GCSE and prepare young people for both specialist careers in computing and for applying digital technology and data across a wide range of fields. It should enable them to progress to further study, including A Level Computer Science, and/or to pursue a career in computing and digital fields"

It is this type of thing. I think it's pretty clear they mean to merge IT and Computer Science together. I don't think it will be an attractive qualification to learn or teach. Hopefully I am wrong!

Computing in the national curriculum encompasses computer science, information
technology and digital literacy topics. There are concerns that the GCSE, which focuses
primarily on computer science, does not represent the full breadth of the subject.

The Review therefore recommends introducing a revised GCSE in Computing that
retains a foundation in Computer Science, while expanding to include content on the
effective and critical application and creation of technology.

Replaces GCSE Computer Science with a Computing GCSE which reflects the
full breadth of the Computing curriculum and supports students to develop the
digital skills they need.

@Rosmarino the phrase "expanding to include content on the effective and critical application and creation of technology" is woolly, but I didn't read it to mean IT (aka "digital literacy") because that will be covered in earlier stages of the Computing curriculum and in cross-curricular content. I read it as including "AI and real-world applications". An example of a real-world application is likely to be Data Science (given that it is one of the skills the Government is always trying to encourage).

@playthyme it is the way they talk about computing being made up of three strands: IT, digital literacy and computer science and the GCSE needing to change to reflect that which makes me think they intend to include IT skills.

A re-branded computer science gcse with a bit of data science added and the removal of some of the duller or less important bits of theory (e.g. utility software, optical disk drives, copyright law) would be absolutely fine.

@Rosmarino well fingers crossed it will be a positive change, but I'll reserve judgement until more information is published.

Those that are really keen on coding will do it as a hobby, as they have always done.

@playthyme I agree with the first sentiment but not so much the second.

All coding really is, is a precise way to describe how to repeatedly solve a problem in a way that can be unambiguously translated into machine code.

Also it's a prerequiste to learning data science in any case. I guess you could do a bit with Excel, then it's R, Python, SQL...

I hadn't realised they were doing this. Is this just one exam board or something they are suggesting across the board? DD loves coding and would hate the excel heavy ICT or computing GCSE. When are they threatening to change it? We actually picked her school because of it being a school that encouraged girls into coding and the sciences rather than the local school which only did computing for girls - very office admin/office manager role based. I am actually quite worried about this as it is her favourite subject and she is predicted a 9 😐

See page 62: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/690b96bbc22e4ed8b051854d/Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_final_report_-_Building_a_world-class_curriculum_for_all.pdf

I suspect it is to do with Microsoft and that bung we have been given by them to use our water for AI centres. How ensuring you can't do proper comp sci until Uni is going to actually improve our figures for people getting qualifications that they might use in these AI factories is beyond me. DD will drop it if she has to do spreadsheets and prove she knows all the shortcuts. She did that in primary and wasn't impressed back then!

Following its introduction in 2013/14, GCSE Computer Science saw rapid initial growth, but entries have since plateaued at 12-13%. Technical Awards in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) also continue to see limited uptake. 144 Especially, take-up of Computing has declined among girls: take-up of GCSE Computer Science is now 20% for boys versus 6% for girls, and for the ICT Technical Award it is 5% for boys versus 2% for girls.145

They do realise this correlates with the lack of teachers with the skills to teach comp sci? Also, the issue with girls not taking it is not because it isn't more office based which makes it "interesting" to them, it is because, as with STEM, girls do better at it in an all girls environment, of which there are vanishingly few options.

As an addendum to this, there are 6 state all boys non selective schools in my county. There are 0 non selective all girls schools. Work on that govt.

Jeez, another one who is leaping to conclusions. The white paper says nothing about spreadsheets in Computer Sciences GCSE, but if they are to be included it's far more likely to be for complex data analysis than learning shortcuts.

Anyone who thinks they learnt everything there is to know about Excel in primary school needs to learn more about Excel!