Posted on: 19/01/12
The government-led consultation on the dis-application of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for ICT is now live at www.education.gov.uk/consultations and is open until 11 April.
The plans for the consultation to scrap the ICT programme of study from September 2012 were announced last week by Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove.
The Minister acknowledged e-skills UK’s Behind the Screen project, which is already underway to create a new IT GCSE and delivery methodology. Behind the Screen is a unique partnership between business and education, with employers, schools, universities and awarding bodies working with e-skills UK.
The current pilot in 20 schools will help determine three critical aspects of the new GCSE. First, the right balance of skills and knowledge; ensuring coding and computational principles, software development and logic skills are combined with creativity, design and teamwork. Secondly, that a robust and rigorous assessment process is in place. And finally, that resources to help teachers deliver the new qualification, and students achieve it, are comprehensive, inspiring, challenging, and based on real-world application.
The intention is to create a qualification that students find stimulating, and that is at the same time highly regarded by universities and employers. The enthusiasm and commitment of employers, combined with the innovative real-world resources they are contributing, will help reverse the dramatic decline in the number of young people studying IT and considering careers in the sector.
Employers involved include Blitz Games, BT, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, John Lewis Partnership, the BBC, SAS, Capgemini, Deloitte, Google, A1-Technologies, Storythings, BAFTA, Interactive Opportunities, Accenture, DXW, The Open Rights Group, Nokia and Autonomy.
Go to www.education.gov.uk/consultations to see the full government proposal and details of how to respond.
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