Computing At School

Computing At School
Name	Computing At School
Abbreviation	CAS
Formation	2008
Founder	Simon Peyton Jones
Type	Non-profit
Purpose	Promotion of computer science teaching in schools
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Region served	United Kingdom

Computing At School is a UK-based grassroots network established to support the teaching of computer science and computing in primary and secondary schools. It links practitioners, academics, industry partners and policy-makers to develop curriculum, teacher training, resources and assessment. The network has influenced national syllabuses and fostered partnerships across universities, examination boards and technology companies.

History

Computing At School traces origins to grassroots efforts led by figures such as Simon Peyton Jones, with early support from institutions including the British Computer Society, the Royal Society, and universities like University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London and University of Edinburgh. Key milestones include policy engagement during reforms connected to the National Curriculum review and collaboration with examination bodies such as AQA, OCR, and Pearson (company), which contributed to introducing new GCSE and A‑level computer science specifications. Influential conferences and workshops involved partners like TechNation, Nesta, and technology firms including Google, Microsoft, ARM Holdings, Raspberry Pi (company) and Facebook. Academic endorsements and reports from organisations such as the Royal Society and think tanks like the Institute for Public Policy Research helped shape government responses involving departments and initiatives associated with Department for Education (United Kingdom) and advisory groups including members from Ada Lovelace Institute.

Organization and Governance

The network operates through regional branches coordinated by volunteer leads drawn from schools, universities and industry, with governance informed by collaborations involving British Computer Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Computing Research Association and partner universities such as University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, King's College London and University of York. Strategic direction has been influenced by advisory contributions from figures affiliated with Wellcome Trust, Erasmus Programme collaborations, and industry consortia including TechUK. Local groups liaise with organisations such as Local Authority (United Kingdom) structures, national agencies like Ofqual, and professional bodies including Association for Science Education. Funding and sponsorship have come from entities such as Google.org, BT Group, ARM Holdings, Microsoft Philanthropies and charitable trusts like Wolfson Foundation.

Curriculum and Pedagogy

CAS advocates computing curricula that foreground computer science concepts, computational thinking and practical programming, aligning with national qualifications created by examination boards such as AQA, OCR, Edexcel and international frameworks including the International Baccalaureate. Pedagogical approaches promoted by CAS draw on research from academic departments at University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, University of Oxford Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh School of Informatics and MIT-related outreach examples, with classroom practice influenced by tools and platforms like Raspberry Pi (company), BBC micro:bit, Scratch (programming language), Python (programming language), Minecraft: Education Edition and Arduino. Curriculum materials reference computing themes explored in texts and syllabuses supported by societies such as the British Computer Society and scholarly outlets associated with ACM and IEEE Computer Society.

Teacher Training and Professional Development

The network provides professional development through face-to-face events, online courses and partnerships with higher education institutions such as Open University, University of Southampton, University of Leeds and University of Birmingham. Certification and continuous professional development activities have involved collaborations with National Centre for Computing Education, training consortia, and industry-led programmes from Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. Specialist CPD pathways draw on teacher-education research from faculties at UCL Institute of Education, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education and resources modelled on teacher communities like National STEM Learning Centre and organisations such as Teach First.

Resources and Initiatives

CAS curates and produces teaching resources, exemplar lesson plans, assessment materials and community-led repositories, often using platforms like GitHub, project support from Raspberry Pi Foundation, and events such as BarCamp-style meetups, regional conferences and hackathons sponsored by Google Summer of Code partners. Signature initiatives include outreach and enrichment programmes working with youth organisations like The Scouts, Girlguiding, Young Enterprise and competitions including UK Bebras Challenge, Google's Code-in and British Informatics Olympiad feeder activities. Collaborative projects have engaged museums and cultural institutions such as the Science Museum (London), research councils like the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and philanthropic funders such as Wellcome Trust.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations of CAS-influenced reforms reference studies and reports produced by organisations including the Royal Society, House of Commons committees, Ofsted inspections, and independent assessments by universities such as University College London and University of Manchester. Measured impacts include increased teacher confidence, broader adoption of programming in schools and contributions to examination entries for GCSE and A‑level computer science as tracked by Joint Council for Qualifications. Ongoing research partnerships with institutes like Nesta, Institute of Education (UCL), Alan Turing Institute and international collaborators assess long-term outcomes in student progression, workforce pipelines linked to employers including Arm Holdings, Google, Microsoft and policy implications considered by parliamentary bodies such as relevant select committees.

Category:Computer science education in the United Kingdom