Tech giants in favour of computing lessons
The Department for Education has invested £3.6 million into an initiative that will introduce technology experts into primary schools across England to help prepare teachers for the new computing curriculum.
Speaking at the recent annual BETT conference in London, education secretary Nicky Morgan revealed plans for five upcoming projects that will see a number of experts from giant firms - such as Google and O2 - provide the latest computing skills training.
Ms Morgan said: "Increasing the focus on subjects like computing is a key part of our plan for education - which is why we are investing in the latest training and support so our teachers are fully prepared to plan, teach and assess the new computing curriculum."
Ensuring the young generation of today are equipped with computing and coding skills from an early age forms part of the government's long-term plan to set children on the right foot when it comes to choosing which career path to go down in future.
The new computing curriculum was first rolled out in September last year and teaches pupils how to code and use a range of programming languages. So far, it has reached more than four million primary school children, helping them to acquire the fundamental principles of computer science.
And now, the latest initiative will work to continue educating primary school pupils in computing by training teachers in how to deliver the curriculum effectively.
The government-funded projects will involve:
- The introduction of teacher training scholarships of £25,000 to encourage more graduates to become teachers.
- Training primary teachers through online workshops and school resources.
- Increasing bursaries for those who wish to become computing teachers.
It is hoped that teachers will be provided with the confidence and understanding needed to embrace the new curriculum and inspire today's youngsters to become digital leaders.
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