Sir – Computer science education is being directed not by the Department for Education but by local businesses in Kidlington, Oxford, who have clubbed together to sponsor tutorial units for local candidates so they can be taught computing skills precisely to meet actual need.
The required emphasis is on computational thinking — a skill widely held to become the ‘the fourth R’ ranking in educational importance alongside the established basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic.
It is a pity that formal computer studies syllabuses in schools have lost their way. But that computers in schools should be used for teaching computational thinking and computer programming is a very welcome message and one timely enough to help get us all back on track in this vitally important subject.
Paul Humphreys, Director of the Computer Science Studio, Kidlington
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