Computing in UK schools - Professor Steve Furber FRS

[condork]

I never bothered with the GCSE or A Levels, because it seemed to just teach you how to make ever more elaborate spreadsheets and what not. Proper 'computer science' is needed. 

[rfdparker2002]

@jorjun I'd especially agree with your point on choice of language. Having finished Sixth Form in 2010, based on my experience at Secondary School and Sixth Form, I would still be concerned many schools might end up teaching a vendor-specific language.

[jorjun]

Programming as the most important requirement: internet-era equivalent of Latin.

Programming languages have undergone massive development and ease-of-use because of the internet and the contribution of the technical community to making languages more expressive and productive than anything offer able by proprietary vendors. Schools should be choosing an open source language (my recommendation is for Python) and teaching children how to make and deliver interactive media inspired by other study

[omfgroflma0]

@jorjun that's as logical as having law classes, medical classes, engineering classes and architecture classes in schools. Frustration at it's best. Even more, one may ask why a 12 years old might need to know what recursion is and why does he have to develop a "cafeteria queue simulator" using pointers and what not. Not everyone is going to be a Computer Scientist, no matter how far technology evolves, but computer literates. The same way not everyone knows how to assemble a car but drive it.