SCOTTISH schools which have dropped computing science are under pressure to save the subject.

 

The demand comes from national schools body Education Scotland in a major report on the use of technology in schools.

In recent years, some secondaries have closed their computing science departments blaming a lack of interest from pupils, but officials blamed the way the subject was being taught.

The Education Scotland report Building Society states: "In too many schools, computing science has diminished in popularity. The subject can too easily become a sterile and functional experience, lacking in creativity.

"Where young people have absorbed this negative image, computing science has in some cases been removed from the school's curriculum.

"This loss is highly significant and, where relevant, should form a priority target for schools to address. Computing science offers too important an experience for it to be left to chance whether it features in a secondary school curriculum or not." The report added that shortages of specialist teachers was a "significant issue".

Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, echoed the concerns stating: "ICT, technologies and computing science have to be a central part of what schools offer.

"Given that Education Scotland has given a very clear message and advice on how to move this forward it is important to make sure we work with councils on this issue."

The number of computing science teachers in Scotland has dropped sharply in recent years with one in eight Scottish secondary schools no longer having a computing science specialist at all.

In 2011, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said the UK was throwing away its "great computer heritage" by failing to teach programming.

And the following year, Ian Livingstone, co-author of a report on the future of the UK gaming industry, said Scottish schools should give computer science the same prominence as chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Kate Farrell, co-chair of Computing at School Scotland, welcomed the report's focus, but said it "lumped together" computing science with the teaching of basic computer skills.

She said: "All teachers have the responsibility for teaching basic computer skills and we need to recognise that computing science is much more about using the technology to build new software and hardware and every school needs to make time for this."

The Building Society report recognised that handheld technologies such as tablet computers were increasingly popular with both teaching staff and pupils, but issued a warning over how best to use them.

It said: "Findings suggested a gulf between the technologies used by learners at home and at school, however, the benefits of incorporating emerging technologies into the classroom is unclear. More long-term research is needed in order to determine the impact that these have on learning outcomes."

The report also suggested increased information and communications technology use had produced mixed results in schools with a "lack of evidence" of it having a positive impact on literacy.

The report concludes: "For too many young people, experiences in the technologies are not always strong enough.

"We believe that position needs to be improved at a time when Scottish young people are emerging into a world which is changing, educationally, economically and socially, at an unprecedented rate."

Bill Maxwell, chief executive of Education Scotland said: "When we conducted this review we found fantastic work taking place in early learning and childcare settings and schools, but we also found that not all children and young people are having a high quality experience.

"For too many young people, experiences in the technologies are not strong enough as yet. We want our young people to be fully equipped for a world which is changing, educationally, economically and socially, at an unprecedented rate."