Royal Society reacts to new £84 million National Centre for Computing Education

The government has today announced the UK’s first National Centre for Computing Education, which is backed by £84 million of government investment to give teachers the support they need to deliver the new computing curriculum. Last year a Royal Society report on the state of computing education called for the government to urgently invest £60 million in computing education over the next five years so that young people are equipped with the necessary skills for the future.

In response, Steve Furber, Fellow of the Royal Society and Chair of the Computing Education Project Advisory Group, said:

“Our nation’s economic prosperity depends on confident computing teachers that prepare young people for the workplace of the future. However, teachers have told us they lack support in keeping up with a difficult and rapidly-evolving subject with the existing day to day pressures of their job. Today the government has shown that it has listened to their needs by providing much needed support to deliver their ambitious new computing curriculum for schools.

"Overhauling the fragile state of computing education is an ambitious task, which is why the Royal Society is pleased to see industry partnering with non-profit organisations such as the Raspberry Pi Foundation, British Computer Society and STEM Learning to ensure no teacher is left behind.

"Upskilling our educators is in the national interest, and the government has made the right steps today in ensuring young people continue to access new opportunities in a world being transformed by technology.”