[Tibbes]

Brief summary of computing in UK schools:

Back in the days of the BBC Micro, computing in schools involved some programming.

After that (probably in the early nineties), the subject split into two: Computer Science and IT. Then with the rise of the internet IT was renamed CIT (Communications and Information Techologies) and finally reordered to ICT. Computer Science was also renamed Computing at some stage.

ICT involves no or extremely minimal programming. Computing does, but it has proved the less popular option and died out in the majority of schools - partly due to an uninspiring syllabus and lack of teachers.

[AlexC04]

Worse than that, difficult courses have much lower pass rates and scores. Teaching them is risking your standing on the league tables. It also precludes your ability to teach the 4 credit GCSE in ICT which (at my last school) got a 100% pass rate.

If you funnel every kid in your school through a course on which 100% of them get 4 GCSE credits and target measure on the league tables is percentage of students who get 5 GCSEs, then you're going to do it. Remember, funding, promotions and everything else is based on your standing on the league tables.

No. Actually Teaching programming in your computer classes is a recipe for failure.

[lhnz]

It would be interesting if somebody was to create a League Tables Redux with weighted standings dependent on (a) number of people passing a course and (b) popularity of subject with upper-league employers/universities.

[arethuza]

Please stop saying "UK schools" - the education system in some parts of the UK is completely different to England's.

[ElliotH]

There is in fact a Computer Science GCSE and A level which is distinct from Computing.

The A level computing syllabus (haven taken it myself) is quite dated, but one of the two papers does involve some writing of pseudocode, and the coursework is a programming project with lots of freedom (as well as a bucketload of documentation writing)

[seabee]

As someone who did take the Computing A-level this is exactly it.

I also took the lesson on writing some simple ASP - the teacher (who was the headmaster, oddly enough) knew his limitations and knew enough about me to entrust that particular lesson to. But it would be a ludicrous prospect in any other subject!

[estel]

Really? I'd never heard of them, and a quick Google doesn't find any Computer Science GCSE or A-level that isn't a colloquial reference to the Computing A level.

[ElliotH]

Its anecdotal, but I know a few people who definitely claim to have taken 'Computer Science' as opposed to 'Computing' A levels.