One of Britain’s leading computer scientists has been
appointed as chair of the new National Centre for Computing
Education (NCCE), it can be announced today.
Simon Peyton Jones of Microsoft Research has achieved
worldwide recognition for his work on programming language
among other things and will now lead the work of the centre
as it improves the teaching of computing and drives up
participation in computer science.
Professor Peyton Jones said:
The National Centre offers a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to firmly establish computer science as a
foundational subject discipline that will enable all our
young people to be active participants in the complex
digital world that surrounds them.
I am delighted to have a role in translating the big
vision of the new computing curriculum into a vibrant
reality in every classroom in the country.
As the chair of the National Centre for Computing
Education, Professor Peyton Jones will uphold the
integrity of computing as an academic discipline across
all the resources, guidance and professional development
for teachers that the centre provides.
School Standards Minister said:
This appointment reflects the Government’s determination
to make sure pupils are computer literate and versed in
the fundamentals of computer science and computer
programming.
Professor Peyton Jones brings a wealth of experience and
expertise to this role. This will be vital in making sure
the centre, which is backed by a consortium made up of
some of the country’s most accomplished tech
organisations, is able to train teachers in the latest
digital skills.
The National Centre is working with schools across England
to improve teaching of computing and to drive up
participation in computer science at GCSE and A-Level.
A consortium made up of STEM Learning, British Computer
Society (BCS) and the Raspberry Pi Foundation are
delivering the work of the NCCE, backed by up to £84
million of government funding.
The National Centre will operate virtually through a
national network of up to 40 school-led Computing Hubs to
provide training and resources to primary and secondary
schools, and an intensive training programme for secondary
teachers without a post A-Level qualification in computer
science. The centre will also develop an A level programme
to better prepare A level students for further study and
employment in digital roles.
The National Centre will work with the University of
Cambridge, with a further £1 million investment from
Google.
Notes to editors:
Professor Peyton Jones is a Fellow of the Royal Society. He
is a Distinguished Fellow of the BCS, granted for his work
to advance the development of computer science education in
the UK. He is an Honorary Professor of the Computing
Science Department at Glasgow University, where he was a
professor in the 1990s, and he is currently a Principal
Researcher at Microsoft Research.
He is also chair of Computing at School, the grassroots
organisation that was at the centre of the 2014 reform of
the computing curriculum, which has a membership of over
30,000 computing teachers and academics.
