Teachers to be trained in computer coding

Top IT businesses and universities are to be handed public funding to train teachers to give lessons in computer coding.

The move is part of a bid to get schools teaching coding to inspire the next generation of technology entrepreneurs, the Department for Education (DfE) said.

The announcement comes as a new Year of Code campaign is launched, and ahead of the introduction of a new computing curriculum. The DfE said that a £500,000 fund will be set up, with the Government matching money invested by industry a to establish schemes to train teachers to teach the new computing curriculum.

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Introducing youngsters to computing and coding from an early age is part of the Government’s plan to ensure that young people get the education they need to be successful in later life and to ensure that the UK “leads the global race in innovation”, the DfE said.

The new computing curriculum was supported by the Royal Society of Engineering as well as Google and Microsoft. Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “The new computing curriculum will give our children the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. That is why we replaced the obsolete and boring curriculum with one that is forward-thinking, modern, and drawn up by teachers, industry experts and leading technology firms.”