National Centre for Computing Education
AbbreviationNCCE
Formation2018; 6 years ago (2018)
HeadquartersYork
Websitecomputingeducation.org.uk

The National Centre for Computing Education is a government-funded initiative, offering teacher training and resources for computing.

Function

The National Centre for Computing Education provides professional development in computing education for primary and secondary schools and colleges, including face-to-face courses around England, and remote and online courses. It provides a repository of teaching resources for computing through its website, teachcomputing.org. It also offers additional support through Isaac Computer Science, [1], a free online platform for GCSE and A level computer science students and teachers.

The National Centre is operated by a network of school-based Computing Hubs teachcomputing.org/hubs, geographically distributed around England. These Hubs ensure that the programme is school-led and reflects the needs of teachers on the ground.

History

The centre was set up following the January 2016 government report Digital Skills for the UK Economy [1] which highlighted the digital skills gap in the UK economy, produced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which looked at research carried out by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), which itself closed in 2017.

Funding of £84m was announced in the November 2017 United Kingdom budget to upskill around 8000 computer science teachers. Simon Peyton Jones FRS, of Microsoft Research, was appointed as the organisation's chairman in March 2019.[2]

In 2023, the Department for Education renewed its funding for STEM Learning to deliver the next phase of its national support for computing education in England.

Chair

Simon Peyton Jones FRS, of Microsoft Research, was appointed as the organisation's chairman in March 2019.[2] It has been created by STEM Learning at the University of York, the BCS (British Computer Society) and the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It is funded by the Department for Education. The Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge will also provide assistance.

Network of computing hubs

North East England

North West England

Yorkshire and the Humber

East Midlands

West Midlands

East of England

Greater London

South East England

The Mathematics and Science Learning Centre at the University of Southampton is a delivery partner.[4]

South West England

See also

References

  1. ^ Wendy Bolton (18 January 2016). "DIGITAL SKILLS for the UK ECONOMY" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Top computer scientist chosen to lead National Centre for Computing Education". blog.teachcomputing.org. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  3. ^ Computing hubs
  4. ^ Mathematics and Science Learning Centre
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