Chelsea Slater’s Post

The number of girls in England studying for a GCSE in computing has more than halved in less than a decade, according to research by King’s College London, prompting warnings about the “dominance of men in shaping the modern world”. In numerical terms, 40,000 female students took ICT GCSE in 2015, with a further 5,000 taking computer science. In 2023, with ICT no longer available, just 18,600 females took computer science. Asked to give their reasons, girls who chose not to study it said they did not enjoy computer science, or it did not fit in with their career plans. How can we encourage more female students to consider technical sciences? https://bit.ly/3VM0882 #ReedEducation #Education #ComputerScience #GCSEs #Computing #Schools

Interesting article in the Guardian this morning regarding GCSE Computer Science, with the number of girls taking up the subject halving. https://lnkd.in/gq-P-dpf One statement that caught my eye was the below paragraph: “However, these successes have coincided with a general decline in computing and digital skills education at the secondary school level, particularly affecting girls, certain ethnic groups and students from underserved socioeconomic backgrounds,” it said. Digital skills in schools was something NCFE highlighted in the recent House of Lords 11-16 Education Committee report (https://lnkd.in/dUSmx97c) where we urged more focus on the essential digital skills to be taught at school. #digitalskills #digital #GCSE #Computing

Extract-Number of girls in England taking computing GCSE plummets, study finds The number of girls in England studying for a GCSE in computing has more than halved in less than a decade, prompting warnings about the “dominance of men in shaping the modern world”. The sharp decline in female participation follows government qualification changes that led to the scrapping of the old information communication technology (ICT) GCSE and its replacement with a new computer science GCSE. While the government’s reforms were aimed at creating “more academically challenging and knowledge-based” qualifications, the introduction of the new syllabus has had the unintended consequence of driving female entries down, according to new research by King’s College London… “However, these successes have coincided with a general decline in computing and digital skills education at the secondary school level, particularly affecting girls, certain ethnic groups and students from underserved socioeconomic backgrounds,” it said. The report included a series of recommendations calling for urgent reform of the curriculum, better support for computing teachers and a change to the “current narrative around computing to focus beyond male tech entrepreneurs”. Its authors warned: “The lack of women in computing may lead to heightened vulnerabilities and the dominance of men in shaping the modern world.”.. https://lnkd.in/eRjUtjHs

An interesting article in The Guardian highlights the drop in girls taking GCSE computer science... "In 2015: 43% of candidates for ICT GCSE were female, compared with just 21% of those who took GCSE computer science in 2023. In numerical terms, 40,000 female students took ICT GCSE in 2015, with a further 5,000 taking computer science. In 2023, with ICT no longer available, just 18,600 females took computer science." 😲 We employ brilliant women and proudly support the CyberFirst Girls' Competition, a great initiative to encourage girls to take up computer science - but this can only reach so far. Wondering what small changes many people in our industry could make in encouraging girls to consider a future in tech. 🤔

The switch from ICT GCSE to Computer Science has seen the proportion of girls taking it plummet. 📉 According to this article, “In 2015 43% of candidates for ICT GCSE were female, compared with just 21% of those who took GCSE computer science in 2023.” 👩🏻💻 The tech field heavily skews away from women, and one part of that is lack of girls choosing to take these subjects and enter the field. For an equitable future, we need to find a way to encourage our girls to consider technology as a viable career. https://lnkd.in/eXeFtNmk

The Guardian has highlighted a worrying trend on the uptake of GCSE Computer Science amongst females in this article: https://lnkd.in/euTdP8gh With a couple of quotes standing out: “...the introduction of the new syllabus has had the unintended consequence of driving female entries down, according to new research by King’s College London.” Also: “...In 2015 43% of candidates for ICT GCSE were female, compared with just 21% of those who took GCSE computer science in 2023….” Senior figures within the educational field of computing are urging curriculum reform, noting that many students perceive Computer Science as ‘difficult’ and that the overt focus on programming skills might be deterring girls from taking it up. Dr Peter Kemp also notes that we need to encourage girls to take up the subject and to allow them to develop the sort of digital skills that they will need in the future. What do we think about this? I taught the old ICT curriculum for many years, and yes it was very MS Office-heavy but it could also be very motivational and was a popular choice for girls. Have we gone too far down the road of programming just for the sake of it, making it the preserve of ‘geeky’ males? Are there any home schoolers who are attempting the GCSE in Computer Science who can vouch for it?!

I am interested to hear the findings from the latest SCARI computing report today at King's College London - worrying but not suprising reports of a decrease in girls taking a computing related GCSE. What do we need? ✅ Real world applications of computing skills ✅ Meaningful projects that link directly to the world around us ✅ Creativity and collaboration Our computing curriculum in England purpose of study embodies these things but they are getting lost and it is putting a wide range of learners off the subject. There aren’t any opportunities for a broader computing GCSE so the experience gets narrowed at KS3. We can do better! We will do better! See a summary in the Guardian: https://lnkd.in/e5rB-wPi #Inclusion #Computing

This adds another layer in the conversation on why we should add more CS in high schools. This was especially interesting- "The nuanced findings suggest that the advantages of computer science education may extend beyond merely obtaining a degree in the field. While male students showed stronger effects in choosing and graduating with a computer science major, the positive workforce outcomes were more significant among women. This indicates that the skills acquired through computer science courses may be providing broader career benefits that aren’t solely dependent on earning a computer science degree."

The number of girls in England studying for a GCSE in computing has more than halved in less than a decade, prompting warnings about the “dominance of men in shaping the modern world”. In 2015 43% of candidates for ICT GCSE were female, compared with just 21% of those who took GCSE computer science in 2023. We need some more events like CyNam EmPower with 1000 year 9 school girls, the Cyber First school programme and some funding for real changemakers like Illyana Mullins. Any other thoughts? Corinne Mitchell Hollie Wakefield Rebekka Bishop Charlotte Smith Rowan Edlington Rob Pickup We need some senior female role models in the industry, so stopping the tech brain drain at 30 and 50 is crucial. Plus tech careers need a rebrand, it's not all about technical skills, power or transferable skills are so needed in the industry and these careers can be really exciting.

💡 This is a really interesting case - replacing the old ICT GCSE with a new computer science GCSE led to “decline in computing and digital skills education at the secondary school level, particularly affecting girls, certain ethnic groups and students from underserved socioeconomic backgrounds.” 🎓 Our colleague’s son, a dedicated and very gifted student, has just taken this exam. The verdict is that it’s not straightforward to score top marks, the coding questions are a little on a difficult side. And this is a reaction of someone who loves computing as a subject. ‼️ Clearly it’s the unintended consequence and demands actions to make computing desirable to all pupils and in line with their needs and of course teachers’ capabilities. As part of our mission, we at Work in Fintech have been actively focusing on increasing the participation of the underrepresented segments like females and ethnic groups in our sector. We offer mentorships, work experience, designing and curating the content that is appealing to young people and inspires them to careers in Fintech industry.