MANAGING ICT


After 20 months in post, Michael Gove has finally delivered


a speech in which he espoused the importance of ICT in education. Daniel White reports on this and his other highlights from BETT 2012


GCSE computer science Education minister Michael Gove’s speech at the BETT Show certainly created a buzz around the venue last week. Education technology companies and organisations


pledged their support for Mr Gove’s plans for a new computer science GCSE to be introduced in September, with the current programmes of study for ICT to be withdrawn. Members of the ICT community said that his


comments were “long overdue” and that the “door is now wide open” to create a relevant ICT curriculum. In his speech, which was delivered on the opening


day of the show at London’s Olympia on Wednesday, January 11, Mr Gove said the new computer science qualification could become part of the English Baccalaureate league table measure and that it would be for schools to decide the content of the course. Stephen Leonard, chief executive of IBM UK and


Ireland, welcomed the news: “We are long overdue a completely new approach to teaching IT as a subject. With our work, we will make IT inspiring to young people and put the UK on the world stage in educating the technologists of the future.” Karen Price, chief executive of ICT sector skills


council e-skills UK, added that an improved knowledge of ICT in school-leavers will boost the economy. She added: “The door is now wide open to create a new


He added: “With technology advancing at such a


rapid rate, it is always going to be difficult for schools, already restrained by tight budgets, to stay at the forefront of innovation; however students should never have to rely upon personal ownership to develop ICT skills.”


National Language Championships


Elsewhere at BETT last week, company Vocab Express unveiled its plans for a National Language Championships for schools. All secondary schools in the UK and Ireland are


being invited to take part between February 29 and March 6, when students should log on to the Vocab Express website and test their knowledge of vocabulary. There will be a leaderboard and students can take on others from separate schools. Schools can also enter as a whole. Three cups are up for grabs – dependant on the size


BETT 2012


and relevant curriculum that will inspire students and ensure that the UK can retain its position at the forefront of technology.” Elsewhere, Mr Gove said that ICT will remain


compulsory until the end of key stage 4 but that no school will be forced to follow the current ICT curriculum. Bill Mitchell, director of the BCS Academy


of Computing, said he was pleased by the public endorsement stressing the importance of computer science in schools. However, he added: “There are major challenges


ahead not least because there is a shortage of both intellectually challenging GCSE qualifications and teachers with expert computer science knowledge.” And Valerie Thompson, chief executive of the


e-Learning Foundation, said the announcement by Mr Gove must not act as a “smokescreen” for the budget cuts. She added: “Cuts to capital budgets have had a


serious impact on the money available to schools to spend on technology. This comes at a time when the national curriculum review highlights the need for ICT to underpin and support learning in all subjects.”


The speed of the schedule for the new GCSE was


also questioned by school leaders. Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We have only just heard that changes resulting from the national curriculum review will be postponed until September 2014. “Now we are told that the ICT curriculum will


change from this September, which is a completely unrealistic timescale for awarding bodies and schools.”


Skills survey


Nearly eight in 10 ICT managers believe that students learn more computer skills themselves than in the classroom. Research by ICT company Equanet released


at BETT also shows it takes two years for new technologies such as tablets to reach schools. The survey of 700 ICT managers, found a quarter


of students own tablets and more than a third of ICT managers believe they are the most important pieces of technology in the classroom. Phil Birbeck, managing director at Equanet, said


the research was a “bleak indictment of the state of technology” in education.


of the school – in a selection of languages including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Arabic, Urdu and Latin.


Microsoft resources


Microsoft has launched a campaign to help engage and motivate students through games-based learning. The campaign, “Brighter Britain”, will focus on


introducing the “motivational principles of gaming to inspire students in the classroom” and comes alongside the launch of a new gaming design qualification. Initially, more than 150 schools will be part of the


programme and working with them will be teachers who are part of the company’s Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) programme who will encourage understanding of how to use technology, gaming and programming tools to help develop basic skills such as literacy and numeracy as well as more advanced computer science capabilities Steve Beswick, head of education at Microsoft, said:


“Technology and the way that students play computer games can be the catalyst to encourage students to get more excited about learning and ultimately be more successful in the future.” Also part of the campaign is Microsoft’s Learning


Suite, a set of 25 tools available for teachers to use free of charge. They include music and film creation software and a virtual telescope.


SecEd Further information


• Vocab Express: www.vocabexpress.com • Microsoft PiL: www.pil-network.com • Microsoft Learning Suite: http://uk.partnersinlearningnetwork.com


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