The government has recently announced its plan to replace the “narrowly focused” GCSE Computer Science with a “broader, future facing” GCSE Computing. We believe that the government should not do this and that it would harm student outcomes, as opposed to benefitting them.

GCSE Computer Science provides the bedrock of the content for A-Level Computer Science. Many schools already struggle to complete the entire content for A-Level CS with classes that have all done the subject for GCSE. It seems that the government wants to replace GCSE CS with a more ICT focused qualification, which would remove that bedrock for the A-Level. If the government would like to encourage ICT skills, they should introduce a new GCSE ICT to exist alongside GCSE Computer Science.