King's College London

Amongst other key findings, they found that more time is dedicated to teaching programming in independent schools in comparison to state-funded schools.

The report provides an analysis of a national survey which included 108 computing teachers. The survey was conducted between January and April 2024.

They found that at KS3 whilst the majority of state schools dedicated 0-25% of teaching time to programming education, independent schools typically dedicated 25-50% of their time to it. This raises questions about the disparities in accessing programming education between different types of schools.

Another key insight was that independent schools are more likely to provide extra-curricular opportunities to engage in robotics and all independent schools surveyed across England supported participation in external competitions compared to just 71% of non-selective state schools. Hadwen-Bennett and Kemp suggest that increased participation in extra-curricular computing activities and competitions by girls may increase the number of girls taking GCSE computer science.

Across all schools, it was found that Python is the dominant coding language at KS3 and KS4 level, with a broader array of languages such as C# and Javascript being introduced at KS5 level. A preference towards text-based coding was also shown over block-based languages such as Scratch.

The report also provided insight into pedagogical approaches, finding that PRIMM, a structured, exploratory way of learning code, is the most commonly used teaching methods but was favoured more by female teachers. Male teachers are more likely to use project-based learning and Parson’s problems.

The report provides a key insight into potential inequalities in access to programming education in secondary schools in England.