According to academics, introducing a new syllabus may be why the number of girls studying the subject has declined by more than half in the last eight years.
The number of girls in England studying computing GSCE has increased by more than half in less than a decade, raising concerns about the “dominance of men in shaping the modern world.”
The sharp decline in female involvement follows government qualification changes, which eliminated the previous information communication technology (ICT) GSCE and replaced it with a new computer science GSCE.
While the government’s reforms were meant to create “more academically challenging and knowledge-based” qualifications, implementing the new curriculum has had the unexpected consequences of driving female enrollment down, according to a survey by King’s College London.
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In 2015, 43% of ICT GSCE applicants were female, compared to only 21% of students doing GSCE computer science in 2023. In 2015, 40,000 female students took ICT GSCE, while another 5,000 studied computer science in 2023. In 2023, with ICT no longer available, just 18,600 studied computer science.
When asked why they did not study computer science, the girls who chose not to said they did not enjoy it and that it did not align with their professional goals.
Critics of the previous ICT qualifications complained that they covered more than how to use Microsoft Office. In contrast, many students regard the new computer science GSCE, which focuses on computer theory, coding, and programming, as difficult compared to the other topics.
The report acknowledged that GSCE in computer science is firmly established, with 88,000 students taking the subject in 2023 and a fourfold rise in A Levels between 2013 and 2023. It also stated, “However, these successes have coincided with the 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.”
The report included a series of recommendations for urgent curriculum reform, more support for computing teachers, and a shift in the current narrative around computing to focus beyond male tech entrepreneurs. The authors cautioned that “the lack of women in computing may lead to heightened vulnerabilities and the dominance of men in shaping the modern world.”
Dr. Peter Kemp, a senior lecturer in computing education at the King’s College London and the study’s principal investigator, stated: “It is critical that we take action to encourage more girls to study computing in schools so that they can develop the digital skills they need to participate in and shape our world.”
“The current GSCE focuses on computer science and programming skills, which is appears to deter some young people especially girls from pursing the subject. We must ensure that computing is an interesting topic for all students while also meeting the needs of people and the society.”
Maggie Philbin, a technology journalist and the director of TeenTech, a company that promotes digital skills, stated, “At the moment, many students regard the subject as difficult and vote their feet if they want the greatest scores. It is time to take a new look at the topic and collaborate with teachers to create a curriculum that is more appealing and which instructors can feel confident about delivering.”
According to academics, introducing a new syllabus may be why the number of girls studying the subject has declined by more than half in the last eight years.
The number of girls in England studying computing GSCE has increased by more than half in less than a decade, raising concerns about the “dominance of men in shaping the modern world.”
The sharp decline in female involvement follows government qualification changes, which eliminated the previous information communication technology (ICT) GSCE and replaced it with a new computer science GSCE.
While the government’s reforms were meant to create “more academically challenging and knowledge-based” qualifications, implementing the new curriculum has had the unexpected consequences of driving female enrollment down, according to a survey by King’s College London.
In 2015, 43% of ICT GSCE applicants were female, compared to only 21% of students doing GSCE computer science in 2023. In 2015, 40,000 female students took ICT GSCE, while another 5,000 studied computer science in 2023. In 2023, with ICT no longer available, just 18,600 studied computer science.
When asked why they did not study computer science, the girls who chose not to said they did not enjoy it and that it did not align with their professional goals.
Critics of the previous ICT qualifications complained that they covered more than how to use Microsoft Office. In contrast, many students regard the new computer science GSCE, which focuses on computer theory, coding, and programming, as difficult compared to the other topics.
The report acknowledged that GSCE in computer science is firmly established, with 88,000 students taking the subject in 2023 and a fourfold rise in A Levels between 2013 and 2023. It also stated, “However, these successes have coincided with the 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.”
The report included a series of recommendations for urgent curriculum reform, more support for computing teachers, and a shift in the current narrative around computing to focus beyond male tech entrepreneurs. The authors cautioned that “the lack of women in computing may lead to heightened vulnerabilities and the dominance of men in shaping the modern world.”
Dr. Peter Kemp, a senior lecturer in computing education at the King’s College London and the study’s principal investigator, stated: “It is critical that we take action to encourage more girls to study computing in schools so that they can develop the digital skills they need to participate in and shape our world.”
“The current GSCE focuses on computer science and programming skills, which is appears to deter some young people especially girls from pursing the subject. We must ensure that computing is an interesting topic for all students while also meeting the needs of people and the society.”
Maggie Philbin, a technology journalist and the director of TeenTech, a company that promotes digital skills, stated, “At the moment, many students regard the subject as difficult and vote their feet if they want the greatest scores. It is time to take a new look at the topic and collaborate with teachers to create a curriculum that is more appealing and which instructors can feel confident about delivering.”
