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Year 8 pupils at St Martin’s School will now have the chance to study computer science at GCSE after a backlash from parents.
After the school released its latest GCSE option lines, Year 8 pupils were left disappointed at the absence of computer-related subjects from the list.
Why are Year 8 pupils picking their GCSEs subjects now?
In years gone by, pupils would have typically picked their GCSE subjects at the end of Year 9, ready to do their GCSEs in Years 10 and 11. However, these subjects are now picked in Year 8 and spread across Years 9, 10 and 11.
When angry parents contacted the school to express their disappointment, they said they were told the school’s only IT teacher had been promoted to assistant headteacher, leaving the school without a specialist IT teacher.
Parents said they were also told the school is now fully-staffed and unable to recruit a new specialist IT teacher.
However, the school has now confirmed to parents it has recruited a new IT teacher ready for September, meaning Computer Science will be back on the options list for the next academic year.
Why were parents angry?
A 2019 report by schools inspectorate Estyn recommended St Martin’s increased opportunities to develop pupils’ IT and numeracy skills across the curriculum.
Before the school confirmed its position change, one parent, who asked not to be named, said: “It begs belief that, in this digital age, St. Martin’s is not offering the opportunity to study computer-based subjects.
“That the school should chose to leave itself without a specialist IT teacher to meet a clear demand from its students is unfathomable.
“Having worked hard with my own son to think about his possible choices, the final limited choice without the presence of ICT has taken him back to the drawing board. He is bitterly disappointed and apathetic about what he is being asked to choose from.”
Fellow parent Craig Hann said the issue had drawn much criticism on the parents’ Facebook group.
“IT subjects should be as important as arts, humanities and core subjects,” he told Caerphilly Observer before the school had made its latest announcement.
“These kids are being done a disservice. They’ve had Covid impact the first two years of high school.”
Around a decade ago, Mr Hann founded Caerphilly-based tech firm Kinetic Pixel. The firm designs and engineers computer systems and graphics for television shows such as Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Pointless, The Masked Singer and more.
He said pupils unable to study computer subjects could be at a disadvantage when it comes to future employment and added: “Digital literacy cannot be ignored. Pupils have a right to be able to study these subjects.
“Without these subjects, we’re going to have a generation of children who cannot compete in the global workplace.”
Caerphilly Observer has approached St Martin’s School for comment.
This story has been updated to reflect the school confirming it will now offer computer science as a GCSE option.
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