The government is committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a world class computing education.

The department introduced computing as a statutory National Curriculum subject in 2014, to replace the subject of information and communications technology (ICT), widely regarded as outdated. The computing curriculum ensures that pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how computers work and take instructions, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming and algorithms. This starts from primary school, where pupils learn how to design and debug simple programmes and learn about the wider impact of technology, including how search engine results are ranked.

The computing curriculum is intentionally broad to allow flexibility in how content is taught, to reduce the risk that it will become outdated, given the speed of innovation. It was designed to prepare pupils with foundational knowledge that allows them to understand and respond to new and emerging technologies. The computer science GCSE is designed to equip pupils with the foundational knowledge they will need for the technological jobs of the future, including those in artificial intelligence (AI).

The department recently published a statement, ‘Generative AI in education’, setting out its position on the use of generative AI, including large language models like ChatGPT or Google Bard, in the education sector. This statement is attached. The statement is informed by the government's White Paper on a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation and follows the government's recent announcement to create a Foundation Model Taskforce. The White Paper is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-regulation-a-pro-innovation-approach/white-paper, and the Foundational Model Taskforce announcement is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/initial-100-million-for-expert-taskforce-to-help-uk-build-and-adopt-next-generation-of-safe-ai.

AI, the metaverse, and emerging new technologies all present both potential benefits and threats to young people. E-safety is embedded within the computing curriculum, across all Key Stages, with progression in content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people may encounter. They are taught how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, how to keep their personal information private, how to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and where they can go for help and support on content they come across on the internet, or via other online technologies.

The department is seeking views, through a call for evidence, on how generative artificial intelligence is being used across education in England, including the opportunities and risks it presents. The call for evidence is available at:
https://consult.education.gov.uk/digital-strategy/generative-artificial-intelligence-in-education/.

To ensure that the curriculum is taught to a high standard, the department has invested over £100 million in the creation of a National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). To date, the NCCE’s achievements include managing a computing hub network and providing high quality training and resources to teachers, equipping over 7,900 teachers with the subject expertise they need to confidently teach the computer science GCSE.

The department does not collect information with regard to the language development of children in pre-school. However, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework requires early years providers in England, ordinarily schools, to complete the EYFS Profile assessment at the end of the academic year in which children turn five years old, which is usually their reception year.

Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across all 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, including communication and language. For each ELG, practitioners must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS, or if they are not yet reaching this level and should be assessed as ‘emerging’.

The EYFS Profile results for the 2021/22 academic year show that 74.3% of boys were at the expected level of development in the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning, compared to 85.0% of girls. These results can be found in the attached document.

The statistics also include breakdowns by major ethnicity grouping and gender for the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning and the literacy area of learning. These statistics are available in the attached document.

To provide support for children’s early language development, particularly for those most disadvantaged, the government is investing over £28 million to provide targeted, intensive and evidence-based support to help parents chat, play and read with their young children. This investment is being delivered through the new 3 year family hubs programme which is being rolled out in 75 local authorities, with priority given to families that will benefit the most. This is supported by online resources that provide evidence-based, yet highly accessible advice and ideas for parents about literacy and early language activities for children at every stage between birth and five years old. These resources can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/learning-to-talk/learning-to-talk-0-to-6-months/.

Additionally, the department is providing a package of up to £180 million for workforce training, qualifications, expert guidance and targeted support for the early years sector to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest and most disadvantaged children. As part of this, the Professional Development Programme Phase 3 (PDP3) has been made available to all local authorities in England and will train up to 10,000 early years professionals in communication and language. The department is also investing in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), improving the language skills of reception age children who need it the most. The programme targets children needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help them make around three months of additional progress. The department estimates that the programme will reach at least 90,000 children.

The department does not collect information with regard to the language development of children in pre-school. However, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework requires early years providers in England, ordinarily schools, to complete the EYFS Profile assessment at the end of the academic year in which children turn five years old, which is usually their reception year.

Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across all 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, including communication and language. For each ELG, practitioners must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS, or if they are not yet reaching this level and should be assessed as ‘emerging’.

The EYFS Profile results for the 2021/22 academic year show that 74.3% of boys were at the expected level of development in the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning, compared to 85.0% of girls. These results can be found in the attached document.

The statistics also include breakdowns by major ethnicity grouping and gender for the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning and the literacy area of learning. These statistics are available in the attached document.

To provide support for children’s early language development, particularly for those most disadvantaged, the government is investing over £28 million to provide targeted, intensive and evidence-based support to help parents chat, play and read with their young children. This investment is being delivered through the new 3 year family hubs programme which is being rolled out in 75 local authorities, with priority given to families that will benefit the most. This is supported by online resources that provide evidence-based, yet highly accessible advice and ideas for parents about literacy and early language activities for children at every stage between birth and five years old. These resources can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/learning-to-talk/learning-to-talk-0-to-6-months/.

Additionally, the department is providing a package of up to £180 million for workforce training, qualifications, expert guidance and targeted support for the early years sector to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest and most disadvantaged children. As part of this, the Professional Development Programme Phase 3 (PDP3) has been made available to all local authorities in England and will train up to 10,000 early years professionals in communication and language. The department is also investing in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), improving the language skills of reception age children who need it the most. The programme targets children needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help them make around three months of additional progress. The department estimates that the programme will reach at least 90,000 children.

In March 2023, the government published its plan to cement the UK’s position as a Science and Technology superpower. As part of this, the department identified five critical technologies to deliver prosperity and security for the UK, including artificial intelligence (AI). The plan can be found in the attached document.

To support this ambition, the department is working on a cross-government action plan on science and technology talent and skills with the Home Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office. In 2023, the department is developing a departmental Skills Dashboard to understand the supply and demand of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills for critical technologies, including AI.

Digital and computing skills will play an important role in this work. The department has made progress in recent years, for example this year’s provisional entries for Computer Science GCSEs and A levels show 12% and 14% growth respectively, the highest of all sciences. However, we recognise that there is more work to be done.

This is why the department has overhauled the outdated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) curriculum and replaced it with computing. The department has also invested over £100 million in the National Centre for Computing Education to inspire the next generation of computer scientists.

The department is also investing more in technical skills and education, with courses and training in digital subjects often at the forefront of our reforms. Digital T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, Apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps are ensuring we meet the skills needs for our priority technologies, including those increasingly needed for AI.

The department is building on these initiatives through the Digital and Computing Skills Education Taskforce which brings together government and external expertise to increase the numbers of individuals taking digital and computing qualifications in mainstream and tertiary education, and to attract individuals into digital jobs.

The Digital Strategy announced by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy on the 13 June, is the roadmap we will follow to further strengthen our global position as a science and technology superpower.

The Digital Strategy will lead to new jobs, skills and services that benefit and level up the whole of the UK. It will bring tech leaders together in a new Digital Skills Council to tackle the skills gap and to carry out a review of the UK’s large-scale computer processing capabilities. The group will look at the issue of digital skills from schools through to lifelong learning and at ways the industry can inspire the next generation of talent from a wide range of backgrounds to consider a digital career.

As an illustration of our commitment to this, we announced that the Office for Students (OfS) will be providing 2,000 scholarships to ensure we has more of the advanced digital skills needed to maintain the country’s leading position in cutting-edge AI and data science. The OfS allocate up to £23 million to universities to fund scholarships starting in 2023. Funding will be available for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds as well as black, women and disabled students to ensure the AI built and used in the UK reflects the make-up of our society.

In this new landscape, businesses will be critical to supporting our ambitions. The Innovation Strategy, published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in July 2021, focuses on how the government supports businesses to innovate by making the most of the UK’s research, development and innovation system.

As part of this UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will ramp up its investment in the technologies of the future including Artificial Intelligence, digital, and advanced computing, working with businesses to crowd-in investment and create world leading sectors and job-rich industries. Over the spending review period UKRI allocation for the 2022/25 financial year is £25.1 billion and will reach its highest ever level in the 2024/25 financial year (over £8.8 billion).

The department continues to work in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and support their newly launched strategy to make the digital economy more inclusive, competitive, and innovative by supporting the growth of Digital, Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence strategies.

The department recognises the important role that small and medium sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities, particularly for younger people and those in disadvantaged areas. On 1 June, we reset the reservation levels for all employers who do not pay the levy to zero. This means that employers will be able to make up to 10 new reservations to fund new starts.

Furthermore, we have just published a tender calling for suppliers to engage with SMEs, to encourage more apprenticeship starts. We are using this SME Pathfinder to improve opportunities for individuals and productivity for SMEs in sectors and areas of the country where these are needed most.

Employers in the digital sector have developed 26 high-quality apprenticeships standards including: level 3 Data Technician, level 4 Software Developer and level 7 Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist.

In the 2020/21 academic year there were 14,760 apprenticeship starts in the Digital sector subject area, with a further 10,130 starts so far in the second quarter of the 2021/22 academic year.

The department is also encouraging all employers to offer more flexible training models. There are two flexi-job apprenticeship agencies supporting the digital sector, ensuring apprentices are ready to work on-site and can benefit from the high-quality long-term training that an apprenticeship provides.

We continue to make improvements to the apprenticeship levy transfer system to make it easier for large employers to make full use of their levy funds and support more employers, including SMEs, to take on new apprentices in the technology sectors.

The department continues to work in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and support their newly launched strategy to make the digital economy more inclusive, competitive, and innovative by supporting the growth of Digital, Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence strategies.

The department recognises the important role that small and medium sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities, particularly for younger people and those in disadvantaged areas. On 1 June, we reset the reservation levels for all employers who do not pay the levy to zero. This means that employers will be able to make up to 10 new reservations to fund new starts.

Furthermore, we have just published a tender calling for suppliers to engage with SMEs, to encourage more apprenticeship starts. We are using this SME Pathfinder to improve opportunities for individuals and productivity for SMEs in sectors and areas of the country where these are needed most.

Employers in the digital sector have developed 26 high-quality apprenticeships standards including: level 3 Data Technician, level 4 Software Developer and level 7 Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist.

In the 2020/21 academic year there were 14,760 apprenticeship starts in the Digital sector subject area, with a further 10,130 starts so far in the second quarter of the 2021/22 academic year.

The department is also encouraging all employers to offer more flexible training models. There are two flexi-job apprenticeship agencies supporting the digital sector, ensuring apprentices are ready to work on-site and can benefit from the high-quality long-term training that an apprenticeship provides.

We continue to make improvements to the apprenticeship levy transfer system to make it easier for large employers to make full use of their levy funds and support more employers, including SMEs, to take on new apprentices in the technology sectors.

The recently published Digital Strategy (June 2022) identifies the supply of digitally and tech-enabled workers, at all levels, as crucial for the UK’s long-term economic prosperity. It estimates that the digital skills gap costs the UK economy £63 billion per year in lost potential gross domestic product. This gap cuts across all areas of the economy and is expected to widen. The department's Employer Skills Survey (2019) identifies that two-fifths of skills gaps (38%) involved a deficiency in digital skills, which includes both basic computer literacy and IT skills, as well as more advanced or specialist IT skills.

Building on the vision of the Skills for Jobs White Paper (January 2021), the department is working closely with the industry to tailor training offers to meet their needs and strengthen progression routes into the tech sector. We are growing the prestigious apprenticeships programme, rolling out T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, and investing in Institutes of Technology. We have overhauled the outdated ICT curriculum and replaced it with computing and invested £84 million to improve the quality of computing teaching in England and to inspire the next generation of computer scientists. The newly formed Digital Skills Council will provide a crucial forum for developing these interventions, ensuring they are relevant and responsive to emerging technologies.

In addition, the department has established a new Unit for Future Skills to improve the quality of jobs and skills data and to make these available and more accessible to policymakers, stakeholders, and the public. Last month the Unit for Future Skills published new data products on the routes that learners take through education and into employment in different industry sectors (including the IT sector), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/unit-for-future-skills.

The recently published Digital Strategy (June 2022) identifies the supply of digitally and tech-enabled workers, at all levels, as crucial for the UK’s long-term economic prosperity. It estimates that the digital skills gap costs the UK economy £63 billion per year in lost potential gross domestic product. This gap cuts across all areas of the economy and is expected to widen. The department's Employer Skills Survey (2019) identifies that two-fifths of skills gaps (38%) involved a deficiency in digital skills, which includes both basic computer literacy and IT skills, as well as more advanced or specialist IT skills.

Building on the vision of the Skills for Jobs White Paper (January 2021), the department is working closely with the industry to tailor training offers to meet their needs and strengthen progression routes into the tech sector. We are growing the prestigious apprenticeships programme, rolling out T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, and investing in Institutes of Technology. We have overhauled the outdated ICT curriculum and replaced it with computing and invested £84 million to improve the quality of computing teaching in England and to inspire the next generation of computer scientists. The newly formed Digital Skills Council will provide a crucial forum for developing these interventions, ensuring they are relevant and responsive to emerging technologies.

In addition, the department has established a new Unit for Future Skills to improve the quality of jobs and skills data and to make these available and more accessible to policymakers, stakeholders, and the public. Last month the Unit for Future Skills published new data products on the routes that learners take through education and into employment in different industry sectors (including the IT sector), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/unit-for-future-skills.