I attended the Computing at School (CAS) Scotland event on Saturday. This is an annual conference for Scottish teachers to improve professional practice. The event was held at the University of Glasgow. It’s always a great event and Saturday was no different.

It was a mix of keynotes and discussion sessions. The morning keynote, delivered by Professor Simon Peyton Jones of Microsoft Research, highlighted the importance of computational thinking. It reminded me how vital it is to ensure qualifications embrace this vital skill. I’ll be pointing that out to Qualification Development Teams in the coming weeks.

Cyber security figured prominently in the event, with two workshops dedicated to the delivery of the NPAs. I attended one about delivering the Level 6 award, presented by George Mullin of Hyndland Secondary School, which showcased the tools that George uses to deliver the Ethical Hacking unit. I really enjoyed the workshop.

I delivered a presentation on the alternative to National Qualifications such as National Units in Internet Safety and Cyber Security Fundamentals and NPAs such as PC Passport and Computer Games Development. I also pointed out that schools can offer Higher National Units to senior pupils such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.

Vocational qualifications in Computing have seen a resurgence in Scottish schools over the last few years, which gives young learners more choice and, hopefully, attracts more people to careers in computing. Contact Emma if you want to know more about vocational qualifications for schools.