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The Computing at School (CAS) QuickStart project has launched the third book in the QuickStart computing set following significant demand from secondary teachers for transitional materials. QuickStart - developed by CAS, part of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and funded by the Department for Education and Microsoft - provides free Computing CPD toolkits for teachers. The purpose of QuickStart is to provide teachers with the resources necessary to successfully run a Computing CPD course for their colleagues.

The course helps teachers design, develop and deliver the computing curriculum tailored to the specific needs of their school. The CPD course is split into two parts, one focused on primary and one focused on secondary, although teachers may well find both are useful for them. 

The newly launched third book broadly follows the structure of the QuickStart Computing primary handbook, extending the subject knowledge coverage into the Key Stage 3 computing curriculum. It also acts as a companion to the QuickStart Computing secondary handbook, which addresses classroom matters such as planning, teaching and assessing computing.

Roehampton University's Miles Berry, author of the new QuickStart book, says: "The key to getting great computer science in every school is getting a great computer science teacher in every school. Our hope is that KS3 QuickStart will help give all secondary computing teachers the subject knowledge they need to teach the subject well, and provide some practical suggestions for making the most of the curriculum time they have."

Bill Mitchell, Director of Education, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT explains: “We know that one quarter of schools are doing a great job with the new computing curriculum. We want to make sure the other three quarters of schools can do just as good a job. Our aim has been to produce a one volume survey of the computer science, IT and digital literacy knowledge needed to teach national curriculum computing to 11-14 year olds, in a way that's accessible to secondary school teachers who find themselves teaching computing to this age group without a background in computer science or software engineering themselves. The chapters cover computational thinking, programming, technologies and concepts that underpin computer systems, how the internet, the world wide web and search engines operate; how computers can be used productively, creatively and collaboratively; and principles of safe, responsible and secure use of online and other technologies.”

Ian Fordham, Director of Education at Microsoft says: “QuickStart supports classroom teachers and education leaders in creating modern, exciting and engaging lessons that will inspire a new generation of digital stars. We hope it will help teachers get more out of the computing curriculum in and out of school hours, and in turn, open up fresh opportunities for more young people to prepare for their future careers.”

Find out more at: computingatschool.org.uk/quickstart

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