According to the latest annual computing education report from the University of Roehampton - which reveals how many pupils achieved GCSE and A-level computing qualifications in 2017 - only just over half of all schools in England offered the new computer science subject at GCSE level. And, overall, only 12% of all students chose to take the subject.
The courses are replacing the old ICT qualification, which is being phased out of the curriculum and disappears after this summer.
Computer science is also proving less attractive to girls than ICT - they make up only 20% of GCSE entrants. Since 2014, 30,000 fewer girls have gained a computing qualification by the age of 16.
The authors of the report said they welcomed the introduction of computer science into the curriculum but they now believe ICT should be retained as an alternative.
"The Government's refusal to renew GCSE and A-level IT, against the will of the teaching community, is making computing more exclusive," says Peter Kemp from the University of Roehampton. "The over-emphasis on computer science seems likely to lead to fewer students, particularly girls, studying any digital qualification at school. I think it's time to rebalance what's on offer."
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