Congratulations to Prof Simon Peyton Jones, Chair of Computing at School and the National Centre for Computing Education, awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Prof Simon Peyton Jones, Chair of Computing at School (CAS) and of the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), is to receive an OBE for his services to education and computing science.
Prof Peyton Jones is co-founder of CAS, the UK-wide, teacher-led network, supported by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
His work to deliver outstanding computing education is recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Computing at School (CAS) was founded in 2008 by a small group led by Prof Peyton Jones and Simon Humphreys.
CAS began as a small volunteer group working to establish computer science in schools and support teachers.
Today the network is made up of over 360 volunteer communities covering the whole of the UK and has 20,000 members sharing advice, guidance, and peer-to peer support, in person and across digital platforms.
Supporting teachers
As Chair of CAS, Prof Peyton Jones was at the heart of the reforms that led to the new National Curriculum subject, Computing, which was introduced in September 2014.
Since 2019, Prof Peyton Jones has been Chair of the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). He leads the NCCE’s Academic Board, supporting and inspiring all those working in computing education, including industry partners, academics, and teachers.
Prof Peyton Jones said: “I am thrilled to receive this honour, but I do so on behalf of every member of Computing at School! The award recognises the re-imagining of computing as a foundational and creative subject that equips and empowers all children. It celebrates the passion, expertise, and sheer energy of CAS's volunteers, and the vibrant richness of the community that we have built together. There is no ‘them’; there is only us.”
A force for good
Julia Adamson, Director of Education at BCS said: “Professor Peyton Jones is a force for good globally when it comes to computing education.
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“His unrelenting enthusiasm is infectious - it’s because of this that Computing at School, since its beginnings as a small group of volunteers, has grown and supported over 43,000 teachers, academics, and others, all passionate about computing education.
“CAS's work continues today. It is a vibrant professional network extending support and guidance to one another, developing subject knowledge, sharing what really works in the classroom, and enhancing the computing offer for young people.
“On behalf of BCS and the CAS community, thank you Simon for getting us closer to our ambition that every child should develop the thinking skills to thrive in the digital world.”
About Computing at School (CAS)
Computing at School (CAS) brings together a community of teachers, academics and industry professionals, all passionate about ensuring every child receives a world-leading computing education. Supported by a dedicated team at BCS, CAS provides a community which enables educators to connect online and offline; coaching and support; resources; as well as signposting and partnerships to enrich computing.
About BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
BCS is the professional body for information technology. Our purpose, as defined by Royal Charter, is to promote and advance the education and practice of computing for the benefit of the public. With almost 60,000 members, BCS brings together academics, practitioners, industry and government to share knowledge, promote new thinking, inform the design of new curricula, and shape policy.
About Prof Simon Peyton Jones
- Simon founded Computing at School (CAS) in 2008 along with Simon Humphreys
- Together the established a small volunteer group and from 2008 – 2012 CAS focused on establishing computer science as a discipline and supporting teachers to develop their subject knowledge.
- Under Simon’s leadership, the group campaigned to introduce computing and computer science content into qualifications and the national curriculum, by 2013 6,000 members had joined the CAS movement.
- As chair of CAS, Simon was at the heart of the reforms that led to the new National Curriculum subject, computing – which was introduced in September 2014.
- Recognising the challenge for schools and teachers in implementing the new curriculum, he has been heavily involved in several sector led initiatives to provide support, including continuous personal development at national CAS events and via local hubs.
- Simon works closely with BCS colleagues to setup the DfE funded computing curriculum national implementation support projects such as the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science and Barefoot Computing.
- The Royal Society’s 2017 Report After the Reboot showed that CAS was the number one source of support for secondary computing teachers. Its findings led, in part, to the significant investment by DfE into the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), the single biggest investment in teacher CPD for computing in the world.
- Today (2021), Computing at School has supported over 40,000 teachers, academics, and others, passionate about computing education. In the past 12 months more than 11,000 members have actively participated in the community, supported by 425 volunteer community leaders who facilitate local meetups, support teachers to share resources and encourage one another to develop their subject knowledge across the UK.
