Five-year-olds to be taught how to create apps and websites as parents say computer skills are as important as the three Rs

Children as young as five are to be given lessons in creating mobile phone apps from this September.
Boring IT lessons have been scrapped in favour of classes in how to build websites, design games and develop life-changing software.
As a survey suggests computer skills are now as important to parents as the three Rs, ministers hope to inspire a generation to follow in the footsteps of British teenagers who have sold their apps for millions.

From the age of five children will learn to code and program, with algorithms, sequencing, selection and repetition

The new curriculum coming into force from the autumn has been rewritten to take account of developments in technology which mean anyone can learn how to use
computer ‘code’.
Instead of IT lessons which taught pupils how to use basic programmes, pupils will learn how to create their own software, smartphone apps and websites.
A new survey to mark the start of the Year of Code shows 94 per cent of parents of children aged 5-16 think computer skills are important for today's job market - the same proportion who say the same about literacy. Some 95 per cent said being good at maths was important.
Chancellor George Osborne said:  ‘In the 21st century, the ability to code and program a computer is no longer a nice-to-have, it's an essential.’
It is hoped a generation of children already adept at using iPhones, uploading video to YouTube and switching between social media including Twitter, Whatsapp and Snapchat will become the designers of the future.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said 'boring' IT lessons had been scrapped to make them more relevant to pupils

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: ‘The new computing curriculum will give our children the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. That is why we replaced the obsolete and boring curriculum with one that is forward-thinking, modern, and drawn up by teachers, industry experts and leading technology firms.
‘I want IT firms, university computing departments and software developers to use this fund to share their knowledge with the next generation.’
Web giants including Google and Microsoft helped to draw up the new computing curriculum with the Royal Society of Engineering.
A £500,000 fund will be set up, with the Government matching money invested by industry and technology businesses, to help ensure teachers are trained to teach the new curriculum.

Chancellor George Osborne, who today met IMF managing director Christine Largarde in Downing Street, the ability to code and program a computer is no longer a nice-to-have, 'it's an essential'

Pupils will be taught computer science as a distinct science alongside chemistry, physics and biology, covering algorithms, data structures and programming.
There will also be lessons in ‘digital literacy’ to ensure children know how to use computers confidently, effectively and safely while IT classes will cover how digital technologies can be used to improve lives.
From the age of five children will learn to code and program, with algorithms, sequencing, selection and repetition.
They will also be taught hot to create and debug simple programmes and be taught how to use technology safely.

Teenager Nick D'€™Aloisio last year sold his app Summly for a reported $30million to Yahoo

By age eight they will be designing their own programmes to collect, analyse and evaluate data.
And 11-year-olds will learn how to use their skills to solve real-life problems,. Paving the way for them to create the next big-selling app.
Last year Nick D’Aloisio sold his app Summly – which condenses long web pages into text bullet points that can be easily read - for a reported $30million to Yahoo.
The Year of Code campaign, which is being launched at the Skills 2014 conference, will include a series of events aimed at promoting computing to young people, such as a week-long initiative next month encouraging all schools to teach pupils at least one hour of coding.
Lottie Dexter, director of Year of Code, said: ‘In recent years our economy has changed but our workforce has not. If we are going to crack high levels of youth unemployment, we must ensure that all young people leave school with the right skills for the jobs market.
‘However, while the introduction of computing coding in classrooms will be crucial, we also need to ensure the nation is excited about the power and potential of computer science. Over the next twelve months Year of Code will demystify coding and create an understanding of why it is so integral to our daily lives.’

DM