Every year for the past decade, fewer girls have walked through the door of a computing science classroom. We’re running out of time to close the gender gap within our lifetime.

The number of girls studying computing science in Scotland has plummeted from nearly 10,000 in 2001 to fewer than 2,500 today, and the male-to-female ratio now stands at 4:1 at National 5 level.

This decline gives our subject the biggest gender gap of any traditional science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subject at school level. We are living in a digital world, yet we are closing the door on half of our talent pool.

Getting more girls into computing science

This isn’t just an equity issue; it’s an economic crisis. Scotland needs an estimated 13,000 new digital professionals every year but it only produces around 5,000. Women make up just 23 per cent of the digital technology workforce, and the tech talent pipeline starts in classrooms.

However, this complex issue can be fixed by collaboration between government, industry and education - and school leaders are on the frontline of this charge.

I recently worked with St George’s School in Edinburgh on its Fearless Women in Computing event, and it reinforced what I’ve seen time and again: when we get the conditions right, the results are remarkable. The event brought together 600 girls from 13 state schools across four council areas for hands-on workshops led by female role models from leading tech companies.

The energy was electric. Girls who might never have considered computing as a viable path were suddenly asking questions about cybersecurity, AI and software engineering.

The challenge isn’t capability, it’s access, confidence and visibility. There are practical steps that school leaders can take to help turn this crisis around, and schools such as St George’s demonstrate what is possible when these strategies are put into practice.

The single greatest barrier is that not every pupil experiences computing science - or equity of access to the subject - and therefore some cannot make an informed choice. Schools that make computing science a core subject from primary to S2 are seeing transformative results. St George’s, for instance, has made computing mandatory from Primary 5 onwards, ensuring that every girl has sustained exposure before optional choices are made.

This approach builds genuine confidence and removes the mystery from the subject, before stereotypes take hold. When computing becomes as normal as English or maths in those crucial early years, it stops being the “difficult” subject and becomes simply another way of thinking and problem solving.

But curriculum changes alone aren’t enough. Teachers cannot solve this crisis in isolation. It requires collaboration and connection beyond the classroom walls.

Role models are crucial; showing girls the vast, creative and world-changing careers available, moving past the tired stereotype of a solitary coder in a dark room. Something shifts when girls see computing not as an abstract subject but as a pathway to a career.

And at inter-school events they see other girls being excited and enthusiastic about the subject, something that might not happen in their own school if only a few girls are choosing computing. Peer role models are incredibly powerful.

Recruitment ‘one of the biggest barriers’

Schools with specialist teachers are also finding ways to share their expertise more widely. Recruitment of computing science teachers is one of the biggest barriers to the subject growing and thriving in all schools and ensuring that all pupils have equity of access to the subject, and it is important to note that recruitment challenges aren’t unique to Scotland. Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science, or STACS, which is funded by the Scottish government, is actively working with teachers, colleges and universities to promote computing science teaching to computing science students.

Creating the right learning environment matters enormously. Research consistently shows that in the early stages girls often feel less confident in mixed groups, despite frequently outperforming boys. All-girls schools and dedicated girls-only computing clubs such as dressCode - a scheme I founded to close the gender gap in computing science - within mixed settings are proving remarkably effective at removing the perceived confidence gap. I’ve seen computing clubs grow from just a handful of pupils to 20 or more in a few years, simply by providing welcoming spaces focused on creativity and collaboration rather than competition.

At National 5 and Higher level, girls consistently achieve higher A-C attainment rates and more A grades in the subject than boys. Some schools are reporting that around 80 per cent of their female Higher computing students achieve an A grade, significantly higher than the national average.

The talent is there. The capability is there. What’s missing is the opportunity and encouragement for more girls to walk through the door in the first place.

‘No equity of access’

Unfortunately, in Scotland computing science is still not a subject that is offered in every school, and there is no equity of access.

The solution is not about lowering standards or offering special treatment, but removing barriers that should not exist. The schools making progress aren’t doing anything revolutionary - they’re simply being intentional about access, visible about possibilities and thoughtful about environment.

But we’re running out of time. Every year we delay is another cohort of girls that misses the chance to discover this field, another year that widens the gap between the digital workforce we need and the one we are producing. The door to computing science should be wide open, and when school leaders adopt practical, proven strategies - from early, equitable access to fostering confidence and showcasing inspiring role models - the results speak for themselves.

The question is not whether we can fix this crisis, but whether we have the will to act now before it’s too late.

Toni Scullion is a computing science teacher in Scotland and founder of dressCode

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