Five-year-olds learn coding as Britain eyes digital future

In September England became first major world economy to make coding a compulsory subject for children in publicly-funded schools from age five "MISS! We made it breathe out fire!" exclaims 10-year-old Joe, pointing at the laptop on his desk, where he has programmed his animated dragon to belch flames into the face of the Greek hero Heracles.Gasps of excitement ripple across the classroom, as the children at Launcelot school in south London try to work out the string of commands that Joe used to create their own virtual battles. This is no special class — it is a scene being recreated across England, which in September became the first major world economy to make coding a compulsory subject for children in publicly-funded schools from the age of five.The government overhauled the computing curriculum after industry figures warned that children were not learning the skills they needed to compete in the 21st century. And now these pupils are not just playing computer games, but learni...