Toni Scullion

Have you always been interested in computing science?

“I remember getting my first computer when I was young; I was fascinated. One day when I was viewing a webpage, I hit the wrong key by accident and the source code popped up. This was my eureka moment. I had never heard of HTML before, and I thought I had discovered a secret language.  

“As I read it, I spotted English words I recognised, and I wondered if changing a word would alter something on the screen. I then found a website that introduced me to basic HTML editing, and I started practising. It was incredibly fun, and I’ve been hooked ever since.” 

You didn’t think university was for you. Tell us more about your journey to Edinburgh Napier.

“One person can change how you view yourself – for good or for bad.  

“I was never particularly academic. In first year of high school, I had to do a solo presentation in front of my English class. I managed to get through it, and I was proud of myself, but then my teacher said she couldn’t hear me and made me do it again, and then again. I had to present three times in total, and I was so embarrassed. It completely turned me off English and I have carried that experience with me all through a large part of my life. I knew university required lots of essay writing and because of that experience I was convinced I wasn’t smart enough to do it. However, I was lucky to have inspiring teachers too, like my Music teacher, Mr. Murphy, and especially my Computing Science teacher, Mr. Donoghue, who nurtured my interest and always went above and beyond. 

“I left high school with few qualifications; I had the equivalent of one National 5 – it should come as no surprise that it was in computing. I went to college, and I had incredibly supportive lecturers. They encouraged and reassured me that university could be an option for me.  

“I went for it and joined Edinburgh Napier’s BSc Computing course. I told myself that I could get through third year, but I had massive doubts about fourth year and doing a dissertation. Then I met Professor Hazel Hall. She changed my view on everything. Hazel nurtured me, she inspired me, she changed the trajectory of my life.”  

Why did you become a computing teacher?

“I graduated in 2009 and I realised I wanted to become a teacher. From my computing teacher at school to my college lecturer Chris Sinclaire to Hazel, I was lucky to have someone at every stage of my education who went above and beyond for me and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I wanted to be like them and help others.  

“However, Higher English was an entry requirement for the teacher training programme, so I needed to get that qualification first. The subject intimidated me so much that I did two separate courses just to make sure I passed. I’m pleased to say I passed both! 

“My first job as a qualified teacher was at St.Kentigern's Academy in West Lothian. I was so fortunate to land in such an great school with an outstanding Computing Science department!"  

Why did you start dressCode?

“Computing science has the largest gender gap of any traditional stem subject. dressCode aims to bridge the gap by engaging, inspiring, and raising awareness about the diverse opportunities available in the tech industry. 

“dressCode was not something I had planned to do; I didn’t even realise there was a gender disparity until I started working as teacher. Looking back I was one of few girls studying the subject at university and college, but at the time I didn’t really notice or feel it. I think that is a huge credit to my up bringing and the educational establishments I attended and the culture that was created in those classes by the lecturers.  

“The problem came into focus shortly after joining St. Kentigern’s. At this school all pupils are taught computing from first year of high school unlike some other schools which only start teaching it from third year onwards. I started a coding club, and it was really popular – we took over two classrooms – but only three girls joined. I found this really odd because there are the same number of girls and boys in class. But then even these three girls stopped coming!  

“I went to find out more and to try to convince them to return. They weren’t interested unless I could promise two things: there needs to be a girls only club because the boys are too loud and there needs to be chocolate. 

“This was the beginning of dressCode.”   

Tell us more about your work with dressCode.

“We consistently saw positive results at St. Kentigern’s year on year with a record number of girls choosing to study computing science. This was remarkable and many believed it was because it was a school in a good area but in fact it was a school in an area of high deprivation. I thought other schools might benefit from this, so I spread the word. 

“DressCode undertakes a range of activities designed to increase the uptake of computing science in schools. We engage young learners through impactful programmes, including annual coding competitions open to all pupils. We also support teachers to run their own dressCode clubs by providing the resources they need, and we run an annual awards programme, spanning nursery to secondary school. Just under 40% of secondary schools have dressCode awards. We have collated an honour roll of past winners and it’s wonderful to attend industry events and see former winners now embarking on careers in computing and tech.

“At St. Kentigern’s I ran a club for girls, a club for boys and a third mixed club. I ran them exactly the same but what I found interesting was that at the start of the school year girls would stick to the girls' club, but by January they would start attending the mixed club as well. I asked my pupils why, and they told me that they just realised they could. This is common with girls and women; often we need additional encouragement and dressCode provides this by creating a welcoming environment.

“I’m also the co-founder of the Ada Scotland Festival, another organisation committed to championing gender diversity in computing and tech. What I love about this is that it involves colleges and universities as well. You can’t just fix the gender gap in schools; it needs to be a continuous effort at every age and stage right through to industry.

“I have had some huge moments in my life which I never dreamt possible. DressCode has received multiple awards and I even received an honorary doctorate from Robert Gordon University. I think back to that wee 12-year-old girl from Gorebridge who left school with one National 5 and was adamant that university wasn’t for her. I’d love to let her know what she’s managed to achieve so far.”

What is your current role?

“Three years ago, I become co-lead of Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science (STACS). STACS is a teacher-led organisation that aims to improve the computing science provision in Scotland. It is created and funded by the Scottish Government in direct response to the recommendations set out in the 2020 Scottish Tech Ecosystem Review.  

“This is a 5-year project and it’s the coolest thing I have ever done. We advocate for the computing science teacher community and connect, support and empower teachers. Computing science teachers are often the only person in their department and do the job of multiple people. When I took on this role the first thing BGE resources was highly requested by teachers. I have since created from scratch over 410 hours  high-quality, research-based resources, that have female role models throughout. We have 1,600 people signed up – two thirds of which are outside Scotland and over 90% of Computing Science teachers in Scotland signed up. The resources have been included on the UNESCO Open Science website. To have this recognition for this work is one of my proudest moments.”