He would have been a school in the 1970s, what school taught programming then and what on?
I don't believe that there was an actual computer class at any ordinary school in the UK at that time (outside of Eton or something) that'd teach you how to program.
Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?
In 1982/83 the Elliott was scrapped and replaced by ZX Spectrums connected via the proprietary and strange Interface 1 network, and a couple of years later by BBC Model Bs connected via Econet.
[1] https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Elliott_803
By my later years at school (from '80) onward we had ZX-80s, ZX-81s and a couple of Apple IIs.
Not exactly what you asked for as he begins in 1978 as a 16 year old just starting college and he learns most of it by himself rather than being taught.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backroom-Boys-Secret-Return-British/...
that he learned to program on an Acorn Atom.
Still got mine :)
Thus a few pupils learnt how to program without interference from teachers.