Teaching Software Engineering in schools on the right time to introduce Software Engineering concepts

Software is everywhere - be it in mobile phones, in washing machines, or in cars. With it, the importance of Software Engineering is uncontested, and Software Engineering (SE) is taught all over the world: at Universities, at Colleges, and recently also at High Schools. There are international Software Engineering curricula, standards, and certificates, but there is no manifestation of Software Engineering (and related practices) in the course syllabi at primary and secondary schools. This contribution raises the question about the ideal time to start with Software Engineering at schools and reports on some first answer and lessons learned of an experiment introducing Software Engineering principles in the 3rd grade of a vocational high school (higher secondary school).