Computer coding is being introduced to the school curriculum in less than six weeks' time, but many primary school teachers will be under-prepared to teach the new subject, according to a new poll.

Some 73% of 250 primary school teachers surveyed did not feel confident enough to teach coding to pupils, according to online shopping retailer Ocado.

A lack of resources was cited as an area of concern for teachers, said Ocado, which has announced a new programme to help teachers and pupils in the classroom when the new lessons start in September.

Paul Clarke, director of technology at Ocado, said: ''Teaching children to program is not just about nurturing the next generation of software engineers; being able to write code is a transformative and disruptive meta-skill that needs to be seen as being of huge potential value whatever your future holds. I would go so far as to say that it is a survival skill that our children need to acquire to flourish in the increasingly digital and online future that awaits them.''

The company's scheme, called Code for Life, is centred around a new web app aimed at Key Stage 1 and 2 children that will enable them to learn about coding as they play games. The app, which is called Rapid Router, also contains lesson plans for teachers and careers videos to teach pupils about different aspects of coding, and potential career prospects.

Fran Worby, a Year 4 teacher at Tudor Primary School in Barnet, which took part in a trial of the new programme, said: ''This is a fantastic resource. It clearly introduces the language of coding to children in a fun and engaging way. It also allows children to develop their understanding in this area of the curriculum by introducing coding language in small, manageable chunks - offering excellent progression.

''Coding was a whole new area for me, let alone the children, and this teaching pack has made it easy to get started with the requirements of the new curriculum.''

Technology and skills associated with it are taking an increasingly central role in education, with the Government keen to boost knowledge and understanding in the sector in order to help the economy. Large investment has already been put into creating Tech City in east London, where the number of technology start-ups has grown rapidly in the last year.

London also held its first Technology Week in June, with deputy mayor Kit Malthouse saying before the event: ''Ideally, in the first instance, we would like people to say 'that was fantastic, we're going to book our hotels for next year', just like they do for the Cannes Film Festival or the Venice Biennale.''

''We want it to become that kind of hot event. But secondly, what we would like to do is cement London globally as the centre of tech exchange, but also as a place where young people from excluded communities can see an industry that will finally welcome them and turn them into entrepreneurs and business people.''

Mr Malthouse also said he expected the technology sector to form a central part of government policy in the future.

According to research by Oxford Economics, published alongside the London Technology Week launch, the UK's tech economy could grow by more than £12 billion over the next decade, with more than 40,000 jobs created as a result. Coding events for school children were included as part of the event, ahead of the curriculum change in the autumn.