Why is Computing so important?

Computers and digital technology envelopes our whole lives from the computer designed and developed products we use and rely on, how we travel, the medical treatment we receive and how we communicate with others. Studying Computing develops skills such as problem solving, abstraction and decomposition, resilience, communication, teamwork and many others that will enable our students to be successful during their journey through education and into the future.

The Computing curriculum is made up of three core areas of study:

• Computer Science
• Information Technology
• Digital Literacy

These three core areas are taught throughout Key Stage 3 as part of the Technology rotation and in Year 7, core IT lessons which take place once per fortnight. Some topics are taught cross curricular, such as E-Safety and Graphical Design.

Rotation (Approximately 6 weeks):

What is a Computer? – Students are introduced to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage whilst exploring technology through the ages. Students use application software to develop a basic graphical algorithm for an embedded system before moving onto a graphical program for a general-purpose system.

Human Vs Computer – Students explore the key components found in modern embedded and general-purpose computer systems through the exploration of the IPO model.   They demonstrate their knowledge by producing a simple interactive guide to each component and then use it themselves whilst building up a system unit. 

Communications – Students learn about how technology has revolutionised communication. They are introduced to Alan Turing and Tommy Flowers by exploring the radio functionality of the BBC Micro:bit and, create a communication system that is then used to send a “secret” message across the classroom.

Technology and Entertainment – Students use their knowledge and understanding from the basic scratch programs they have already created to being exploring how modern computer games are created. This concludes with their own version of the classic game Pac-Man, introducing key programming constructs of Sequence and Selection.

IT Skills

In addition to the rotation, students in Year 7 receive one lesson every two weeks to support and develop their IT Skills and Digital Literacy. During this time, students are introduced to key school systems such as Firefly, email, and Microsoft 365, the implementation of modern technologies in todays world, software applications and online safety.

To support the development of their IT Skills and Digital Literacy, students will be signed up for the “Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award” (iDEA), an internationally recognised award in the use and application of digital technologies. There are three levels; Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Students in Year 7 begin working towards the Bronze award.

More information about iDEA can be found at by clicking the iDEA logo to the right.

App design and development – Students complete a project to develop a simple App that can be downloaded onto their mobile device.   This unit bridges the gap between the graphical programming studied in Year 7 and textual programming.  The AppLab environment provides students with the opportunity to use both should they wish to develop their programming skills further.  Students are introduced to another historical figure, Grace Hopper and the need to test, develop and refine programs through debugging and testing techniques.  Their App is finally added to their webpage and available to share with friends and family.

Developing for the web – Students explore the birth of the Internet and World Wide Web, introducing key people such as Bob Khan, Vint Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee. They build a basic website using HTML and CSS to promote their Mobile App game.

Students who have been successful in achieving their Bronze iDEA award in Year 7, will begin working towards the Silver award.

Ethical, Cultural and Social impact of technology – Students explore the positives and negatives technology has brought to our modern society. The focus is around the use of 3D printing.  Throughout the 6 weeks, students  use BlocksCad 3D to design and code a prototype 3D toy that they will eventually print using one of the two 3D printers in the Computer Science suite.  Using BlocksCad is quite a challenge.  It requires problem solving and creativity.  The examples seen below were all created from three basic shapes:

• Cube
• Cylinder
• Sphere

The use of Difference, Intersection, and Envelop combination techniques are employed to create a 3D model.

Each lesson also brings opportunities to explore the cultural shift to automate and implement more technology, the ethical issues it has caused, including the rise in cyber-crime and the Digital Divide.

Students are provided with many opportunities to take part in activities beyond the school curriculum. The Computing department run a Programming and Robotics activity every Tuesday after school. Students get hands on with a number of devices such as the BBC Micro:bit V1 and V2, Bit:Bot XL robot, Move Motor robot, Initio rover robot and the Raspberry Pi single board computer. Through these devices and activities, students can build and refine their knowledge and understanding of technology and its place in the 21st century.

Between September and March, Those attending enrichment, are given the opportunity to take part in the ESA Astro Pi Mission Zero Project.  This involves writing a program to a given brief and submitting it for transmission to the International Space Station.  This year, the new K1 Max 3D printer has enabled students to begin building their very own Astro Pi Computer!

Our business partnership with local software development company CDL, enables students to see Computer Science and digital technology applied in real world scenarios.