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):

An introduction to the digital world - Students are introduced to the basics of computer technology and programming.  They learn about general purpose and embedded computer systems found in our daily lives, Input-Process-Output, build a computer system from scratch, learn how to create and refine Algorithms and finally write programs using a range of graphical programming tools.  During this time, they are introduced to a number of individuals who have made significant contributions to the modern digital world including Lady Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, and Alan Turing.

Beyond the classroom (Homework): During the 6 week rotation, students in Year 7 are expected to work through the Code.org Computer Science Fundamentals Course D to support their understanding and application of Computational Thinking techniques.  in addition, and to support their literacy development, students will study an important historical figure from the world of Computer Science each week.

IT Skills

In addition to the rotation, students in Year 7 receive one lesson every two weeks to support and develop their IT and Digital Literacy skills. 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 via the Cyber Explorers project.

Beyond the classroom (homework): To support the development of IT 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 will be expected to complete a set number of iDEA Bronze tasks that develop core IT skills.  By the time they reach the end of the year, they should have completed their Bronze Award in Digital Technology. 

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.

Beyond the classroom (Homework): Students in Year 8 will be expected to work through the code.org "Programming in App Lab" tasks to support the development of Computational Thinking techniques.  Doing so will provide them with the necessary skills to program their own mobile App. 

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.

Beyond the classroom (Homework): Students in Year 9 will be expected to develop their knowledge and understanding of textual programming.  They will follow the Raspberry Pi Foundation "Python Path Level 1".  This will help prepare students who are considering Computer Science as a GCSE.

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.