COMPUTER SCIENCE & IT

OUR CURRICULUM INTENT

In Computer Science and IT, the learning journey prepare our students to be proactive, creative, innovative and adaptive through exposure to a progressive and challenging curriculum that would encompass all the skills and know-how for them to become confident front-end and back-end specialists ready to apply academic principles to the real world as a morally, socially and ethically responsible Computer Scientist/IT specialist regardless of prior abilities and disposition.

Key Stage 3 : Modules Taught

Key Stage 4 

GCSE Computer Science

The learning journey will enable students to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of Computer Science, including abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms, and data representation.  They will develop their analytical skills to analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems, including designing, writing and debugging programs

They will further develop to think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically whilst understanding the components that make up digital systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems.  Finally, they will explore the impacts of digital technology to the individual and to wider society and apply mathematical skills relevant to Computer Science.

Their final 2-year journey will culminate with two written papers, one focusing on computer systems and one with a focus on programming, computational thinking, and algorithms. Both papers have identical weighting and mark allocations.

Examination Boards : OCR

BTEC L2 Tech Award in Digital Information Technology

This L2 vocational course has contents to interest and engage digital information technology students. There is a clear progression onto Level 3 study for students who want to explore digital information technology further with differentiated grading across both Level 1 and Level 2, with mapping to the new 9-1 GCSE grades. 

The course is made up of three components: two that are internally assessed and one that’s externally assessed. The three-block structure, explore, develop and apply, has been developed to allow students to build on and embed their knowledge. This allows them to grow in confidence and then put into practice what they have learned. The assessment structure is also designed so that students can build on what they learn, and develop their skills, as they move through the course.

For Component 1, the students will explore user interface design and development principles, investigate how to use project planning techniques to manage a digital project and discover how to develop and review a digital user interface.

For component 2, the students will explore how data impacts on individuals and organisations, draw conclusions and make recommendations on data intelligence and develop a dashboard using data manipulation tools.

For component 3, the students will explore how modern information technology is evolving, consider legal and ethical issues in data and information sharing and understand what cyber security is and how to safeguard against it.

Examination Boards : Pearson (EdExcel)

Key Stage 5

A Level Computer Science

Students are encouraged to be inspired, motivated and challenged by following a broad, coherent, practical, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. 

The course provides insight into, and experience of how computer science works, stimulating learners’ curiosity and encouraging them to engage with computer science in their everyday lives and to make informed choices about further study or career choices. 

The key features of their learning journey will be the emphasis on problem solving using computers and computer programming and algorithms.  Besides students would be encouraged to develop and use their mathematical skills to express computational laws and processes, e.g. Boolean algebra/logic and comparison of the complexity of algorithms, with lesser emphasis on ICT.

The course is divided into two parts: 1-year AS programme comprising of two written papers with equal weighting and mark allocations.  Upon successful completion of the AS level, students move to the second year programme which culminates into two written papers and one Computing project: Computer systems component (01) contains the majority of the content of the specification and is assessed recalling knowledge and understanding; Algorithms and programming component (02) relates principally to problem solving skills needed by learners to apply the knowledge and understanding encountered in Component 01; finally the Programming project component (03) is a practical portfolio based assessment with a task that is chosen by the teacher or learner and is produced in an appropriate programming language of the learner’s or teacher’s choice.

Students who have passed Computer Science have gone on to study a wide array of courses at top universities, several at Russell universities, in Computing, Games Technology and Applications Development, Creative Computing & Web Technologies, Data Science, Networking, Cyber Security, Social Engineering and other related courses. 

Examination Boards : KS5 : OCR

BTEC Level 3 IT – National Extended Certificate in IT

This vocational L3 course leads students to an introduction to the study of creating IT systems to manage and share information, alongside other fields of study, with a view to progressing to a wide range of higher education courses, not necessarily in IT.

The course gives students the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in data management and social media in business and enable them to progress to further study in the IT sector, or other IT related sectors.  

As part of the course, they have to complete 4 units, of which two units are written exams and externally assessed while the other two units are projects and internally assessed. In one unit, students will explore the relationships between hardware and software that form an IT system; in another unit, their journey will enable them to study the design, creation, testing and evaluation of a database system; One of the two projects explore how businesses use social media to promote their services and products while the other project will enable students to explore and create data models used to solve problems.  

Students who have passed BTEC IT have gone on to study a wide array of University courses and/or apprenticeships in Information Systems, Systems Support, Database Management Systems, Computer Games Development and Design, Software Development and other related courses. 

Examination Boards : KS5 : Pearson (EdExcel)

EXTRA CURRICULAR & ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

• KS4 & KS5 Booster Clubs

• Make a difference – Inhouse projects to solve real-life problems in the community

• Educational visits – Explore digital technology impact in the workplace