KS3 Curriculum

At Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Computer Science is studied as a core subject by all students in Year 7 and Year 8, providing a vital foundation before they can choose to take the subject as an option for GCSE. Our curriculum is designed to empower students to become expert practitioners in an increasingly automated world, mastering foundational IT systems and learning Computer Science theory.

In Year 7, the focus is on establishing digital competence with school systems followed by an introduction to computational thinking and machine learning foundations.

Churston Computers This induction unit ensures students are up and running with school systems like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Docs. Students establish a professional digital identity, learn effective internet research, and online security.

Think like a Computer Scientist This unit introduces core pillars of computer science, including decomposition and abstraction, and features the national Bebras Challenge. Students develop creativity and resilience by using Python Turtle for text-based geometry. 

Think like a Programmer As they design a game in Scratch, students move from simple commands to complex interactions. They learn to apply programming constructs such as iteration, variables, and events to create interactive animations.

Computer Intelligence This unit explores the engineering of a computer’s internal hardware and our use of binary logic before investigating Artificial Intelligence. Students research the stages of intelligence and use AI modules to understand how machine learning models learn from data and require human validation.

Computer Hardware Students work with Micro:bit devices to move code into the real world. They explore the relationship between software and physical hardware components, focusing on sensors, LED animations, and branching logic.

Computers for English and Maths Students apply computer science to core academic subjects. They use Google Sheets for mathematical data handling and Google Slides to create interactive, non-linear Text-Based Adventure Games.

The Year 8 curriculum transitions students toward structured text-based programming and complex technical theory.

Advanced Python Coding Building on Year 7 foundations, students master text-based programming constructs including sequences, selection, subroutines, and functions.

Creative Coding & Data Representation Students explore animation while learning the technical theory of how computers handle data through binary arithmetic and ASCII character sets.

Scientific Reporting & IT Projects This unit focuses on professional IT skills, requiring students to use spreadsheets and word processing to produce complex scientific reports with data-driven graphs.

Applied AI & Problem Solving Using advanced Experience AI modules, students learn to solve real-world problems. They analyse case studies like Deep Blue to understand the differences between reactive and limited-memory machines.

Mobile App Development Students use MIT App Inventor to design user interfaces and program block-based logic for mobile applications, exploring how modern software interacts with external APIs.

Cyber Security & Python TBAG The curriculum concludes with an in-depth look at cybersecurity laws, encryption, and firewalls. Students then complete a major project building a structured Text-Based Adventure Game in Python.