KS3

During the Spring Term 2, our Year 7 students have been learning about Computer Networking. In this unit students have deepened their understanding of how a network is formed and have analysed the benefits and drawbacks of a computer network. Many of the Year 7 students enjoyed learning about the various computer components and even designed their own LAN and WAN network.

Year 8 have been working really hard this term and have designed and created their own websites, that were coded using html programming language. Students have really taken the initiative to be creative when designing their websites. They have been working independently and collaboratively on their projects. Some students have really extended their learning by using the resources that we share with them to  create multiple webpages for their website. This project has enabled students to build upon the fundamental programming skills such as debugging, testing and problem solving. This will help students next year when they are required to use these skills to learn another programming language. 

Our Year 9 students have continued to develop their python programming. This term the focus was on variables, strings, data types and if selection. All lessons follow the PRIMM approach where students are asked to make predictions, run the code, investigate the problem independently or in pairs, modify and then make the code. This approach has enabled students to become more confident programmers. We consistently link our learning to careers in IT/Computing in particular software engineering and jobs related to gaming, which has inspired those who enjoy the subject to take it for GCSE. 

KS4

Our Year 10 Computer Science students have been looking at data representation a significant part of the GCSE Specification. This unit covers the mathematical concepts in computing and looks at how data is represented in computing. Furthermore, students have also built upon programming concepts such as while loops, for loops and if selection that they learnt in year 9.They have been introduced to python turtle and have quickly grasped the commands used in turtle to create their own shapes and designs. Students enjoy working on their group projects and paired activities that are set.  

Year 10 Creative Media Production students have been working on practice assessments in preparation for their real Component 1 set task due to be issued later this month, they have been very committed to deadlines and have been taking feedback onboard to further enhance the quality of their written work. 

Year 11 Computer Science students continue to revise content as well as work on their own Python projects. The student’s identify the topics that they want to cover in class and lessons are created on that basis. This term students have asked to focus on paper 2 concepts such as functions, procedures, reading and writing from a list. They have had the chance to green pen their paper 1 theory and prioritise their individual area of focus. Students have also gone through paper 2 and we have used this opportunity to identify the misconceptions. We have also introduced year 11 intervention on Wednesday for students that require more support, but this is welcome to any of the other students who may have unresolved queries.  

Furthermore, Creative Media students in Year 11 continue to work on completing coursework and many have been attending a Creative Media Workshop run every Friday to provide them with the opportunity to complete coursework outside of lesson time.

KS5

Our Year 13 students have been working on the final draft for their IT Project Management and Programming coursework. We have provided students with checklists and feedback in which students are making the necessary amendments to their coursework. The majority of students have been working hard to get their coursework completed before the easter break. They have also received their results for the IT Exams, and we are glad to say that all students passed. The hard work has paid off!

Year 12 students have  been working through the theoretical content for OCR A-level Computer Science. We have delved into computer networking, where students have gained a deeper understanding of network topologies, data transmission and ip addressing. We continuously relate our learning to careers in industry such as network engineers and network administrators so that students can make associations to real life applications. Students are also becoming more clear on exam style questions and techniques for A-level computing, which will help prepare them for their exams.

British Science week

As a Department we planned for our computing lessons to take part in British Science week. We delivered our lesson to Year 9’s on the topic of encryption. Students were asked to find the clue to solve to murder mystery that was set by the Science Department. Our encryption was based on the simple Caesar Cipher, this is an algorithm that shifted the letters based on a shared key. Students found the activity engaging and were excited when they were able to decrypt the messages in order to find the most common letter.