Computing and IT

You have grown up in a world where technology is evolving rapidly, creating new subject areas to explore and changing the way people work in every area from medicine and fashion to engineering and economics. So whatever your career plans, you know it is vital to develop your grasp of these ideas and concepts that will shape your world. 90% of jobs that will be available to you will be based around technology. The job prospects are excellent and the field is rigorous, intellectually vibrant and multi-faceted. High on the agenda for business, science and government, computing provides a challenging and engaging platform for you to understand, explore and change the world around you.

Half Term 1 - Introduction to Digital Literacy

We have this as our first topic as we want to introduce our students to the computer systems that we use and make sure that all the students are confident on our computers and of the Internet as a whole. Making our students aware as to how to be safe online is our utmost priority and should come before anything else.

Half Term 2 - Computational thinking, Algorithms and Programming

Before students can start to program or create software; they need to understand how to think like a Computer Scientist and they need to solve problems by using Computational thinking. Computational thinking is the underpinning of all program writing. Algorithms are a way to express the problem that needs solving.

Half Term 3 - Computer Basics

This topic comes after a practical topic and this topic focusses more on the theory of computers and their physical side. This is taught now as it gives the students a chance to understand the breadth of Computer Science and that it isn't all programming. This topic gives the student the knowledge of how a computer works and why.

Half Term 4 - Programming and Problem Solving

Our fourth topic is a follow on from topic 2. Here students are given a problem and they have to use their prior knowledge to  solve the problem. The topic also links in with data representation as the challenge is to create a binary converter. The students will first learn what binary is and how to convert it and then they will be asked to create a computer solution.

Half Term 5 - Creative digital solutions

The fifth topic helps show the students more breadth to Computer Science and IT by introducing the creative side to IT. The students will learn about different types of graphics and how they are used. This topic is creating a logo and social media posts on a graphics package.

Half Term 6 - Enrichment Project

The last topic of year 7 in Computer Science and IT is an enrichment project. This project starts after the end of unit assessments and is teacher specific. This topic is not necessarily part of the curriculum but does introduce the students to computer science. Example projects include: building lego robots, programming Minecraft on the Raspberry Pi, Creating game on Microbits.

Half Term 1 - Binary and Boolean Logic

Year 8 starts with the binary and Boolean Logic topic as this explains how computers work and builds on from two topics from last year. Students should remember what binary is, this topic takes it further by introducing binary addition and multiplication.

Half Term 2 - Computer Systems

The second topic also builds on from year 7 to how a computer works and what components it needs. This topic specifically looks at how the internet works, this will then help students understand how websites work before they create one themselves.

Half Term 3 - Website Creating

The third topic builds in from topic 2. The students learnt the theory behind the Internet - this is a practical topic where students build their own websites. They will use HTML to build a website and CSS to add colours and features. Some will have javascript to their websites to add functionality.

Half Term 4 - The fourth topic again is a practical topic where students learn how to program their own games. Here they will learn programming techniques that will build on from their programming skills in the previous year. Here they will look at selection and iteration and functions within programming.

Half Term 5 - Scratch to Python

This topic again builds from topic 4. Until now, students have been programming using visual programming languages - this topic will aid the jump into year 9 by showing how the scratch programming can be similar to the text based programming by linking the 2 pieces of software together. The students in this topic will get their first taste of Python programming. The language they will use if they chose Computer Science for GCSE.

Half Term 6 - Enrichment Project

The last topic of year 8  in Computer Science and IT is an enrichment project. This project starts after the end of unit assessments and is teacher specific. This topic is not necessarily part of the curriculum but does introduce the students to computer science. Example projects include: building lego robots, programming Minecraft on the Raspberry Pi, Creating game on Microbits.

Students choosing this option should enjoy conceptual thinking and understanding detail.  The study of computers, and particularly learning to program, will improve analytical thinking and problem solving skills.  Students who are good at maths and logic problems often do well with the subject. With more and more traditional career paths under threat of computer automation, a GCSE in Computer Science is fast becoming a must have qualification.  A recent study from PwC put as many as 30% of UK jobs may go due to advances in artificial intelligence.

Half Term 1
Glyn Travel Project 

Why we sequence the scheme this way
We will study this at the start of Year 9 because the skills the students learn during this project will allow the students to understand the basics of programs such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Publisher and Adobe Photoshop. Among the skills students will learn are about logo development, creating a letter, creating an address book to use mail merge to populate the letter with customer’s address. It is essential that students know the process of folder development, saving in the correct folders and organisation of documents.

Half Term 2
What is the media industry?

Why we sequence the scheme this way

In this section we are going to study sectors of the media industry. The reason we will cover this after students learn how to create the different documents, it is important that they see where and how those documents are being used and the value they can bring to an organisation.

Half Term 3
Create a website using Adobe Dreamweaver 

Why we sequence the scheme this way

Once the students have learned how those documents are used in the media industry, it is essential that they are able to create interactive content that allows customers of those businesses that they have studied to view those documents. Also, it is essential in preparation of the work students are required to complete for their coursework next year that they have some type of understanding of website development. Even more important, our students will have the skills to walk into a job and be able to cope right away.

Half Term 4
Media Industry sectors. Understanding content, style, and layout

Why we sequence the scheme this way

In this half term, we will look at the different purposes of media products, how style, content and layout are adapted to meet each purpose, know how to recognise keywords and information in client briefs and make real world decisions.

By now student will be able to decide for themselves the type of software they need to create the relevant documents and how the style of those document is a reflection of the clients they are creating the documents for.

Half Term 5
Creating Characters

Why we sequence the scheme this way

In this half term, we will start looking at how to create documents for a specific purpose. The reason this part of the curriculum comes in half term 5 is because students will now understand the process of document creation.
By this stage student will be able to identify requirements in client briefs, how it can constrain planning and production or enhance it, how to interpret requirements in client briefs to generate ideas and plan and know the different ways that client briefs are communicated. During this process, students will also learn the value to storyboarding and character development.

When students now understand the content created during this half term, they will then be prepared enough to create the characters.

Half Term 6
Creating comic book project 

Why we sequence the scheme this way

This half term, students will create the comic book project. With all the previous knowledge gained student should be prepared to work independently create their comic books. Having done the research and understanding the needs and requirement of a client, this is the proper place for this part of the curriculum.

Half Term 1

• Project Scenario Development
• Scenario development and understanding the properties and features of multimedia websites.
• Students will also carry out research on how various devices are used to connect to the internet.

Why we sequence the scheme this way

Students will also make sure that they are using skills from last year to create the correct folder structures and organisation to ensure a successful project. (During the process students will document the whole process of web creation)
 
We student this first because students need to understand the project requirements and how a client may request a project to be completes.

Half Term 2

• Organising, Interpreting a Client’s Requirement
• Organising, interpreting a client’s requirement for the multimedia website, creating a plan, and developing a storyboard.
• Finding and recording elements/equipment required to show how to develop their websites.

Why we sequence the scheme this way

This section is where students move from scenario development to developing the assets and material needed to create the site.

Half Term 3

• Finding and Developing Assets
• Finding and developing assets, learning about legal requirements and continual development of a work plan. Plan will need to show a site map, house styles and master page, which they will base all the other pages off.

Why we sequence the scheme this way

The students now will move in a natural progression of developing a plan to understand how they are going to work through the project.

Half Term 4

• Creating and developing the website
• Creating and developing the assets, using the previous materials from half term one to learn what elements to incorporate those features into their websites. Students will also continually modify their storyboards. During the process students will document the whole process of web creation.

Why we sequence the scheme this way

This section builds on the last section as students are able to understand different elements required to develop their sites.

Half Term 5

• Creating and developing the website

Why we sequence the scheme this way

Student will continue to develop their website and record the tools used, techniques used, creation of the navigational system and how they have saved and published the site.

Half Term 6

• Review of the project

Why we sequence the scheme this way

This topic is where the students review the multimedia site they have created. This section is taught here because students will now have a great understanding of the website development process and they are ready to evaluate the whole process.

Half Term 6

• Review of the project

Why we sequence the scheme this way

This topic is where the students review the multimedia site they have created. This section is taught here because students will now have a great understanding of the website development process and they are ready to evaluate the whole process.

Currently under review

Half Term 1 - Computational thinking and Algorithms

We study this first topic in year 9 as this is the cornerstone of Computer Science. Students must understand Computational thinking and what is an algorithm before they can understand how to program. This is built on from key stage 3.

Half Term 2 - Programming Techniques

The students then move on to basic programming techniques and being able to build programs from simple algorithms. They blend pseudocode with programming. From analysis, design and development of programs.

Half Term 3 - Computer Architecture

The students then learn about the architecture of a computer. This unit is built from the Computer basics topic in key stage 3. The students learn how the processor works and what is needed for a computer to run.

Half Term 4 - Data representation

The students learn more about binary and denary. Again, this is built from previous knowledge in key stage 3. Here the students now learn about addition, subtraction, multiplication and then also learn about hexadecimal. This is taught here to build on from how a computer works to the language of computers.

Half Term 5 - Programming Techniques

In half term 5, the students now go back to more practical work and learn some more advanced programming techniques. This will be teamed with more pseudocode and algorithmic questions which are similar to the GCSE paper 2 questions.

Half Term 6 - Ethical, Moral and cultural issues

This topic will be a research project for students and this is studied now as they have a full understanding of the computer and how it works but will also need to understand the issues regarding the use of computers around the world.The topic will also cover current affairs and help with long answer questions.

Half Term 1        

• Computational thinking
• Designing, creating and refining algorithms
• Searching and sorting algorithms

Half Term 2        

• Programming fundamentals
• Data types
• Additional programming techniques
• Testing

Half Term 3        

• Boolean logic
• Data storage
• Compression

Half Term 4        

• Architecture of the CPU
• CPU Performance
• Embedded systems
• Primary storage (Memory)
• Secondary storage
• Units of storage

Half Term 5        

• Computing project

Half Term 6        

• Computing project

Half Term 1

• Networks and topologies
• Wired and wireless networks, protocols and layers

Half Term 2        

• Threats to computer systems and networks
• Identifying and preventing vulnerabilities
• Operating systems
• Utility software

Half Term 3

• Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact
• Defensive design
• Languages
• The Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Half Term 4 and 5       

• Revision

Half Term 6

• Examinations

Two written exams. Each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes and makes up 50% of the final grade.

This qualification supports progression to a wide range of subject related qualifications.  These currently include A Level Computing and A Level ICT.  Additionally, many colleges and Sixth Forms offer BTECs and other vocational courses on a wide variety of subjects, including Programming, Animation, Networking, Cyber Security, Computer Game Design and 3D Modelling.  The qualification supports entry on to employer based training as well as being an excellent support for studies in other subjects.

A level Computer Science compromises of 2 papers and these can be described as a theory paper and a practical paper. The A level is taught by two teachers who will teach either the theory or the practical side of the course. 

Year 12 

Half Term 1 
The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
Elements of Computational thinking:

• Thinking abstractly
• Thinking ahead
• Thinking procedurally
• Thinking logically
• Thinking concurrently 

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

We start with these two topics as they are a nice smooth transition from GCSE. The theory topic leads on from GCSE and the practical topic is an introduction to Computational thinking. 

Half Term 2 

• Exchanging Data:
• Compression, encryption and Hashing
• Databases and SQL
• Programming Techniques:
• Procedural programming
• Programming concepts
• String handling
• Subroutines
• File handling
• IDE's

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Here is another transitional topic from GCSE to A level for the theory side. The practical side starts off with the fundamentals of programming. This is needed at the beginning to ensure understanding of the programming concepts before tackling some of the more difficult areas of programming.

Half Term 3 

• Networks
• Web technologies 
• Systems Software 
• Data Structures
• 3D Arrays, Tuples and Records
• Queues
• Lists and Linked Lists
• Stacks
• Hash Tables
• Graphs 
• Tress

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

The theory topics of Networks and Web technologies build on from the previous topic and build on students previous knowledge. The practical lessons introduce new material around data structures. The students need to understand this topic to be able to complete the algorithms for certain data structures.    

Half Term 4 

• Software Development
• Types of Programming languages 
• Applications Generation 
• Programming Techniques
• Object-oriented Programming 
• Recursion 
• Problem Solving
• Problem recognition.
• Problem decomposition.
• Use of divide and conquer.
• Use of abstraction.

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way

The theory topic starts with software development and software lifecycles. This topic is taught now because the students will begin their own software projects next half term and will need to understand the different life cycles of project management. The practical side introduces more complex programming techniques that could be used in the students' programming projects.  

Half Term 5

• Ethical, legal, moral and environmental issues
• Computer Science Project report 
• Algorithms                
• Analysis and Design of Algorithms
• Searching Algorithms
• Bubble sort and insertion sort
• Merge sort and quicksort

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

The theory introduces the students to the legal, moral and ethical sides of computing. This lends itself to long answer essay questions which we look at answering together. This also brings in more skills in writing larger pieces of work for the Computer programming project which we also introduce to the students this half term. 
In the practical lessons, the students learn about the different types of algorithms. By now, the students have built up a lot of advanced programming skills and knowledge which will aid the students with this topic. It is also useful for their project as some of these algorithms could be featured in their project. 

Half Term 6

• Computer Science Project report
• Analysis and Design 
• Programming Project :
• Design
• Development 

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

The Summer term of Year 12 seems an obvious choice to work on their programming projects that are worth 20% of their final grade. They have learnt all the skills and theory needed to complete their projects and can work on these during the Summer months.

Half Term 1 

• Data types
• Programming project 
• Development and Testing 

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

The first topic of Year 13 is data types. This has been taught from key stage 3 but A Level does include some advanced theory including decimals and floating point data representatioar 13. 

The practical side allows for more time programming their projects. 

Half Term 2 

• Boolean Algebra
• Programming project 
• Development and Testing 

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Boolean Algebra follows on from Data representation and again uses higher mathematical skills that students will be now used to using in Year 13. 

The practical side allows for development and testing of the programming projects. 

Half Term 3 

• Computer Science Project Report 
• Evaluation and completion. 
• Algorithms:
• Measures and methods to determine the efficiency of different algorithms, Big O notation (constant, linear, polynomial, exponential and alogarithmic complexity).
• Comparison of the complexity of algorithms.

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Complex Algorithms are then taught in Year 13 and this consolidates work from Year 12. More difficult algorithms are studied here. We study this here at Year 13 as the students will have built up a lot of skills and knowledge completing their projects so this section should be easier to understand after their project work. 

Half Term 4 to 6

• Recap and Revisit 

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

As all of the topics have been taught these half terms are left to recap topics and revisit. 

Computer Science is a far reaching discipline that offers deep and rewarding employment or research opportunities in a wide variety of fields.  In fact, there are very few areas of human endeavour that are not becoming computerised.  Career paths include: Software Developer, Engineering, Cyber Security Analyst, Robotics, Forensics, Artificial Intelligence, Information Systems Manager, Database Administrator, Systems Analyst, the Gaming Industry, Cloud Architecture, Technical Author, Software Testing, Networks Engineer, Military Applications, Encryption, Web Design, Business Information Systems, Research, Teaching and Training, Hardware Design and Development, the Aerospace and Defence Industry, the Human Genome, Vaccines, Space and Satellites.