Computer Science 

Intent of curriculum 

Our intent for the curriculum is to demystify computer science and computer programming so that students can understand the technology they use. Key Stage 3 introduces concepts which they study at GCSE and A level and tries to engage by making those concepts relevant to students’ experiences of using technology. The aim is to encourage them to take computer science further up the school, and at the same time make savvy citizens, capable of making correct choices on how they consume and use technology. At Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 we aim to create computer science professionals who are comfortable decomposing problems and writing code to create solutions. 

Implementation of curriculum 

At Key Stage 3, our curriculum can be broken down into four broad areas: programming, computational thinking (including the machine), e-safety, digital literacy. We want to make lessons as ‘unplugged’ as possible. 

We seek to:  

• Expose students to the syntax of the most popular computer languages (Python, BASIC), and how computer programs can be built through decomposition of problems down to their smallest programmable components, using visual programming packages (Scratch, Kodu). 
• Demonstrate the basic tenets of computer science through the history of computational thinking, from colossus to modern computers which might pass the ‘Turing Test’. Other facets include the development of the internet and world wide web, methods of encryption, sorting, searching, and logic gates. 
• Warn students about their rights and responsibilities with respect to technology and the internet; how to keep themselves and their data safe; the threats posed by hackers, malware and viruses; false news, misinformation and trolling; environmental impact of technology. 
• Equip students for the workplace by teaching the efficient use of modern clerical software, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and how to improve productivity (ICDL) 

At Key Stage 4 and 5 we follow the OCR computer science curriculum. We use the OCR-endorsed PG-online for many of our resources. 

Impact of curriculum 

• At Key Stage 3, we measure the impact of our teaching through regular homework, which seeks to assess the knowledge and understanding taught in the classroom. This is supplemented by regular tests, and an end of year test. 
• At Key Stage 4, we use the Subject Progress Index (SPI) from SISRA to judge the impact of our teaching relative to national standards, and across a wide range of different categories, including SEN, PP and high ability boys. We also monitor the numbers of students going on to take computer science courses at Key Stage 5, both here and at other centres. 
• At Key Stage 5, we use the ALPS system to determine our impact relative to other computer science departments around the country.  We also monitor the number of students who go on to take computing-related university courses or jobs.