Compulsory subject for all Key Stage 3 Pupils (Years 7 – 9)
Teaching: One lesson per week
Homework: Primarily online research based tasks
Assessment Methods: Individual In-Depth Research Tasks, Group Projects, End-of-Unit Assessments
Computing Club: One afternoon session per week
Purpose of Study
The Computing curriculum at ABGS follows the Computing National Curriculum Framework provided by the Department for Education. It has been designed to equip Pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. It comprises elements of Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy:
§ Computer Science: Principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming.
§ Information Technology: Use knowledge and understanding from Computer Science to create programs, systems and a range of content.
§ Digital Literacy: Select appropriate tools, techniques and technology for online services and consider the surrounding legal/ethical issues.
The Computing curriculum at ABGS will provide Pupils with sufficient background knowledge in all three areas so they are better informed and prepared when choosing a KS4 option subject in this area of study. Alternatively, Pupils will still have developed their skills to become more digitally literate– able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future work place and as active participants in a digital world.
Aims
The national curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:
§ can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
§ can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
§ can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
§ are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
SubjectContent
The following table outlines the curriculum content in each Year for Key Stage 3. Further details are provided in the Curriculum Handbook.
1. E-Safety – Part I
2. Developing Software Skills: Presentation
3. Developing Software Skills: Word Processor
4. Under the Hood of a Computer
5. Think like a Computer Scientist
6. Developing Programming Skills: Scratch
7. Developing Software Skills: Desktop Publisher
1. E-Safety – Part II
2. Operating Systems
3. CMD, the Command Line
4. How the Web Works
5. Developing Programming Skills: Python
6. Developing Software Skills: Spreadsheet
7. Developing Software Skills: Database (Basic)
1. E-Safety – Part III
2. Cracking the Code
3. Threats to Data and Information
4. IT and its Implications
5. IT and Business
6. Developing Software Skills: Database (Advanced)
7. Developing Programming Skills: Website Design
Post-KS3
Pupils currently have the opportunity to continue in this area of study with the KS4 option subjects:
§ Information Technology
§ Business Studies
