Computer Science

I am not in competition with anyone but myself. My aim is  to improve myself continuously ”.

Bill Gates

Department Vision Statement/ Curriculum Intent

We aim to prepare students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in an ever increasingly technical society. Alongside this we aim to develop and install the following elements of strong character in all our students.

Aspiration
A True Warrior fights themselves”. We believe there is no limit to your ambition. Work hard, find your areas of weakness and make them your strength.

Challenge
We aim to inspire in students a love of challenge, an intrigue for mistakes, an enjoyment of effort and a desire to keep on learning.

Resilience
Nelson Mandela said that ‘I never lose, I either win or learn’. This is the corner stone of our teaching philosophy. No programmer gets things right the first time and we aim to install a resilience in students to continue to take risks, strive for excellence and keep going when they get things wrong.

YEAR GROUPS 

Year 7 - KS3

TERM

Term One

TOPIC

Computational Thinking

Algorithmic Concepts and Theory

WHY?

By the end of this first term students should be able to know the definitions of an algorithm, decomposition and abstraction. This will be combined with an understanding of how they can be used in real world and computing scenarios.

Students will be introduced to the basics of programming using either Scratch or a high-level language such as Python. This will be dependent on students’’ prior learning. Students will be introduced to basic programming concepts such as variables, sequence, selection and iteration.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet

 

scratch.mit.edu

www.python.org


TERM

Term Two

TOPIC

Programming

WHY?

Following on from term 1 this section of the course will aim to give students the chance to practise the concepts they have learnt in a practical setting. This will be done through Scratch or a high-level language such as Python.

In the context of game creation students will create variables and learn about different data types. They will practise selection techniques such as If, Elif and Else alongside basic iteration using Forever, For and While.

The focus at this stage is on understanding concepts and they will be given time to practise and refine their skills throughout their time at TMS.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet

 

scratch.mit.edu

www.python.org


TERM

Term Three

TOPIC

Data Representation

WHY?

Alan Turing once asked "Are there imaginable digital computers which would do well in the imitation game?" We look the concepts raised in Turing’s article and ask the question of whether a computer will ever be able to think for itself.

Expanding on this concept we look at how and why computers need to break everything down into binary code. We then go on to explore how numbers, letters, images and sound are represented and stored in binary. They will be able to convert between binary, denary and hexadecimal.

Programming Project

As part of this term students will also revisit their previous learning by completing a practical assignment to build on and refine their programming skills.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet

 

scratch.mit.edu

www.python.org

 

Year 8 - KS3

TERM

Term One

TOPIC

Advanced Computational Thinking

WHY?

This will build on work completed in Year 7 regarding algorithms, decomposition and abstraction. As well as revisiting these topics students will now be introduced to pattern recognition and the role of computational thinking as a whole in designing solutions to algorithmic problems.

 

Algorithms and Programming

Students will revisit the key concepts they have learnt in Year 7 and apply these to a high level language. They will be reintroduced to the concepts taught through scratch and all will have the opportunity to apply these in python.

Comparison between block language (scratch) and high level text based language (python) will also be explored.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet

 

www.python.org


TERM

Term Two

TOPIC

Advanced Programming

WHY?

Steve Jobs once said that ‘everyone should learn how to program as it teaches you to think’. Putting this into practice and building on the practical skills gained in Year 7, all students will be given the opportunity to develop their programming skills in python.

This will focus on applying core programming principles such as variables, sequence, selection and iteration to more complex problems in python.

The focus is once again on understanding the core concepts and students will be given further opportunities to refine their skills throughout the year.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet

 

www.python.org


TERM

Term Three

TOPIC

Data Representation and Computer Systems

WHY?

Building on the data representation studies completed in Year 7, students will be introduced to Von Neumann’s concept of a stored system. Students will be introduced to the basic components found in most modern day computing such as the CPU, Secondary and Primary Storage.

Students will revisit data representation and build on their studies in Year 7 by moving onto basic binary arithmetic and the use of shifts to divide and multiply.

Programming Project

Once again students will also revisit their previous learning by completing a practical assignment to build on and refine their programming skills.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet


 

Year 9 - KS3

TERM

Term One

TOPIC

Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

WHY?

Bringing together their studies form Year 7 and 8 students will revisit computational thinking and apply the concepts to a series of real world problems. They will also look at the role computational thinking plays in problem solving and how this can be used to plan solutions through the use of flow charts and pseudocode. Students will revisit core programming concepts and learn how these are represented in flow charts.

Students will then practise their skills by taking a real life problem, using computational thinking to plan a solution using a flow chart. They will then be given the opportunity to program their solution in Python.

The focus of this term is on the theory of the key processes in algorithmic design – computational thinking, planning and implementation.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet


TERM

Term Two

TOPIC

Advanced Programming and Data Storage

WHY?

Building from work in previous years and in term 1 students will revisit all the key programming constructs they have previously learnt and will be given the opportunity to refine their skills through a series of practical tasks.

Students will be introduced to key data structures such as list and arrays. They will be taught how to store and interrogate sets of data using these structures.

The students will also be introduced to the concepts of functions and procedures, how and why they are used. Students will then be given the opportunity to write an advanced program using the new techniques they have learnt.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet


TERM

Term Three

TOPIC

Advanced Data Representation and Computer Systems

WHY?

Students will revisit their learning from previous years and take a more advanced look at data representation. They will look at the role of Charles Babbage in the binary system and look at how his concepts have survived today. Students will take a closer look at how images and videos are stored and the role of metadata in this.

Students will take a more advanced look at the basic components of a computer system and look at how they interact with each other to perform basic system functions.

Students will also look at logic gates and truth tables. Students will focus on representing AND, OR and NOT.

The Internet and Ethics

Students will study the physical aspects of how the internet works, what is cloud storage and answer the question of where does your data go once it is uploaded?

We will also look closely at the dangers of misinformation, separating fact from fiction and examining the power and influence that modern tech companies have in a global society.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Homework Booklet


 

Year 10 - KS4 - Exam Board OCR

TOPIC

Algorithms

WHY?

Students will learn computational thinking techniques and how to apply them to problem solving and look at the role that it plays in algorithm design.

They will look at the concept of pseudocode and how systems can be represented using flow charts.

They will also look at commonly used sorting and searching algorithms and be able to represent the stages of these in modelled answers.
RESOURCES

Text Book

P64 - 75

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277


TOPIC

Programming

WHY?

Students will look at different data types, casting and operators. Students will be introduced to the concept of variables and practise using these in algorithms.

Students will study the key programming concept of sequence, selection and iteration. Students will have extensive opportunity to practise combining these concepts both practically and in pseudocode form.

We will also study and practise data storage structures such as arrays and linked lists, as well as looking at and practising basic file handling techniques.
RESOURCES

Text Book

P76 - 96

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277

TOPIC

Sub-Programs – Functions and Procedures

WHY?

Students will study how to create algorithmic solutions using sub-programs. They will look at why they are used and the benefits and limitations of doing so within a procedural language.

Design, Testing and IDEs

We will look at defensive design structures and the importance of testing. Students will learn how to make use of both iterative and final testing alongside the use of test data.

Students will take a close look at the common features of modern IDEs and learn how to use test tables to trace values through algorithms.

We will also learn the difference between high and low level languages and the role of the translator in running code.
RESOURCES

Text Book

P94 – 104

P 105 – 116

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277

TOPIC

Components of a Computer System

WHY?

This will begin looking at content for the second paper in the course. Students will take a close look at the CPU, its components and how it makes use of memory registers. We will look at each components role in the fetch – decode – execute cycle.

We will study different types of memory including ROM, RAM, Virtual memory and compare different types of secondary storage.
RESOURCES

Text Book

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277


TOPIC

System Software
System Performance

WHY?

In this unit we will study the main functions of both the operating system and common utility software. We will then look at how these systems and components all work together to store and process data.

We will look at all the different factors that can affect system performance. This will include the effects of increasing the amount of RAM and Cache memory and upgrading different components.

RESOURCES

Text Book

P1 -12

P7

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277

TOPIC

Networks

WHY?

We will look at the key features of LAN and WAN networks and their uses and limitations. We will take a look at the common hardware found in networks such as NIC, Switches, Routers and Servers.

We will look at Wireless Networks and the factors that affect network performance. We will also study the key features of client server and peer-to peer networks alongside different network topologies.

Programming Project

During the final weeks of the summer term we will complete the programming project which brings together everything the students learnt in terms 1,2 and 3.

This consists of a 20 hour project where students will be given a problem to design, create and test a solution in a controlled environment.

This is a compulsory component of the course.
RESOURCES

Text Book

P34 - 40


Year 11 - KS4 - Exam Board AQA

TOPIC

Networks and The Internet

WHY?

In this unit we will study the concepts of protocols and why they are needed. We will look at major sets of protocols used and their role in the functioning of the internet. We will study packet switching and how this is used to break down and transfer data across the internet.

We will then look at different network threats and the different methods to prevent them. We will study the concept of humans being the weak part in a system and how we can guard against this.
RESOURCES

Text Book

P43 - 50

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277

TOPIC

Ethical and Cultural Issues

Legal Issues

WHY?

We will study the ethical issues of modern technology and impact it has had on society. We will look at the environmental impact, the digital divide and methods of addressing this.

We will look at the different types of software license including open source and proprietary, including the benefits and limitations of each.

We will also look at the copyright act, the computer misuse act and other relevant legislation.

RESOURCES

Text Book

P51 – 63

Recommended Revision Guide:

S Robson and PM Heathcote, GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, OCR J277

TOPIC

Revision and Practice

WHY?
The remainder of the year will be focussed on revising content and practice to prepare for the final exams.
RESOURCES

N/A