Computer Science
Subject Leader: Mr Matt Edmunds - m.edmunds@lavington.wilts.sch.uk
Year 7
What are we studying?
Students will complete up to 6 units of work over the year.
Year 7 is a critical year for establishing key computational thinking skills. Students will be studying:
Computer Hardware
E-Safety
Computational Thinking
Programming with Scratch
Programming with Python
Data Representation
How are we assessed?
Students will be assessed with an end of topic test at the end of each unit. This information will be used to inform teaching and learning but will not be communicated home. The students will complete 2 key assessments each year. These assessments will cover all topics learned up until that point and these scores will be communicated home. The reports will highlight areas of strength and areas to improve.
How are we grouped?
Groupings in Year 7 are initially based on the KS2 SATs scores and students are placed into one of 2 bands accordingly to ability; each band having 3 sets. For the whole of Year 7 students will be in the same set for Science.
These groups are reviewed and adjusted and anyone clearly mis-placed is moved as soon as possible. Set changes during the course of Year 7 are difficult because there needs to be agreement between subjects to any moves. Therefore it is often the case that set movements do not take place until the end of the year. These movements will be based on assessments and work completed during the course of Year 7.
What homework are we expected to do?
Per 6 week term, there are generally 2 key homework tasks that a student will complete. Usually the tasks will be based on the school’s homework system. Some units of work may require longer preparation and may be in the form of mini-projects completed independently by the students. Tracking, feedback and marking are all controlled on the Show my Homework.
Careers in Computer Science
Careers is linked to our curriculum for Gatsby Benchmark 4 in Key stage 3 in the following ways:
- In National Careers week all KS3 lessons have careers related starter activities which directly link the subject with the world of work which culminates in the department creating a display of evidence to illustrate the work and student engagement.
What can parents do to help?
A PC at home would be advantageous. There is no requirement for a student to have his or her own computer/laptop/tablet. A broadband connection to the internet would allow easy access to Office 365 or Show my homework. All software that we use in class is either free to download at home, or has free equivalents with compatibility.
Year 8
What are we studying?
Students will complete the following units of study:
Python Programming
Animation
E-Safety
Data representation
Networks
Computing History
How are we assessed?
Students will be assessed with an end of topic test at the end of each unit. This information will be used to inform teaching and learning but will not be communicated home. The students will complete 2 key assessments each year. These assessments will cover all topics learned up until that point and these scores will be communicated home. The reports will highlight areas of strength and areas to improve.
How are we grouped?
Groupings in Year 7 are initially based on the KS2 SATs scores and students are placed into one of 2 bands accordingly to ability; each band having 3 sets. For the whole of Year 7 students will be in the same set for French, ICT and Humanities subjects.
These groups are reviewed and adjusted and anyone clearly mis-placed is moved as soon as possible. Set changes during the course of Year 7 are difficult because there needs to be agreement between all of these subjects to any moves. Therefore it is often the case that set movements do not take place until the end of the year. These movements will be based on assessments and work completed during the course of Year 7.
What homework are we expected to do?
Per 6 week term, there are generally 2 homework tasks that will be set on the Satchel One app. This will take the form of retrieval quizzes or literacy based tasks aimed at improving the use of computer science vocabulary.
Careers in Computer Science
Careers is linked to our curriculum for Gatsby Benchmark 4 in Key stage 3 in the following ways:
- In National Careers week all KS3 lessons have careers related starter activities which directly link the subject with the world of work which culminates in the department creating a display of evidence to illustrate the work and student engagement.
What can parents do to help?
A broadband connection would allow easy access to Office 365.
Year 9
What are we studying?
Students will be complete the following units of study:
Python Programming
Graphics
E-Safety
HTML
How are we assessed?
Students will be assessed with an end of topic test at the end of each unit. This information will be used to inform teaching and learning but will not be communicated home. The students will complete 2 key assessments each year. These assessments will cover all topics learned up until that point and these scores will be communicated home. The reports will highlight areas of strength and areas to improve.
How are we grouped?
Groupings in Year 9 are initially based on the KS2 SATs scores and students are placed into one of 2 bands accordingly to ability; each band having 3 sets. For the whole of Year 9 students will be in the same set for French, ICT and Humanities subjects.
These groups are reviewed and adjusted and anyone clearly mis-placed is moved as soon as possible
What homework are we expected to do?
Per 6 week term, there are generally 2 homework tasks that will be set on the Satchel One app. This will take the form of retrieval quizzes or literacy based tasks aimed at improving the use of computer science vocabulary.
Careers in Computer Science
Careers is linked to our curriculum for Gatsby Benchmark 4 in Key stage 3 in the following ways:
- In National Careers week all KS3 lessons have careers related starter activities which directly link the subject with the world of work which culminates in the department creating a display of evidence to illustrate the work and student engagement.
What can parents do to help?
A broadband connection would allow easy access to Office 365.
Years 10 and 11
What are we studying?
- ·GCSE Computer Science
COMPUTER SCIENCE GCSE (OCR):
- ·Gives learners a real, in-depth understanding of how computer technology works
- ·Provides excellent preparation for higher study and employment in computer science
- ·Develop critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving skills.
This is an exciting and challenging course, perhaps one of the toughest GCSEs on offer! A proven interest in computer programming and a higher set in maths is a prerequisite.
What are we studying?
The students will be studying the following topics -
Component 01: Computer systems
Introduces students to the central processing unit (CPU), computer memory and storage, data representation, wired and wireless networks, network topologies, system security and system software. It also looks at ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns associated with computer science.
Component 02: Computational thinking, algorithms and programming
Students apply knowledge and understanding gained in component 01. They develop skills and understanding in computational thinking: algorithms, programming techniques, producing robust programs, computational logic and translators.
How are we assessed?
•The students will be assessed by 2 x 90 Minute Exams at the end of year 11.
•To ensure preparedness they will have end of topic tests to help inform teaching and learning.
How are we grouped?
Students will be in mixed ability groups for this qualification.
What homework are we expected to do?
Homework will be set every 2 weeks and will be focused on either improving programming skills or knowledge retrieval.
What can parents do to help?
Practice of programming skills is essential, so please ensure that students have access to a device where they can hone their skills at home.
