Throughout Key Stage 3 students follow a curriculum which studies a broad range of topics and technological concepts. Following the national curriculum guidelines all students at Key Stage 3 will develop a strong foundation knowledge from topics such as Programming, Databases & SQL, Systems Architecture, Networks and even study the ever-growing impact of technology on society. Through studying a broad range of topics, Key Stage 3 pupils will develop mastery skills such as apply computational thinking methods to solving ‘real world’ problems, build connections (mental models) between computational concepts, understand and apply computing language to concepts and how to manipulate & use data in a meaningful way.
Computing
The aim in Computing is to develop both the child’s digital literacy and computational thinking skills so that they may enter into a digital world with a comprehensive understanding of core concepts that underpin how all systems work & function. This is accomplished through teaching pupils core principles from systems architecture to understanding how to program. Digital Literacy seeks to allow pupils to express themselves and develop ideas through information and communication technologies.
Key Stages 3, 4 & 5 Curriculum
At Key Stage 4, the Computing department offers two different pathways designed to allow pupils to enhance and specialise in different areas of technology based Industries. Students interested in developing their knowledge of physical computer systems, programming and networking have the opportunity to study GCSE Computer Science. Whereas pupils who are keen to develop advanced digital literacy skills and are interested in graphics design, web development or even animation have the chance to undertake studying our Cambridge Nationals iMedia course. Both courses are designed to expand on previous concepts taught at Key Stage 3 and allow pupils to develop a depth of knowledge from topics more suited to developing skills which will suit their selected vocations.
At Key Stage 5, pupils have a number of choices for their post 16 education. Should students wish to develop immediate industry knowledge and enjoy work based learning they can elect to study the Digital Production T level we offer. This course is designed to allow pupils to get a real taste of what it’s like working in Computing-based fields, along with classroom study that is designed to improve pupils knowledge of programming languages and key networking concepts further to prepare them for the industry itself.
Pupils may also elect to study A level Computer Science that provides students with a chance to study topics such as systems software, data representation and even carry out their programming project as part of the course. All of these topics allow them to develop software engineering skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of advanced computer systems.
For pupils wishing to continue to enhance their digital literacy skills to an industry standard there is also the opportunity to study the Cambridge Technical course in IT. Here students can learn to develop skills in producing 3D graphical design and further develop their knowledge of contemporary computer systems through research into augmented/virtual reality, as well as mobile technologies.
