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Computer Science
Curriculum Intent
Preparing students for their life after Mossley Hollins. We aim to help students become creative, safe and whose actions online are in line with their offline character.
Curriculum Spine
| Y7 | To ensure that learners know how to use digital devices safely both in school and in the wider world. To ensure that students understand that their behaviours online should be in line with the high expectations of them off line. To develop learners with the confidence to use a range of software tools and show a high standard of digital literacy with a range of transferable skills. To allow students to investigate the positives and negatives that developments in technology have impacted the real world. To be introduced to a range of programming concepts. |
| Y8 | We aim to develop an interest in computer science and give pupils an experience of a range of ICT and computing activities at Key Stage 3 in order for them to make an informed choice about options at Key Stage 4. To ensure that students understand the ever-changing world around them and the force that technology has in this. We aim to prepare students for the real world by giving students real life decision to make with technology. |
| Y9 | To ensure that students are given a real-life experience of how ICT can be used to support their lives in the wider world. To use ICT creatively in real-life situations in the real world |
| Y10 | To further develop a mastery of a variety of programming techniques to ensure independence when solving computational problems. To ensure that students know how computer systems work and to develop memory training techniques to help foster their knowledge development. |
| Y11 | To allow students to make the final step in their school career and prepare students for their next steps with a myriad of transferable skills to utilise, both in and out of education. |
Year 7 Term 1
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESafety and DTP | This is the first unit of work that students will complete at Mossley Hollins. Throughout the unit students will deepen their understanding of ESafety. They will also learn skills which will help them not only in this subject but in all other subjects as well as outside of the school environment. | E-safety Leaflet | Speak to your child about how to stay safe online using the resources in the Newsflash |
Year 7 Term 2
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students are introduced to both simulation software in the real world and spreadsheets in the real world | Students are introduced to both simulation software in the real world and spreadsheets in the real world | Students develop their skills using a range of spreadsheet and simulation tasks using both self, peer and teacher assessment. The final piece is a formal teacher assessment utilising all of the skills gained throughout the unit | Speak to your child about finance, profit/loss. Real-life uses of spreadsheets |
Year 7 Term 3
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo – Introduction to Programming Concepts | Students are introduced to text based programming using MSW Logo. Students will be introduced to several programming concepts including: sequences, iteration, procedures and parameters | Students develop their skills using a range of programming concepts and are assessed via a written examination | Discuss programming basics using the BBC website |
Year 8 Term 1
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Out Your Home – Desktop Publishing | Students are first of all boost their skills using desktop publishing software. Students then research their ideal 6 items of technology, including information such as: the item, specifications, why it would be useful for them to have it, price, and image. Students then create a leaflet for their parents/carers explaining the different items and the usefulness of them | Summative assessment of the leaflet. Formative assessment of skills throughout the unit | Talk to your child about the different types of technology that you use in day-to-day life |
Year 8 Term 2
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python – Introduction to Text Based Programming | Students build on their understanding of text-based programming. Students will use the key programming concepts of: selection, iteration, sequencing, lists/arrays and subroutines (procedures) | Peer Assessment of each challenge sheet. Spot check Teacher Assessment of the challenges. Teacher Assessment of the final piece where students create their own ‘guess the number game’ | Discuss programming basics using the BBC website |
Year 8 Term 3
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Digital Revolution | This is primarily a theory unit covering a wealth of different computing aspects. Students will learn about binary addition, Boolean logic, searches, sorts, hardware, software and impact that technology has had on the world | Summative assessment of the essay. Formative assessment throughout the unit | Talk to your child about how technology has changed over the years |
| Micro:bits | Students will be introduced to some key programming concepts using the BBC Micro:bits.. Once student have a variety of skills they will create a ‘McDonalds Happy Meal Toy’ using their skills | Peer Assessment of each challenge sheet. Spot check Teacher Assessment of the challenges. Teacher Assessment of the final piece | Discuss programming basics using the BBC website |
Year 9 Term 1
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your Child |
| Creative Projects and Life Skills | This unit will combine aspects of both the Like Skills and Computer Science Curriculum using elements. Students will learn about the real world by looking at house, car and holiday prices. Students will learn about the impact of a change in interest rate, whilst using their Computer Science skills search the www effectively and use ICT to present the information. Students will conduct primary research to help impact their decisions when creating a new snack bar to be located at MHHS. Students will utilize a range of programs to combine their findings for the project | Students will complete a range of tasks throughout the unit based on rea-life scenarios and be assessed throughout | Speak to your child about the real world. The purpose of this unit is to students an insight in to the future. |
Year 9 Term 2
| Databases | Students are introduced to databases and their real-world applications. Students will design, search and sort using Boolean logic. Students will also be introduced to binary and will perform binary to denary conversion and binary addition | Students will develop their skills throughout the unit completing a range of real-life databases scenarios, which will be teacher assessed | Speak to your child about how databases are used in the real-world. The importance keeping information safe. |
Year 9 Term 3
| Multimedia Products and Life Skills and idea.org.uk | This unit will combine aspects of both the Like Skills and Computer Science Curriculum using elements. Students will create an Interactive Multimedia Product to develop their computing capabilities whilst discovering information in the like skills curriculum | Students will create a multimedia product based on a real-life scenario. | Speak to your child about how technology is used and interacted with in the real-world |
GCSE Computer Science Course Content:
This course offers students a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of how computers work and to create and debug their own computer programs. Computer Science develops valuable programming and computational thinking skills, which are increasingly relevant in a wide variety of jobs. During the course you will cover the following:
Computational thinking: this is the process of thinking through a complex problem, taking the time to understand what the problem is and then develop potential solutions for evaluation. These are then presented in a way that a computer, a human, or both, can understand.
Theoretical content: here you will understand the fundamentals of data representation and computer networks. You will learn about the computer systems that you will create and use and also delve in to the world of cyber security and ethical legal and environmental impacts of digital technology.
Aspects of software development: you will learn how to implement and test a design to make sure it works effectively. You will also learn how to evaluate and refine a computer program.
How you will be Assessed:
| Paper 1: Computational thinking and programming skills |
| What’s assessed Computational thinking, code tracing, problem-solving, programming concepts including the design of effective algorithms and the designing, writing, testing and refining of code.The content for this assessment will be drawn from subject content 3.1 and 3.2 above. |
| How it’s assessed Written exam: 2 hours 90 marks 50% of GCSE |
| Questions A mix of multiple choice, short answer and longer answer questions assessing programming, practical problem-solving and computational thinking skills. |
| Paper 2: Computing concepts |
| What’s assessed The content for this assessment will be drawn from subject content 3.3 to 3.8 above. |
| How it’s assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 90 marks 50% of GCSE |
| Questions A mix of multiple choice, short answer, longer answer and extended response questions assessing SQL programming skills and theoretical knowledge. |