Computer Science

We want all our students to be good, confident users of technology; equipped with computational thinking skills enabling them to be problem solvers, innovators and creators.

CURRICULUM RATIONALE

We want all our students to be good, confident users of technology; equipped with computational thinking skills enabling them to be problem solvers, innovators and creators.  We aim to foster a love of learning and ignite an interest in computer science and digital media.

Success in computing enables learners to apply their computational thinking skills independently when solving problems. To do this we aim to provide a knowledge rich curriculum that is inspiring and has a practical approach to learning. The computational knowledge and skills developed by learners will enable them to be prepared to live in a digital world but also provide them with a secure foundation to access a computing or STEM related career aspiration. 

Newbridge learners come from a diverse range of backgrounds and from across lots of different primary schools where their previous learning has been dependent on the availability of resources or computing specialists. We want learners at the end of their learning journey to feel confident and competent when using technology. This is done by giving learners the opportunity to practice and apply their theoretical knowledge through the use of digital products. 

KEY STAGE 3 

To ensure that the breadth of the Computing curriculum is covered at Key Stage 3 we have adopted the CAS Computing Progression Pathways. Teachers teach from a suite of topics which are assessed against these progression pathways. We ensure that learning is both spaced and sequenced so by the end of Key stage 3 each learner will have been assessed against each pathway evenly. 

The Key Stage (KS) 3 curriculum is intended to prepare students to take either a computer science or digital media pathway at KS4.

CURRICULUM PLAN: KEY STAGE 3

	Topic
Year 7	Computer Fundamentals/E-Safety
	Networks
	Block-based Programming 1
	Representations: From Clay to Silicone
	Block-based Programming 2
Year 8	Introduction to Python Programming
	Media: Vector graphics
	Developing for the web
	Physical Computing
	Computing Systems
Year 9	Python programming with sequences of data
	Representations: going audio visual
	Cyber Security
	Student programming project