Computing

“Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible.” - Alan Turing

Our Computing curriculum empowers students to thrive in a dynamic digital world. We prioritise a diverse, ambitious, and inclusive approach, cultivating articulate, confident problem-solvers, creative thinkers, and safe, discerning users of technology.

Our curriculum equips students with practical problem-solving skills, fostering independence, creativity, and the ability to communicate complex computing concepts clearly. Through a balanced focus on Computer Science, IT, and Digital Literacy, students gain essential declarative and procedural knowledge for the modern world.

Students develop problem solving, creative thinking and safety by exploring:

Algorithms - Being able to comprehend, design, create, and evaluate algorithms
Programming - Writing software to allow computers to solve problems.
Data and Information - How data is stored, organised, and used to represent real-world artefacts and scenarios
Artificial Intelligence - Understand the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence, along with its applications and wider impacts
Computer systems - What is a computer, how do its constituent parts function together as a whole
Networks - Understand how networks can be used to retrieve and share information and come with associated risks
Creating media - Select and create a range of media including text, images, sounds and video.
Design and development - The activities involved in planning, creating and evaluating computing artefacts
Effective use of tools - Use software tools to support computing work
Impact of technology - How individuals, systems, and society interact with computer systems
Safety and security - Understanding risks when using technology and how to protect individuals and systems

We continually adapt our curriculum based on the latest research and technological developments, ensuring it remains relevant and engaging for students. Our approach is designed to promote academic excellence while offering students opportunities to explore diverse cultures and contributions within the computing field, nurturing them into well-rounded, responsible global citizens with limitless aspiration to succeed in their future academic and professional endeavours.

Curriculum Documents

Why Computing?

By studying computing, learners will develop their creativity and problem solving skills by giving them requirements to create digital products, and express themselves using suitable software. They will develop computational thinking skills in different contexts in preparation for future employment or study. They will develop a rich and varied technical vocabulary and be able to engage in their work independently whilst being active readers, effective writers and confident speakers.

The core of Computing is Computer Science, where studentss explore Computer Systems, how digital systems work and the development of a solution through Programming and Design. Students also explore IT skills to understand networking and create programs and digital content.

Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate with the necessary skills and knowledge to be an effective, safe and discerning user of a range of computer systems. We teach research approved content from the UK Council for Internet Safety's (UKCIS) framework “Education for a Connected World”. Computing has excellent STEM links in particular with science, engineering, mathematics and the arts.

We also run after school intervention sessions for Year 11, which focuses on examination questions and techniques.

For more information please contact Mr S James, Computing Subject Leader.

To find out more, please click on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-a-connected-world