Back to top

Canon Slade School

Canon Slade School As a Church of England School, we seek to provide
an excellent education within a Christian environment
to fulfil individual potential and to prepare pupils
for life and service in a rapidly changing world. Ora et Labora
Pray and Work

Computer Science

Intent

We will deliver an ambitious, challenging and well planned curriculum, adapted for all students, which covers the core concepts and knowledge students need to become confident and safe users of computer systems in the modern world.

From healthcare to entertainment, from  investment banking to sport, the modern digital world is a complex one and computer systems, both simple and complex, pervade every aspect of life. Our students will leave KS3 able to operate effectively in a world driven by ICT and computer systems and be able to put those skills to use in other areas of their life and study, wherever they are needed.

Simply put, we wish to develop the best computer scientists in the country. We will do this by delivering a challenging and structured curriculum, adapted to enable all students to develop strong problem solving skills and the ability to think independently.

Students in KS4 will build on the core concepts covered at KS3 but will develop the confidence to speak with authority and with good technical understanding, about all aspects of Computer Science. Students leaving KS4 should be fully prepared for the next stage of study.

You have grown in a world where technology is evolving rapidly, creating new subject areas to explore and changing the way people work in every area from medicine and fashion to engineering and economics.

GCSE Computer Science explores the principles of digital technology and a way of working that is called ‘computational thinking’, with programming as a core part of the course. You need to be able to think logically, solve puzzles and be tenacious and resilient when the going gets tough. However, it is also a very creative subject and you will get a real buzz out of getting something to work yourself, especially when programming. If you have enjoyed the programming you have done during KS3 then you might find that computing is for you.

Computer Science will make you think. It will stretch you and test your powers of logic and patience. It might even drive you a little crazy at times. Computer Science is serious fun!

The Learning Journey KS3 and KS4

computer science learning journey.pdf

The Learning Journey KS5

computer science ks5 learning journey.pdf

Assessment Calendar

computer science assessment calendar.pdf

By Year 11 a student of Computer Science will have:

  • developed their knowledge of computer systems, how the key components work and are linked together to form a complete system
  • developed their understanding of the legal, ethical and societal impacts of computing
  • effectively applied the fundamental concepts, principles and mathematical skills, using analytical, logical and evaluative computational thinking, to a wide range of complex problems
  • developed and refined a complete solution that meets the requirements of a set problem
  • developed their knowledge of solving a wide range of problems using computational methods and be able to illustrate their solutions using a range of tools such as pseudocode or flowcharts
  • developed their ability to create solutions to a range of computational problems by implementing their own computer programs using a range of set algorithms as well as those they have developed themselves.
  • developed their ability to read and trace code written by others and be able to identify what function the code performs and identify errors or issues with it
  • understand the concept of algorithm efficiency
  • developed an understanding of how computers work at a fundamental level and how computers can be used to represent a range of data, including images, sounds and text.
  • developed an understanding of the basic concepts around how computers communicate and how networks work and can be used to transmit data
  • developed their understanding of a range of cyber security threats, including social engineering and identify some ways in which these threats can be mitigated

 

By Year 13 a student of Computer Science will have: 

  • developed a deep and thorough knowledge of computer systems, including how processors work at a fundamental level and how the key components work and are linked together to form a complete system
  • developed their understanding of the legal, ethical and societal impacts of computing and can apply this knowledge to form their own thoughts and opinions on current issues such as artificial intelligence, censorship and automated decision making among others.
  • Developed an understanding of how computer systems can be managed by operating systems and the range of factors which affect the performance of systems and the way these can be improved.
  • developed an understanding of the ways that large systems can be developed and the benefits and disadvantages of the different approaches
  • had experience of programming in a range of different languages and styles, including the use of Object Oriented techniques, assembly language and web programming.
  • effectively applied the fundamental concepts, principles and mathematical skills, using analytical, logical and evaluative computational thinking, to a wide range of complex problems
  • developed and refined a complete solution that meets the requirements of a very substantial problem of their own choosing
  • developed their knowledge of solving a very wide range of problems using computational methods and be able to illustrate their solutions using a range of tools such as pseudocode or flowcharts
  • developed their ability to create solutions to a very wide range of computational problems by implementing their own computer programs using a range of set algorithms as well as those they have developed themselves.
  • developed their ability to read and trace complex code, including code which makes use of Object Oriented techniques and ‘dot’ notation. Be able to identify what function the code performs and identify errors or issues with it or how it might be improved.
  • understand the concept of algorithm efficiency including the use of standard notation such as Big O to compare different algorithms in terms of time and space.
  • developed an understanding of how computers work at a fundamental level and how computers can be used to represent a range of data, including images, sounds and text.
  • developed a deep understanding of how computers can communicate over a network and the range of protocols used as well as how these protocols can work together within the TCP/IP stack.
  • developed their understanding of a range of cyber security threats, including social engineering and identified a range of ways in which these threats can be mitigated including the use of encryption techniques.
  • understand the range of ways that data can be structured in computer programs and how these data structures can be created, managed and traversed, including the use of array, lists, records, tuples, graphs, linked lists, stacks, queues, hash tables and trees.
  • developed an understanding of how Boolean algebra and logic, can be applied to the development of computer circuits, the logic associated with a range of different set circuits including half/full adders and D-Type flip flops and apply this knowledge to help explain how circuits can be simplified.