Computer Science

Computer Science – Key Stage 3 Overview

At Key Stage 3, our Computer Science curriculum helps students become confident, safe, and creative users of technology. We focus on three key strands:

Computer Science – understanding how computers work and learning to program.
Information Technology – using a wide range of software and digital tools to complete tasks and create content.
Digital Literacy – developing the skills to use technology safely, responsibly, and effectively in everyday life.

Please note: Computer Science is taught at Key Stage 3 only in our school.

Our curriculum has been specially designed by our teachers to meet the needs of our students while still following the National Curriculum for Computing. This allows us to provide lessons that are both engaging and relevant to real-world contexts.

Our Aims

Through Computer Science at KS3, we aim to:

Build problem-solving and logical thinking skills.
Give students hands-on experience with programming and coding.
Help students use a range of software confidently for learning and creativity.
Teach how computers, the internet, and networks function in the modern world.
Promote safe, responsible, and respectful use of technology online.

What Students Will Learn

By the end of KS3, students will be able to:

Understand and explore computational thinking and algorithms, and compare different ways of solving problems.
Write and debug programs using both Scratch (block-based coding) and Python (text-based coding), for example creating animations, games, quizzes, or calculators.
Understand how data is stored in binary (for example, how text, images, and sound are represented).
Use spreadsheets to model scenarios such as a budget or a school timetable.
Create digital projects, such as posters, presentations, or multimedia content, using different software tools.
Work with databases to search, sort, and organise information.
Recognise online risks such as:
Scams – phishing, fake shopping websites, scam phone calls, social media scams
Security threats – identity theft, account hacking, malware
Social media risks – cyberbullying, oversharing, misinformation
Discuss the impact of technology on society, including topics such as artificial intelligence, social media, and online privacy.

Progression

Although Computer Science is taught only at Key Stage 3 in our school, the knowledge and skills students gain provide an excellent foundation for:

GCSE and A-level study in subjects such as Mathematics, Science, and Design & Technology.
Everyday life skills such as safe online behaviour, managing information, and solving problems logically.
A wide range of future careers, where digital skills and confident use of technology are increasingly essential.

Key Stage 3

In Key Stage 3 (Years 7 & 8)

Pupils should be taught to:

design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems
understand several key algorithms that reflect computational thinking [for example, ones for sorting and searching]; use logical reasoning to compare the utility of alternative algorithms for the same problem
use two or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a variety of computational problems; make appropriate use of data structures [for example, lists, tables or arrays]; design and develop modular programs that use procedures or functions
understand simple Boolean logic [for example, AND, OR and NOT] and some of its uses in circuits and programming; understand how numbers can be represented in binary, and be able to carry out simple operations on binary numbers [for example, binary addition, and conversion between binary and decimal]
understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems
understand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer system; understand how data of various types (including text, sounds and pictures) can be represented and manipulated digitally, in the form of binary digits
undertake creative projects that involve selecting, using, and combining multiple applications, preferably across a range of devices, to achieve challenging goals, including collecting and analysing data and meeting the needs of known users
create, re-use, revise and re-purpose digital artefacts for a given audience, with attention to trustworthiness, design and usability
understand a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy; recognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and know how to report concerns.

Year 7 Overview for the year 2019/20
Module	Topic	No of Weeks	Progression Pathway mapped to NC
1	E-safety, Security, Social Media and Ethics	7	Digital Literacy
2	History of Computers and Foundations of Computing	8	Computing
3	Introduction to Programming	6	Computing
4	Data Handling and Searching	6	Information Technology
5	How the web works	2	Digital Literacy
6	Web page creation from ground up	5	Computing

Year 8 Overview for the year 2019/20
Module	Topic	No of Weeks	National Curriculum Key Area
1	E-safety Revisited0	7	Digital Literacy
2	Operating Systems	8	Computing
3	Modelling and Simulation	6	Information Technology
4	Binary and Instruction set Design	6	Computing
5	Programming using selection statements and Boolean expressions	5	Computing
6	Connecting to the internet	3	Computing