Knowledge of computer science is fundamental in today’s world, as technology continues to shape the future we live in. Computer Science teaches us to:
- solve problems by breaking them down into manageable components
- by creating solutions, we are required to be creative and logical
- develops independence, skills and a resilient mindset
All of which are valuable, in any pathway that a student chooses to follow.
All students will follow a programme of study based upon the Computing National Curriculum.
All students should be following the latest technology news on a weekly basis, so they are aware of the impact technology is having on people and society.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
The Academy currently offers Computer Science GCSE.
Computer Science
The Computer Science GCSE is the OCR course J277, which is eBacc recognized and comprises two written examination papers. Both papers are taken at the end of Year 11:
Paper 1: Computer Systems – 1 hour 30 minutes (50%)
Paper 2: Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming – 1 hour 30 minutes (50%)
Students also undertake a 20 hour programming project during lesson time to develop their programming skills in design, writing, testing and refining computer programs. The high-level programming language used is Python V3.
Key Stage 3
Students will complete the following units of work, which are project based during Key Stage 3.
Year 7
- Introduction to Holbrook Academy Computing
- Understanding Computers
- Networks – from Semaphore to the Internet
- Programming Essentials in Scratch
- Introduction to Python Programming
- Using Media
Year 8
- Binary
- Cryptography
- Python Next Steps
- Media – Graphics
- Developing for the Web
- Modelling Data – Spreadsheets
Year 9
- Cybersecurity
- Computational Thinking and Logic
- Advanced Python Programming
- Databases
- Representation – Going Audio-Visual
- AI and Machine Learning
Wider Reading Lists Computer Science Reading List