Computer Science

Subjects

Subjects Sub menu Toggle

At Ashlyns School we pride ourselves on offering an open approach to using technology in a thoughtful and progressive manner. As a Google school, all students start with us in Year 7 with their own chromebook. Our Computer Science curriculum is both fun and stretching, covering aspects of computer science, digital literacy and creativity. Throughout Key Stage 3 students undertake a range of topics which map the Computing Framework including; Python Programming, Networking, AI, Biometrics and Security.

Computer Science at GCSE and A Level is well established and the department has been following the OCR specification for some time. 

Through their work in the CS department, students are encouraged to develop informed and confident attitudes to computers and technology, so that they will develop abilities which, as well as being of value in school, prepare them for their further education and careers. We also have a range of additional hardware to support practical and investigatory style work, this includes; Raspberry Pis, BBC Micro:Bits and much more! Cross-curricular links with other subjects are strong and we offer a variety of extra-curricular clubs including homework club, programming club and revision sessions.

Key Stage 3

 

Year 7

Autumn 1: Google Suite
Autumn 2: Digital  Literacy
Spring 1: Esafety
Spring 2: Using  Computers Safely and Responsibly
Summer 1: Computer  Crime and Cyber Security
Summer 2: Understanding  Computers

Year 8

Autumn 1: Computer  Systems
Autumn 2: Computer Programming using Python 3
Spring 1:  Computational Thinking and Logic
Spring 2: AI and Machine Learning
Summer 1: Control  System (Flowol Flowchart and Pseudo Code)
Summer 2: Digital  Literacy

Year 9

Autumn 1: System  Architecture
Autumn 2: Networks
Spring 1: Computational Thinking / Python Programming
Spring 2: Spreadsheet  Modelling
Summer 1: Biometrics  and Security Aspects of Computing
Summer 2: Sketchup

Key Stage 4

Exam Board: OCR

Year 10

Autumn 1: Systems Architecture; Programming
Autumn 2: Networks; Programming
Spring 1: Algorithms; Programming
Spring 2: Boolean logic and languages; Programming
Summer 1: Programming Project
Summer 2: Programming Project

Year 11

Autumn 1: Network Security
Autumn 2: Systems Software
Spring 1: Ethics
Spring 2: Revision of theory and topics
Summer 1: Revision of theory and topics
Summer 2: Revision of theory and topics

Key Stage 5

Year 12

Autumn 1: The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
Autumn 2: Exchanging Data
Spring 1: Elements of computational thinking; Exchanging Data
Spring 2: Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues; Data Types
Summer 1: Data Types; Problem solving and programming
Summer 2: Project: Analysis of the problem; revision of Y12 topics

Year 13

Autumn 1: Data Types; Project: Design
Autumn 2: Project solving and programming; Project: Develop
Spring 1: Algorithms; Project: Evaluate
Spring 2: Algorithms
Summer 1: Revision of theory and topics
Summer 2: Revision of theory and topics

Exam Board – OCR

Learning Beyond the Classroom

We offer a variety of extra-curricular clubs to support students in their studies and to develop their computing and ICT skills, including homework club, computing and programming club and revision sessions.

Useful links