Computer Science
Computers, ICT and technology play an important role in a student’s life, both in and out of the classroom. Ashlyns school prides itself on offering an open approach to using technology in a thoughtful and progressive manner. Through offering students the ability to use technology in all aspects of the curriculum, we aim to equip students for an increasingly online world.
Through their work in the Computer Science (CS) department, students are encouraged to develop informed, intelligent 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. Cross-curricular links with Computing are strongly encouraged and many lessons in other subjects either take place in our shared Computing suites or in the departments themselves. The CS department has suites around the building and there are clusters of computers elsewhere in the school. This arrangement enables departments throughout the school to share centralised resources, including the storage of students’ work, access to material prepared by staff, a wide range of software, access to the Internet and Study Site, etc.
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
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
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
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zvc9q6f
- https://www.python.org/
- http://www.learnpython.org/
- http://www.codecademy.com/
- http://www.w3schools.com/
- http://code.org/learn
- http://www.teach-ict.com
- http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zqmtsbk
- http://www.homeworkelephant.co.uk/
Challenge Curriculum
At Ashlyns, we believe that the development of students’ love of learning is of central importance in our curriculum. In order to give students every opportunity to develop this, we have developed a Challenge Curriculum which provides the opportunity for students to enhance their learning across the subjects. The activities contained within the Challenge Curriculum are for students to undertake independently, and take lots of forms, including watching films or clips, visiting museums, conducting independent research, listening to podcasts, and watching lectures online. They are by no means exhaustive, and we encourage all activities that enable students to engage with subjects beyond the classroom and further their learning. Students should let their teachers know which activities they have completed, and are able to earn merits for doing so.