“Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living” – Nicholas Negroponte
Welcome to the Computing department
This isn’t just about using a computer—it’s about understanding the digital universe we live in. Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to transform students from simply being users of technology into confident digital creators, problem-solvers, and responsible citizens. We aim to equip every student with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
Our curriculum is built upon three equally vital and interconnected pillars
- Computer Science: This is where students learn the fundamentals of logic and programming.
- Information Technology (IT): Students learn how computers operate, and how data is effectively stored, retrieved, transmitted, and manipulated. This pillar teaches practical application and production skills.
- Digital Literacy: The ability to effectively, safely, responsibly, and critically navigate, evaluate, and create digital content using a range of technologies. This ensures students are prepared for life in the digital world. This is a thread that runs through all Key Stage Three units of work.
Fit for Life
Computing is everywhere, and being ‘Fit for Life’ now means being fit for the digital world, too. Our curriculum places online safety and responsible behaviour at its heart, preparing students to thrive in digital communities and manage their personal presence. We focus on:
- Cyber Security: Learning how to protect yourself and your data from common threats like social engineering, malware, and hacking.
- Digital Ethics: Understanding the law, your rights, and how to use technology responsibly, with a focus on consent and personal boundaries.
Resilient
We empower students to become resilient digital citizens, able to identify and confidently respond to threats and challenges online.
- Critical Evaluation: Developing healthy scepticism to spot fake personas, manipulated content (including AI-generated tricks), and misleading information.
- Risk Management: Learning to make safe decisions, set secure passwords, adjust privacy settings, and respond calmly to worrying situations.
- Reporting Concerns: Knowing the correct and trusted channels (in school and nationally) to effectively report serious concerns like online grooming or radicalisation.
Considerate
Becoming a considerate digital citizen means being respectful and understanding the impact of your online actions.
- Digital Footprint & Reputation: Students learn that everything they do online leaves a permanent trail. We teach them how to reflect critically on their online behaviour to build a positive reputation.
- Online Communication: We focus on the importance of respectful digital communications and using tools like school email and group chats correctly.
- Supporting Others: We build empathy by teaching students how to identify and report issues such as cyberbullying and peer-on-peer abuse, and how to be a supportive bystander.
Skilled
Through Computer Science and Information Technology, we provide the practical skills to become a creator and innovator in the digital age.
- Programming Fundamentals: Students learn to plan computational tasks using flowcharts and apply core logic through projects in Scratch and Python.
- Creative Design & Production: We teach industry-standard concepts for planning and creating digital artefacts, including:
- Digital Graphics: Mastering the differences between bitmap and vector images and using tools like layers for complex design.
- Web Development: Structuring content and building basic websites using HTML.
- Planning Tools: Applying design principles and using tools like Mind Maps and Mood Boards to plan media production.
Technical Knowledge: Students gain an understanding of how technology works, from the basic functions of computer hardware to the fundamental principles of networks and the internet.