According to Douglas Engelbart (early computer pioneer) ‘the digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even printing.’ Within our ever-changing world, one whereby on the day of release, technology is instantly outdated, we want to create and empower our next generation of computer scientists and programmers with the springboard for future inventing and success whilst also ensuring computing and technological literacy, competency and safety to all students. We strive to create a high-quality computing curriculum which equips students to use computational thinking and to understand and change the world. Our curriculum is intertwined with key skills within mathematics, science and design technology and offers an exciting blend of scientific/mathematical thinking and creativity.
Throughout our curriculum we equip students with the knowledge to dissect how digital systems work – including programming – so that students themselves can create programs and systems. Our aim is to ensure our students can safely use digital platforms and express themselves digitally to ensure they remain confident and assured within future platforms and workplaces, with the transferable knowledge and skills to continue to keep up with computational advances throughout their lifetimes.
At Westhoughton, our computing curriculum is constantly developing to encompass new technologies alongside important elements of Digital Literacy. The curriculum will provide new challenges and opportunities that will excite and empower both our students and teachers, which will ultimately allow creativity, inventiveness and imagination to be nurtured. At Westhoughton, we want to create responsible, competent, confident and creative users of digital information who can evaluate and apply new or unfamiliar technologies through the base knowledge we shaped and created. Empowering our learners with this knowledge not only takes our local community forward into the next century, but allows for global opportunities for our learners within this universal language.
Please see parental overview of the courses in KS3 and KS4 below.
Key Stage 3
| Carousel: Computing | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 |
| Topics Studied |
Digital Citizenship
Students learn of organisation within Computing as well as basic proficiencies within Microsoft. Safety of being online features heavily Using Media: students learn basic software skills and legislation, trustworthiness of sources–for example: word processing, spreadsheet, desk top publishing, copyright, researching and blogging Desk Top Publishing Students learn to create documents used by businesses. Introduction to Data Representation: students explore the concept of Data Representation Binary, ASCII, binary addition, Hexadecimal Number Systems and Conversions Introduction to Control Technologies: students learn the basic skills they need to understand algorithms, the construction of flow charts and the use and sequencing of events via Flowol Introduction to Scratch: students explore the features of Scratch graphical programming software |
Introduction to Data Representation: students explore the concept of Data Representation Binary, ASCII, binary addition, Hexadecimal Number Systems and Conversions
Introduction to Control Technologies: students learn the basic skills they need to understand algorithms, the construction of flow charts and the use and sequencing of events via Flowol Introduction to Scratch: students explore the features of Scratch graphical programming software Introduction to Podcasting: students explore the rudiments of Audacity, examining how to manipulate the tools to produce high quality audio Introduction to Website Design: students learn to design, create and evaluate a website. Desk Top Publishing: Students learn to create documents used by businesses. |
Spreadsheet Modelling: Introduction to data, information, formatting, formula, functions and graphs
Introduction to how devices/computers work: input, process, output. To understand the insides of Personal Computers (PC), software/hardware, RAM/ROM and permanent storage devices Introduction to Graphics software: Photopea Python: To explore the concept of Python – a Text-Based Programming Introduction to Computer Science Cybersecurity: Students learn about the importance of data and how humans actions can make data more vulnerable to theft and exploitation. Students learn about common cyberattacks and measures to help protect IT systems. Students learn about the laws protecting data |
| Skills and Key Knowledge Taught |
-Creating a memorable and secure password for an account on the school network
-Recognise the attributes of a respectful email -Describe how to communicate with peers online -Describe cyberbullying and the effects of cyberbullying -Understand the schools AUP log on to the school system -E-safety (passwords, cyberbullying, stranger danger topics) -Folder structure -Presenting to an audience -Understand different software features and their use -Understand appropriate images online -Copyright designs and patents act -How to give peer feedback and responding to feedback -Credibility of sources -Recognising fake news -Researching, acknowledging sources and creating a blog -Learn about business documents -Recognise that computers follow the control flow of input/process/output -Predict and modify the outcome of a simple sequence -Predict the outcome of a simple sequence that includes variables -Trace the values of variables within a sequence -Make a sequence that includes a variable -Create conditions that use comparison operators (>,<,=) -Create conditions that use logic operators (and/or/not) -Define iteration as a group of instructions that are repeatedly executed -Implement count-controlled iteration in a program -Detect and correct errors in a program (debugging) -Algorithms and Flowol program |
-Recognise that computers follow the control flow of input/process/output
-Predict and modify the outcome of a simple sequence -Predict the outcome of a simple sequence that includes variables -Trace the values of variables within a sequence -Make a sequence that includes a variable -Create conditions that use comparison operators (>,<,=) -Create conditions that use logic operators (and/or/not) -Define iteration as a group of instructions that are repeatedly execute -Implement count -controlled iteration in a program -Detect and correct errors in a program (debugging) -Binary number system (conversion of binary to denary and reversed) -ASCII and Hex will be introduced to most able -Algorithms and Flowol program -Learn about business documents -Rudiments of web design and podcasting
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Calculations, data, information, graphs, analysis, formulae, functions, formatting, primary and secondary sources and context.
Input, process, output, motherboard, CPU, software/hardware, RAM/ROM and permanent storage devices (secondary). -Rudiments of graphic design -Predict and modify the outcome of a simple sequence -Predict the outcome of a simple sequence that includes variables -Trace the values of variables within a sequence -Make a sequence that includes a variable -Create conditions that use comparison operators (>,<,=) -Create conditions that use logic operators (and/or/not) -Define iteration as a group of instructions that are repeatedly executed -Implement count-controlled iteration in a program -Detect and correct errors in a program (debugging) -data, privacy and the law -types of social engineering -hacking -Malware Cyber threat, prevention and protection
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