Computing
At the Mandeville School, we passionately believe that digital literacy, the capability to problem solve and a grounded understanding of how computers work is vital for our students in this technologically changing world. With a full appreciation of the challenges our children face in their own lives, we understand that our students need to be ‘future-ready,’ professional users and innovators of technology. The Computing curriculum is designed with the intent to give our students the best opportunity to engage with new and emerging technology fearlessly and with excitement for their future, whilst developing resilience through problem solving activities and hands on learning.
Computing is important to our students to ensure that they can connect, communicate, and collaborate with a global community safely and responsibly, allowing them to flourish in their lives beyond the classroom. Our curriculum is designed to support students in exploring the various tools and platforms to enhance their experience of technologies that currently exist and have not yet been invented. Our intent is to inspire a curiosity and love for all forms of technology, powering a desire to solve any problem that their future may present.
KS3 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
In Key Stage Three, the curriculum is broken into three strands which are studied over the three years. By the end of year 9, our students will be able to demonstrate the following age-related skills, knowledge and understanding underpinning each strand:
Computer Science
- Able to problem solve using effective and efficient methods of algorithmic design
- Demonstrate an understanding of algorithms, abstraction, decomposition.
- Able to create, view and debug algorithms.
- Be able to interpret binary numbers, completing simple operations on binary numbers.
- Have repeated, practical use of constructing, analysing, and testing computer programs using a range of programming languages, one of which would be text based.
Information Technology
- Understand how digital graphics, websites and other technologies can be used to represent information in a range of ways, inclusive of the concept that information can be presented in a biased, incomplete way.
- Able to plan, construct and evaluate a range of different projects to a professional standard, understanding how clients or target audiences can have an impact on design.
- Analyse data and model different scenarios with an understanding of how the skillsets can be used in a real-life application.
- Understand how hardware and software components make up a computer system and can define how data is transferred around such a system.
Digital Literacy
- Understand how to use technology, including a range of modes of communication, safely, responsible, respectfully, and securely.
- Recognise how to keep their online persona safe and private, what can be classed as inappropriate content, contact, and conduct, and know how to report concerns.
- Have a clear idea of the impact technology can have on a community, local to global.
- Understand how technology has an impact on people, recognising how the digital divide might impact on their lives.
- Develop methods of working that can be used at higher levels, in particular producing documents and projects that represent their capabilities in an efficient and professional manner.
- Feel empowered to make use of technology to innovate and explore the world they live and work in.
KS 4 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
At KS4 students have a choice of routes open to them as we offer both the traditional GCSE Computer Science course or the more vocational BTEC Digital Information Technology. The mix of course allows students to pick the route most suited to their interest and aptitude. With the digital world changing and developing at an unprecedented rate, our students need to have the perseverance to adapt to tackle as yet unseen technological advances. Therefore these courses have been chosen as they will ready our students to be part of that resilient workforce with a host of transferable skills at their fingertips. Whatever the intended Post 16 route, students will find themselves prepared for an extended course of study in academia or a smooth transition into the world of work complete with and understanding of the fascinating and exhilarating digital environment.
