Computer science

Computer Science is an essential part of life and is now integrated into many parts of our daily activities.

The Computer Science curriculum provides students with the knowledge of how a computer works and the skills to be able to use them effectively. Computer science sits at the boundary between science and mathematics, it is deeply rooted in logic and remains, in principle, a very scientific process. There is a great demand in all industries for computer literate employees as well as specialists as businesses increasingly rely more on IT systems and programs to support business decisions.

In our department, we have a strong team of enthusiastic teachers who support students and ensure they achieve the best possible grades.

Miss A Winter (Head of Computer Science)
Mr J Hubbard (Teacher of Computer Science)

Key Stage Three

We have introduced a refreshed curriculum at KS3 to ensure all pupils develop a deeper understanding of the digital world that surrounds them – Where does it come from? How does it work? And how can we use it in a safe and effective way to improve the quality of our lives?

Year 7 students are taught in their tutor groups and receive two Computer Science lessons a fortnight. They will study:

· Introducing Computing

· Computer Systems

· Computational Thinking

· Data Representation

· Networks and the Internet

· Programming

Year 8 students are taught in mixed ability sets and receive two Computer Science lessons a fortnight. They will study:

· Networks and the Internet

· Spreadsheets

· Computer Systems

· Programming

· Data Representation

· Application Development

Year 9 students are taught in mixed ability sets and receive three Computer Science lessons a fortnight. They will study:

· Computational Thinking

· Data Representation

· Programming

· Networks and the Internet

· Photograph Editing

· Computer Systems

· Impacts of Technology

· Web Development

Key Stage Four

As a GCSE option subject, students will receive five lessons of Computer Science a fortnight. Students opting for this subject will cover the following:

Paper 1 - Computer Systems

This paper covers the theory of the Computer Science course. This is broken down into eight sections:

· Systems Architecture

· Memory

· Storage

· Wired and Wireless Networks

· Network Topologies, Protocols and Layers

· System Security

· Systems Software

· Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental Issues

Paper 2 - Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

This paper covers the practical element of the Computer Science course. This is broken down into six sections:

· Algorithms

· Programming Techniques

· Producing Robust Programs

· Computational Logic

· Translators and Facilities of Languages

· Data Representation

Practical Programming

In addition to the two exam papers, students will be given the opportunity to develop their programming skills and solve a variety of programming problems.

Exam Specification: OCR - Computer Science GCSE (J276)

Key Stage Five

Reepham College offers A-level Computer Science. Please refer to the college website & prospectus for more details.

www.reephamcollege.com/for-students-and-parents/subjects

Accommodation & Resources

The Computer Science department is situated downstairs in the school and consists of two teaching classrooms. Lessons for the main school are taught in CS1 and CS2 in the main building.

Each classroom has its own interactive whiteboard and teacher computer, with AB Tutor monitoring and demonstration software installed. The classrooms are equipped with 30 PCs for student use which provides students with access to a variety of professional software such as the Adobe Suite (including Photoshop) and Microsoft Office.

Students all have access to Office 365 using their school account and can access resources on Microsoft Teams. GCSE students are also encouraged to use Seneca Learning Online, amongst other platforms, to help with their revision prior to the exams.

Extra Curricular Activity and Trips

The department encourages students to get involved with extra-curricular activities and trips which are regularly run. Some of the activities run are listed below:

Coding Club
Lunchtime support sessions for GCSE and A-Level students
CyberGirls Competition
Trips to Bletchley Park
Duke of York IDEA Award for Digital Enterprise

* For detailed information on the Computer Science curriculum, please refer to the Parents Guide to the Curriculum.

Computer science