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Computer Science courses aim to equip students with knowledge of the foundations of the subject area and the skills necessary to apply their discipline to real-world problems. In our rapidly changing world, the demand for jobs in Information Technology is growing. The Computer Science department can give pupils the skills they need to succeed in this exciting industry, whether it be digital forensics, ethical hacking or game making.
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The department has three dedicated suites equipped with the latest hardware and software. An additional larger suite can be booked out by teaching staff for their lessons. As well as the standard Microsoft applications, we also have the latest Adobe Creative Suite. All students have remote access to the resources on our school network and are assigned with a personal school email address.
Our department aims to equip our students with the skills they need in the real world. These are not just ICT skills but also problem solving and computational thinking skills. The Key Stage 3 curriculum follows a variety of engaging topics from cyber security, understanding computers, binary calculations, as well as the ethical, legal and moral implications of computers. We also complete projects using database, presentation, web design and animation software. Students are introduced to some simple programming tools in Year 7 and their skills are built upon to complete text based coding, with Python, by Year 9. We follow the OCR Computer Science course at GCSE and A-level and have a good number of students that choose to study this.
Every year we run the Bebras Computational Thinking competition for all Computer Scientists and have seen some excellent results. We also launched the Cyber First Girl’s Competition in 2019. Outside of lessons, students enjoy coming to Coding Club, where they can interact with micro:bits, program the Oh Bot or try out some new coding skills. GCSE IDLE Hour runs for our Key Stage 4 students to give them some additional support with their studies.
| Head of Department | Mrs S McCunn |
|---|---|
| Computer Science teacher: | Mrs J Mattu |
We have established good links with Coventry University and have been attending their workshops with our GCSE and A-level students. Students have enjoyed practical workshops in ethical hacking and game making and it is great to see them working in a university environment. This year our A level students are also attending a super curricular day run by Warwick university called ‘Computer Science in Action’.
Further Information Trips
