Computer Science

In today’s modern society, Computer Science is fundamental in ensuring inclusive, personalised, enhanced and extended learning experiences. We believe that Computing/ ICT has an essential role in helping us to achieve these wider aims.

We aim to:

  • Provide a personalised learning experience in which engaged and Computing / ICT confident and autonomous learners achieve improved learning outcomes.
  • Allow learners access so that they can study at anytime and anywhere support all staff in professional development, providing tools for collaboration, management and administration.
  • Educate learners to use a wide range of Computing / ICT resources and tools confidently, flexibly and creatively across the whole curriculum ‘e-safely’ outside the school.
  • Promote social interaction and collaborative working alongside helping to ensure our learners are independent, creative, reflective, effective participators, team workers and self-managers .
  • Provide a safe environment, preventing access to unsuitable material and preventing inappropriate use of systems.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Overview

At Holy Trinity Academy we aim to provide students with an exciting and relevant programme of study which will enable them to progress into KS4 effectively. We have chosen to allow our students to progress in the current and exciting aspects of Computing. We believe this will allow students to make informed decisions in year 8 as to whether they would like to pursue further.

The key stage 3 programme of study includes the following units of work:

Year 7

Term 1: Kodu & PowerPoint VBA Quiz – Create games using a visual programming language and Learn to interact with PowerPoint presentations with excel visual basic.

Term 2: My digital world – Equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to navigate the online world safely and positively.

Term 3: Html – An Introduction to HTML & CSS (web development).

Term 4: Scratch – Learn to block program using scratch.

Year 8

Term 1: Python – Research, design, create and test a solution using a general-purpose, high-level programming language.

Term 2: My digital World – Equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to navigate the online world safely and positively.

Term 3: App inventor – Design, using an app-creation tool, students create and publish their very own smartphone apps.

Term 4: Networks – Learn about the hardware devices required to create a computer network.


Key Stage 4 Curriculum Overview

The department offers 1 GCSE qualification to be taken as an option:

OCR GCSE Computer Science

This three-unit course is designed to give an in-depth understanding of how computer technology works and a look at what goes on ‘behind the screens’. The course helps students learn about critical thinking, analysis and problem solving.  Through this qualification, students can:

  • Develop their understanding of current and emerging technologies and how they work.
  • Look at the use of algorithms in computer programs.
  • Become independent and discerning users of IT.
  • Acquire and apply creative and technical skills, knowledge and understanding of IT in a range of contexts.
  • Develop computer programs to solve problems
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of computer programs/solution and the impact of computer technology in society.

Key Stage 5 Curriculum Overview

OCR A Level Computer Science

Assessment Overview

Students must take all three components to be awarded the OCR A Level in Computer Science.

Component Marks Duration Weighting insert text
Computer systems (01) 140 2 hours 30 mins 40% The internal workings of the (CPU), data exchange, software development, data types and legal and ethical issues.
Calculators not allowed.
Algorithms and programming (02)* 140 2 hours 30 mins 40% Using computational thinking to solve problems.
Calculators not allowed.
Programming project (03)* 70 20% Non-exam assessment.
Students will be expected to analyse a problem (10 marks), and design (15 marks), develop and test (25 marks), and evaluate and document (20 marks) a program. The program must be to solve it written in a suitable programming language.

*Indicates the inclusion of synoptic assessment.

Content overview

Component 01: Computer systems

Students are introduced to the internal workings of the (CPU), data exchange, software development, data types and legal and ethical issues. The resulting knowledge and understanding will underpin their work in component 03.

It covers:

  • The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
  • Types of software and the different methodologies used to develop software
  • Data exchange between different systems
  • Data types, data structures and algorithms
  • Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues.

Component 02: Algorithms and programming

This builds on component 01 to include computational thinking and problem-solving.

It covers:

  • What is meant by computational thinking (thinking abstractly, thinking ahead, thinking procedurally etc.)
  • Problem solving and programming – how computers and programs can be used to solve problems
  • Algorithms and how they can be used to describe and solve problems.

Component 03: Programming project

Students are expected to apply the principles of computational thinking to a practical coding programming project. They will analyse, design, develop, test, evaluate and document a program written in a suitable programming language. The project is designed to be independently chosen by the student and provides them with the flexibility to investigate projects within the diverse field of computer science. We support a wide and diverse range of languages.