Computing
Curriculum Intent – Computer Science
“The science of today has become the technology of tomorrow." - Edward Teller
Powerful Knowledge
At Leeds East Academy, we believe that our students should be provided with the opportunity to study a high-quality computing curriculum that prepares them to be digitally confident, development computational and logical thinking skills as well as an understand of emerging technologies and applications to ensure their success in an ever-growing global market. This will involve ensuring students are taught a range of ways to create and use technology applications safely, respectfully, responsibly, and securely at a level suitable to become active participants in a digital world. These will all be underpinned with Advance Cognitive performance indicators through the use of High Performance Learning.
Powerful knowledge in Computing:
- Makes students aware of the opportunities and limitations of living in a digital world and using them safely and effectively.
- Allows students to understand the core principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming or product creation.
- Be equipped to use technology to create programmes, systems and a range of content.
- Become digitally confident and be able to use computers to express themselves and develop their ideas.
- Provides students with literacy and numeracy skills and connects to the wider curriculum.
Curriculum Features
The curriculum is structured to build upon core principles taught in Primary School and develops students’ thinking, understanding and knowledge, driving the complexity of these principles. Each topic is sequenced to allow knowledge to be enhanced by exploring the topic in greater depth, whilst interleaving all topics to ensure connections are made between them.
Students will understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems. Students will understand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer system. In addition, how data of various types (including text, sounds and pictures) can be represented and manipulated digitally. They will plan and develop software programs using the software design techniques such as flowcharts, pseudocode and debugging and develop key problem-solving skills of Abstraction, Decomposition and Algorithmic thinking. Ensuring students will be able to think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically when solving problems.
Students will be immersed in using up-to-date technology and applications that provide an exciting, relevant, and challenging computing classroom environment. Utilising the latest software, programming concepts and languages students will be ready for the future of Computing and the next step in their education or career. The curriculum will be delivered through a framework of High Performance Learning for the development of higher order thinking. This is to support students developing competency in the Advanced Cognitive Performance Characteristics and Value, Attitudes and Attributes (VAAs) and encourage learning by using explicit language central to subject. Topics will embed strategy planning through computational thinking and Meta Cognition through skills gained earlier in their academic year to create Global citizens and advanced performers in the world of Computer Science.
Cross Curricular & Wider Experiences
Computing is one of the most fundamentally cross-curricular subject areas in education. It’s about using technology, logic, creativity and computational thinking to solve problems that cross all disciplines. The subject's core is understanding how the technology works and can be developed and applied in the real world. We share and extend the understanding towards a range of other subjects outside of Computing including Maths and Science.
Computing requires the systematic breakdown (decomposition) of both the problem and the solution to establish the best possible outcome. These skills are cross-referenced through other subjects and applied within Computing. Not only are these principles supportive across different subjects, but they are also high-level skills that can be used in everyday life.
Students can use computers as a tool to perform calculations, draw graphs, and help solve equation or challenging numbers by the use of simple computers like calculators. Students will look up ideas and information, to perform scientific procedures or experiments, through simulations, to process and analyse data and to practice skills and procedures.
Enrichment opportunities are also provided through our partnership academies and external speakers establishing cross curricular links by encouraging students to take part in national initiatives such as internet safety days, online safety and the UK Cyber Security Challenge.
We also:
- Encourage students to contribute to the life of the school and the community through extracurricular activities, projects and presentations.
- Develop partnerships with external providers that extend children’s opportunities for learning through seminars and discussion and career paths.
- Provide students access to use computers every lunchtime to support learning in other subject areas and develop cross-curricular skills through Computing.
- Support after School Code Club and games clubs to enrich computer programming skills and enhance computer knowledge.
For further information regarding the Computing offer at Leeds East Academy, please contact Miss Moss: moss.s@whiteroseacademies.org