The Computing Department
Our Vision
The vision for the Presdales’ Computing department is to develop our students’ understanding of the digital world, and how to navigate it safely. Exploring the uses of Computing within STEAM subjects, whilst ensuring they become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in the digital world.
Our Aim
We aim to ensure that all students:
- Can use digital and online systems in a safe and sensible manner.
- Can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
- Can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
- Can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
- Are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
In Years 7, 8 and 9, students have one 50-minute lesson per week.
KS3 Computing at Presdales is split into three parts:
- Digital Literacy
- Computer Science
- iMedia
E-Safety is also covered at the beginning of each year and reinforced throughout.
Digital Literacy:
- How to use Microsoft Office application
- How to use outlook and set meeting
- The importance and use of passwords
- How to safely and effectively use internet searches
- Other skills that will help in the work place
Computer Science:
- Picture based programming – SCRATCH
- Text based programming, including a project – Python
- The structure and history of computers
- Computer data storage – binary
- Pseudocodes
- Algorithms
iMedia:
- Pre-production – moodboards, mindmaps, visualisation diagrams, scripts
- Animations – SCRATCH, stop motion, flipbooks
- Project planning, including group project