Key Stage 3 – Computing

Curriculum Overview

Our mission statement

Through valuing every individual, as made in God's image, we will learn, flourish, and celebrate
truth.

Date of last
September 2021 Owner: MBD
review:

Date of next
July 2022 Approval: Headteacher
review:

The purpose of this overview

This curriculum overview outlines the key knowledge that students will be exposed within this
subject and key stage, while also indicating where we will be intentional about the development
of a wider love of the subject. This overview then maps out how this key knowledge has been
sequenced and when it will be taught.

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 1

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
Contents
Our mission statement ............................................................................................................................... 1
The purpose of this overview .................................................................................................................... 1
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3
2. Our curriculum goals at Key Stage 3 .................................................................................................... 3
3. Computing KS3 curriculum vision statement ...................................................................................... 4
4. Computing KS3 curriculum objectives ................................................................................................. 5
Every student will know and understand these key ideas: ................................................................ 5
Every student will demonstrate these subject-specific skills:............................................................ 5
Every student will read and refer to these key texts: ......................................................................... 5
Every student will connect with these key ideas within related GCSE specifications: ................... 5
Every student will develop cultural and social capital through these enrichment opportunities:6
4. Computing KS3 curriculum sequence .................................................................................................. 7
Computing Year 7 Sequence .................................................................................................................. 8
Computing Year 8 Sequence .................................................................................................................. 9
Computing Year 9 Sequence ................................................................................................................ 11
5. Related documents and guidance ...................................................................................................... 12

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 2

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
1. Introduction
Excellent teaching across a deep and broad curriculum will give our students new knowledge of
our world and new power to shape our future. Our curriculum is expertly planned, and this
planning is underpinned by three foundational principles:
1. Curriculum should be knowledge-led
2. Curriculum should be subject-specific
3. Curriculum should be coherently designed

We believe academic ability is not fixed and that, through excellent teaching taking place within a
purposeful, rigorous classroom culture, all students have what it takes to achieve success and
reach their goals. We believe that every student can make excellent progress every day and
master all the key ideas, information and examples that underpin our knowledge rich curricula
over time.

2. Our curriculum goals at Key Stage 3

Through the study of our Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum programme, every student at CCSA
student will:
• Indulge in a wide array of subjects over three years, and develop their talents and
interests within these
• Secure firm foundations in reading ability, literacy, English and mathematics
• Become creative, critical and reflective thinkers who make connections between their
studies and the real world
• Gain a depth and breadth of understanding of subject domains, in a manner which
anticipates the knowledge and skills they require at GCSE
• Develop their personal understanding and their skills for communication, intercultural
awareness and global engagement

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 3

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
3. Computing KS3 curriculum vision statement
The study of computing ensures that students are prepared to be active participants in a digital
world, through developing a comprehensive digital literacy. Through computing, students will
gain the ability to use information systems and coding to express themselves, develop their
ideas and collaborate in ways that support the future workplace.

Our KS3 computing curriculum aims to develop students’ computational thinking and creativity
through studying:
• The principles of information and computation
• How digital systems work
• Logic, coding, and programming languages

Building on this knowledge and understanding, students will be equipped to use information
technology to code, develop systems and create content through:
• Applying the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including
abstraction, logic, algorithms, and data representation
• Analysing problems in computational terms, and writing computer programs in order to
solve such problems
• Evaluating and applying information technology, including new or unfamiliar
technologies, analytically to solve problems

Our teaching privileges the knowledge and skills students need to become creators rather than
simply consumers of digital products and services. We forge deep knowledge links with
disciplines such as mathematics, science, and technology. We value the responsible, competent,
confident, and creative use of information and communication technology.

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 4

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
4. Computing KS3 curriculum objectives
In subject name we aim to ensure that every student meets these objectives by the end of KS3.

Every student will know and understand these key ideas:

• Key algorithms that reflect computational thinking (for example, when sorting and
searching)
• Simple Boolean logic (for example, AND, OR and NOT) and some of its uses in circuits
and programming
• How numbers can be represented in binary and how data can be represented and
manipulated digitally, in the form of binary digits
• The hardware and software components that make up computer systems, and how
they communicate with one another and with other systems
• How instructions are stored and executed within a computer system
• Ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including
protecting their online identity and privacy; how to recognise inappropriate content,
contact and conduct, and how to report concerns

Every student will demonstrate these subject-specific skills:

• Use logical reasoning to compare the utility of alternative algorithms for the same
problem
• Carry out simple operations on binary numbers (for example, binary addition, and
conversion between binary and decimal)
• Design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and
behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems
• Use multiple programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a
variety of computational problems
• Make appropriate use of data structures (for example, lists, tables or arrays)
• Design and develop modular programs that use procedures or functions
• Undertake creative projects that involve selecting, using, and combining multiple
applications, preferably across a range of devices, to achieve challenging goals,
including collecting and analysing data and meeting the needs of known users
• Create, reuse, revise and repurpose digital artefacts for a given audience, with
attention to trustworthiness, design and usability

Every student will read and refer to these key texts:

• The Internet Legends Code, Google
• Dr Christian's Guide to Growing Up Online (Hashtag: Awkward), Dr Christian Jesson
• Once Upon an Algorithm: How Stories Explain Computing (The MIT Press), Martin Erwig

Every student will connect with these key ideas within related GCSE
specifications:
• Knowledge of computer science, digital media and information technology
• The application of analytic, problem-solving, design, and computational thinking skills
• How changes in technology affect safety, including new ways to protect their online
privacy and identity, and how to report a range of concerns

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 5

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
Every student will develop cultural and social capital through these
enrichment opportunities:
• Educational visit to The National Museum of Computing in Milton Keynes. Learn about
the development of computing: from the Turing-Welchman Bombe and Colossus of the
1940s through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, to the rise
of personal computing and the rise of mobile computing and the internet.
• Learn at home – Raspberry Pi Foundation project
• Robotics and artificial intelligence projects

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 6

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
4. Computing KS3 curriculum sequence
Our curriculum is built upon the foundations and principles of the Teach Computing curriculum,
developed by the National Centre for Computing Education (2018), backed by STEM learning,
Raspberry Pi and BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT).

Our curriculum is sequences in a way that ensures students encounter the key ideas and skills
outlined in the national curriculum annually. Our opening module, Impact of technology –
Collaborating online respectfully, ensures that all future learning builds on the foundations of
safety and security, ensuring that students understand risks when using technology, and how to
protect individuals and systems. This module serves as a solid connection between prior
learning at KS2.

One key practical application of computing is the creation of software to allow computers to
solve problems, through programming. Our curriculum ensures students practise this annually
alongside their developing knowledge of computing systems, algorithms and design practices.

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 7

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
Computing Year 7 Sequence
Topic Key ideas and skills Timeframe
Impact of technology – • Ways to use technology safely Michaelmas Term
Collaborating online • Create, reuse, revise and 6 lesson sequence
respectfully repurpose digital artefacts
Programming essentials • Key algorithms that reflect Michaelmas Term
in Scratch – part I computational thinking 6 lesson sequence
• Simple Boolean logic Continues in Lent Term
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
• Compare the utility of
alternative algorithms
• Develop modular programs
• Make appropriate use of data
structures
Michaelmas Assessment 80% of assessment focussing on End of Michaelmas Term
taught content throughout
Michaelmas Term, with remaining 20%
focussing on prior knowledge and
previously taught content.
Programming essentials • Key algorithms that reflect Lent Term
in Scratch – part II computational thinking 6 lesson sequence
• Simple Boolean logic
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
• Compare the utility of
alternative algorithms
• Develop modular programs
• Make appropriate use of data
structures
Networks from • Components that make up Lent Term
semaphores to the computer systems 6 lesson sequence
Internet
Modelling data – • Design, use and evaluate Trinity Term
Spreadsheets computational abstractions 6 lesson sequence
• Selecting, using, and
combining multiple
applications
Using media – Gaining • Selecting, using, and Trinity Term
support for a cause combining multiple 6 lesson sequence
applications
• Create, reuse, revise and
repurpose digital artefacts
Trinity Assessment 80% of assessment focussing on End of Trinity Term
taught content throughout the
academic year, with remaining 20%
focussing on prior knowledge and
previously taught content.

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 8

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
Computing Year 8 Sequence
Topic Key ideas and skills Timeframe
Developing for the web • Create, reuse, revise and Michaelmas Term
repurpose digital artefacts 6 lesson sequence
Representations: from • How instructions are stored Michaelmas Term
clay to silicon and executed 6 lesson sequence
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
Michaelmas Assessment 80% of assessment focussing on End of Michaelmas Term
taught content throughout
Michaelmas Term, with remaining 20%
focussing on prior knowledge and
previously taught content.
Mobile application • Design, use and evaluate Lent Term
development computational abstractions 6 lesson sequence
• Key algorithms that reflect
computational thinking
• Compare the utility of
alternative algorithms
• Use multiple programming
languages
• Develop modular programs
• Make appropriate use of data
structures
• Create, reuse, revise and
repurpose digital artefacts
Design Vector Graphics • Selecting, using, and Lent Term
combining multiple 6 lesson sequence
applications
• Create, reuse, revise and
repurpose digital artefacts
Computing Systems • Simple Boolean logic Trinity Term
• How data can be represented 6 lesson sequence
and manipulated digitally
• Simple operations on binary
numbers
• Components that make up
computer systems
• How instructions are stored
and executed
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
Python Programming • Design, use and evaluate Trinity Term
Introduction computational abstractions 6 lesson sequence
• Key algorithms that reflect
computational thinking
• Compare the utility of
alternative algorithms
• Use multiple programming
languages

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 9

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
 • Develop modular programs
• Make appropriate use of data
structures
• How instructions are stored
and executed
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
Trinity Assessment 80% of assessment focussing on End of Trinity Term
taught content throughout the
academic year, with remaining 20%
focussing on prior knowledge and
previously taught content.

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 10

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
Computing Year 9 Sequence
Topic Key ideas and skills Timeframe
Python Programming • Design, use and evaluate Michaelmas Term
with Sequences of Data computational abstractions 6 lesson sequence
• Key algorithms that reflect
computational thinking
• Compare the utility of
alternative algorithms
• Use multiple programming
languages
• Develop modular programs
• Make appropriate use of data
structures
• How instructions are stored
and executed
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
Animations • Create, reuse, revise and Michaelmas Term
repurpose digital artefacts 6 lesson sequence
Michaelmas Assessment 80% of assessment focussing on End of Michaelmas Term
taught content throughout
Michaelmas Term, with remaining 20%
focussing on prior knowledge and
previously taught content.
Data Science • Selecting, using, and Lent Term
combining multiple 6 lesson sequence
applications
Representations: going • How instructions are stored Lent Term
audio-visual and executed 6 lesson sequence
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
Cybersecurity • Ways to use technology safely Trinity Term
6 lesson sequence
Physical computing • Design, use and evaluate Trinity Term
programming computational abstractions 6 lesson sequence
• Key algorithms that reflect
computational thinking
• Compare the utility of
alternative algorithms
• Use multiple programming
languages
• Develop modular programs
• Make appropriate use of data
structures
• How instructions are stored
and executed
• How data can be represented
and manipulated digitally
Trinity Assessment 80% of assessment focussing on End of Trinity Term
taught content throughout the

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 11

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust
 academic year, with remaining 20%
focussing on prior knowledge and
previously taught content.

5. Related documents and guidance

The list below outlines document and guidance related to this curriculum overview.

CCSA Curriculum Approach https://www.christchurchsecondary.org.uk/policies

Google Be Internet Awesome

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_uk
Resources

Teach Computing Curriculum Link

National Curriculum
Link
programme of study

Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy 12

Birmingham Diocesan Multi Academy Trust