Computer Science

A modern Computer Science curriculum sits on the intersection of science and creativity. It possesses a strong scientific base, fashioned as it is on logical and mathematical principles, and dexterity within the key aspects of Computer Science enables students to unleash their creative minds. 

The Computer Science Key Stage 5 curriculum aims to help students:

• Develop essential knowledge and understanding of the different areas of the subject and how the relate to each other
• Develop and demonstrate a deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of scientific methods
• Develop competence and confidence in a variety of practical, mathematical and problem-solving skills
• Develop curiosity, interest and enthusiasm for the subject, including developing an interest in further study and careers associated with the subject
• Have a sound understanding of the principles of solving problems and designing systems through decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, logical and algorithmic reasoning, and data representation.

Our curriculum strives to support students by building competence on the characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices. Student will develop understanding on different types of software and the different methodologies used to develop software and how data is exchanged between different systems.

They will have the opportunity to articulate the individual moral, social, ethical, cultural and risks of digital technology. They will delve deeper into the legislation surrounding the use of computers and ethical issues that can or may in the future arise from the use of computers.

The aims of this qualification are to enable learners to develop an understanding of the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science including abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms and data representation. They develop the ability to analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems including writing programs.

The key feature of this specification encourages learners to focus on problem solving, the mathematical skills to express computational laws and processes, e.g., Boolean algebra/logic and comparison of the complexity of algorithms.

Our students will be expected to complete a programming project written in a suitable programming language. The underlying approach to the project is to apply the principles of computational thinking to a practical coding problem. Learners are expected to apply appropriate principles from an agile development approach to develop the project.

Computer Science is an ever-expanding career field with many opportunities. Technology roles are one of the fastest growing careers due to the role technology now has in both our professional and personal lives. From programming to game design to forensic computing, Computer Science is an exciting field that will impact on the world.

It is important to be up to date and relevant of the technological trends of the 21st Century, but the intention of the Computer Science curriculum at HRSF is not simply to equip students to attain employment in a variety of information technology jobs. It is to foster within them a deep understanding of the principles outlined above, and to provide them with the communication skills, the flexibility of mindset, and the fearlessness when tackling complex problems that will serve them so well in the future.