Year 7 Computing

What will my child study in Computing during Year 7?

In Year 7 all students will be following the Computing Programme of Study. Students study computing for one lesson each week. In addition, students will have the opportunity to use computer suites and mobile technology across the curriculum.

The National Curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all students:

• 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.

The content of the course is as follows:

How will my child be assessed and how will I know how well they are doing in Computing in Year 7?

• Students will complete a Baseline assessment at the beginning of Year 7 using the homework website Satchel:One
• At the end of each unit, students will be assessed using Microsoft Forms to monitor progress made at the end of each unit learnt.

What homework will my child be expected to do in Year 7 in Computing?

• Between 1 and 2 homeworks will be set each half-term
  This will usually be Key Terms Quizzes and revision before each end of unit test.

How can I support my child to do well in Computing during Year 7?

• If you have access to a digital device, then using websites such as the Hour of Code, has been proven to help improve problem solving skills which can have a cross curricula impact in other subjects such as Maths. 

What equipment may my child need in addition to the standard school equipment?

• It is not expected that students will have access to a computer and specific software packages at home. If these are needed students may use the facilities in school.

By the end of the year, what would an 'expert' be able to do in Computing?

Using Computers Safely and Responsibly

• Be able to use School Systems (School Accounts; Office365) effectively and be confident in their use
• Be able to know how to send an email, and know the different parts of an email
• Be aware of the issues of online safety and using Social Networks

Spreadsheets

• Know what Spreadsheets are used for in everyday life
• Be able to use basic formulas in Spreadsheets confidently
• Be able to use basic functions in Spreadsheets confidently
• Be able to manipulate data in order to create charts using Excel
• Be able to use IF Statements in Spreadsheets

Computational Thinking

• Know the four parts of Computational Thinking and being able to apply them to different scenarios beyond Computing
• Be confident in using Block-Based code (BBC micro:bits) in order to complete challenges
• Be able to understand what block-based code is doing when looking at the code

Text-Based Programming

• Be able to begin to write text-based code in order to access graphics of Microsoft SmallBasic to complete various challenges
• Be able to recognise what the code is doing prior to running it
• Be able to use Text-Based programming to create a ‘chat bot’ in Microsoft SmallBasic

Flowol

• Know what the different symbols within Flowcharts and Flowol mean
• To be able to recognise that Flowcharts can be used to represent programs rather than just as block-based or text-based code
• Be able to confidently use Flowcharts within Flowol to meet a range of challenges

Technology Through Time

• Be aware of various Computing Pioneers and their contributions to Computing
• Be aware of various Advancements in Technology with a focus towards Computing
• To know various components found within computer systems and have a clear understanding of what they do and how they work
• To know what the differences between Input, Output and Storage Devices are and how they send/receive signals to the computer systems
• To know what Software is, and also the different types of Software which are commonly used by computer systems

My child is struggling during the course, what additional help is available to help them keep up?

• In the first instance speak to your Computing teacher
• BBC Bitesize – KS3 Computer Science (Computational Thinking, Safety and Responsibility, Programming and Algorithms)
• Code.org – block based programming challenges

Updated August 2023