Term / Half-term

Main topics / units

Key knowledge & skills

Autumn 1

Cyber Safety  and Computer Scams

·         Makes judgements about digital content when evaluating and repurposing it for a specific audience, recognising the audience when designing and creating content. Undertakes creative projects that collect, analyse, and evaluate data to meet the needs of a known user group, designing and creating digital artefacts for wider or remote audiences.

·         Use a variety of software to manipulate and present digital content, combining software packages and internet services to communicate with a wider audience and achieve specific goals.

·         Shows awareness of the quality of digital content collected, shares experiences with technology both in and beyond the classroom, discusses their work, and improves solutions based on feedback.

Autumn 2

Cryptography and Ciphers

·         Understands modern technology and the ongoing development of cryptography in the digital age, including its impact on students through modern cryptography software.

·         Develops an understanding of the historical impact of cryptography and how early computing has shaped today’s information systems.

·         Investigates how personal information is used and shared today and explores individuals’ ownership and rights over their data.

·         Highlights the environmental impact of electronic waste and examines what companies are actively doing to reduce it.

Spring 1

Understanding Computers

·         Investigates the differences between various operating systems, including their advantages and disadvantages.

·         Use a range of application software to complete designated tasks.

·         Classifies different types of software, including operating systems, utility software, and application software.

·         Explains the difference between hardware and software, their roles within a computer system, and gives examples of how data is stored on a computer.

Spring 2

Networks and the internet

·         Gives an overview of the origins of the World Wide Web and its impact on the natural world so far.

·         Explores the structure of HTML as the fundamental framework ("bones") of the World Wide Web.

·         Reviews the properties of different connection types, such as CAT 5 cables, Bluetooth, WiFi, and fiber optic.

Summer 1

Intro Into Programming

·         Develops an understanding of basic programming constructs.

·         Uses logical reasoning to understand how different constructs function with various data and structures.

·         Gains a logical understanding of programming and uses tools to help plan and structure code effectively.

·         Understands that programming depends not on the actual data itself, but on how the data type dictates the processing of information.

Summer 2

 Introduction to Python

·         Finds where information can be filtered out when generalising problem solutions through abstraction.

·         Uses logical reasoning to predict outputs by considering inputs and identifying similarities and differences in situations to solve problems through pattern recognition.

·         Constructs solutions (algorithms) that use repetition and two-way selection and solve problems through decomposition.

·         Demonstrates simple algorithms using loops and selection and detects and corrects errors in algorithms through debugging.

Type of assessment

Approx. frequency / when

What it is used for (e.g. reports, targets)

Classwork / quizzes

Short retrieval quizzes most lessons

To check recall of key facts and address misconceptions quickly

Homework tasks

Once per fortnight

To practice applying ideas and build good study habits

End-of-topic assessments

Approximately once per half-term

To judge understanding of each unit and inform progress data

End-of-year assessment

Summer term

To give an overall picture of progress across the year