stage 3

This module transitions from block to text-based Python programming, aligning with the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum. You'll apply KS2 logical thinking to learn fundamental concepts like variables, data types, I/O, sequencing, selection, and iteration in a text-based environment. Focus is on precision, good coding habits (comments, clear variable names), and confidence in text-based programming.

This module uses the "Abstraction Ladder" to explain computer hardware and architecture, from user experience to fundamental components like CPU, RAM, ROM, and storage. It covers Von Neumann architecture and the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle, meeting the requirement to understand computer system components and communication.

In this module, you'll focus on creating purposeful digital artifacts, combining your skills in multimedia production and project management. You'll undertake a creative project that involves selecting and combining multiple applications to achieve a challenging goal, such as creating a promotional video or an interactive presentation for a specific audience. This directly addresses the statutory requirement to "undertake creative projects... and meeting the needs of known users". The module emphasizes planning, design, and evaluation.

You'll explore how all data (text, sounds, pictures) is digitally represented and manipulated in binary digits. This fundamental computer science concept is a KS3 curriculum requirement. You'll learn why computers use binary, how to convert between denary and binary, and how characters are represented using character sets like ASCII.

This module offers a hands-on introduction to web development. You'll learn the distinct roles of HTML for content structure and CSS for styling. You'll build a simple, multi-page website using a text editor, writing valid HTML and applying CSS. This achieves the curriculum goal of creating, re-using, revising, and re-purposing digital creations for a specific audience, emphasizing trustworthiness, design, and usability.

This module builds on online safety, covering cybersecurity basics. You'll learn to identify threats like malware and social engineering, and explore technical and practical defenses, including firewalls, encryption, and strong passwords. This meets the KS3 requirement for safe and secure technology use, including protecting online identity and privacy.

Building on KS2 data handling, this module explores spreadsheets for computational modelling. Students will create data models for real-world simulations, answering "what-if" questions. It covers advanced functions, relative vs. absolute cell referencing, and conditional formatting for data visualisation.

Learn modular programming with Python procedures and functions, a core KS3 topic. Break down problems into smaller, reusable subroutines, improving code organization, readability, and maintainability through reusability and abstraction.

Building on KS2 networking basics, this module delves into network hardware, protocols, and logical models. You will learn about switches, routers, network topologies, and the layered TCP/IP model, gaining deeper technical understanding for the KS3 curriculum.

Combine creative design with technical understanding using vector graphics software to create scalable images. Animate them with a timeline-based tool, learning key animation principles and the difference between frame-by-frame and tweened animation for more sophisticated animated artefacts than in KS2.

This module explores relational databases, moving beyond flat-file spreadsheets. Learn why relational models reduce data redundancy and improve integrity. Design a simple two-table database, establish primary/foreign key relationships, and use QBE to retrieve information. This provides a foundation for understanding large-scale information systems.

Explore the formal logic of computer science, including Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT) and its applications in programming and digital circuits. Learn to use relational and logical operators for complex conditions and truth tables for logical expressions, fulfilling KS3 curriculum requirements.

This module explores data science using real-world datasets. You'll learn the data analysis process: formulating questions, cleaning data, identifying patterns, and visualizing findings to create compelling stories and insights.

This module covers KS3 algorithms reflecting computational thinking, including standard searching (Linear, Binary) and sorting (Bubble, Merge). You'll learn their principles and compare their utility and efficiency through logical reasoning, developing analytical thinking.

This module explores the Operating System (OS), the crucial software managing processes, memory, peripherals, and files. You'll differentiate between GUI and CLI, use OS utility tools to monitor performance, bridging your hardware knowledge with everyday applications.

This module fosters critical thinking about technology's societal impact, moving beyond personal online safety to cover ethical issues like the digital divide, e-waste, and legal frameworks. It's crucial for developing responsible, informed digital citizens, a key national curriculum aim.

You'll learn about 3D modelling and how to create 3D objects in a virtual space by combining and manipulating primitive shapes. Using accessible software like Tinkercad, you'll see how a digital model can become a physical object through 3D printing.

This module explores concurrency and parallelism, differentiating between sequential and simultaneous processes. Using Scratch, you'll learn how parallel processing improves efficiency and enables complex simulations.