Email: matthew.doble@prestonschool.co.uk
Computer Science is the backbone of the digital world. From powering everyday technology to driving innovation in medicine, business, and entertainment, it equips students with the problem-solving skills and logical thinking needed to thrive in a fast-changing, tech-driven society.
The Computer Science curriculum at Preston starts with Computing at Key Stage 3, before branching into the OCR GCSE Computer Science course in Years 10 and 11. Below, you will find information around exactly what is studied in each year.
Access the Computer Science learning journey, including key golden threads of knowledge
Access the full curriculum booklet, including an overview of our schemes of learning
Access the Year 11 revision booklet, including links to key resources
During this year, you will study Unit 1. Unit 1 will introduce you to the Central Processing Unit (CPU), computer memory and storage, wired and wireless networks, network topologies, system security and system software. You will become familiar with the impact of Computer Science in a global context through the study of the ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns associated with Computer Science.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church building on All Saints.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church building on All Saints.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church building on All Saints.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church building on All Saints.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church building on All Saints.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church building on All Saints.
It started out as a preschool with five students in a church located in the heart of Princeton. Growing rapidly, the school moved into a larger church.
During this year, you will study Unit 1. Unit 1 will introduce you to the Central Processing Unit (CPU), computer memory and storage, wired and wireless networks, network topologies, system security and system software. You will become familiar with the impact of Computer Science in a global context through the study of the ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns associated with Computer Science.
During this Study Cycle, you will look at RAM and ROM, and how each contributes to a working computer system. You will investigate different types of secondary storage, as well as why this is required for the long-term storage of files and applications. You will be able to recommend the best storage solution for given scenarios.
During the third Study Cycle of the year, you will look at networking, connections and the Internet. This will involve investigating different connection methods and the performance impact each brings. It will also include an in depth investigation into how the Internet works.
In this Study Cycle, you will look at the security impact of networking computer systems. This will include the possible threats to data security, but also the preventative measures that network technicians and managers can take to help mitigate each of these threats.
During the final taught Study Cycle of the year, you will look at the essay question assessed topics of stakeholder concerns, as well as the small topic of systems software. This will build towards the eight mark questions you will face in your mock exam and formal examination in Year 11.
During the final Study Cycle of the year, you will undertake your formal end of year exam. This will be a full Unit 1 – Computer Systems exam paper and provide you with a formal end of year grade.
During this year, you will study Unit 2. Unit 2 introduces the more practical elements of the course, Algorithms and Programming. You will learn the key programming concepts, as well as how to put these into practice within Python. You will also learn how to program in OCR Reference Language, the language used in the final examination.
During this study cycle you will take a theoretical look at a wide range of algorithms and design techniques. This will include the use of standard searching algorithms and standard sorting algorithms. You will also look at designing algorithms, through flow diagrams and OCR Reference Language.
During this study cycle you will put your theoretical knowledge of programming into practice, learning a range of techniques and a variety of programs in Python. You will look at sequence, selection and iteration as key programming constructs, combining these to create complex, problem solving programs.
In this study cycle you will look at how we can ensure that the programs we create are both safe for use, but also produce the outcome that we expected. You will look at how we can mitigate potential security risks by being proactive as we program. You will also look at logic gates and truth tables as a way of designing circuits.
During the final taught study cycle of Year 11 you will look at the different types of programing language, including high level and low level languages. You will look at translators and compilers, and what each of these does. Finally, you will look at integrated development environments, investigating how these can benefit the computer programmer.
The final study cycle will see you undertake intensive exam preparation in the form of revision tasks and practice exam papers.
