There’s no escaping the fact that computer programs impact every aspect of our lives. 

We rely heavily on computer scientists to support and develop the technology we use every day, so it is more important than ever to inspire the next generation of computer scientists, nurturing diversity to ensure that we all have a say in shaping our digital future.

As the digital world evolves, the need for computer scientists continues to grow.

The programmers of today are the wizards of the future

Gabe Logan Newell, American computer programmer and businessman

  • Sixth Form

At Sixth Form, students follow the OCR A Level Computer Science (more details on the course specification are available on the OCR website here). The course is made up of three components, with two written papers at the end of the second year, as well as a non-exam assessment (NEA) as follows:

Component 01 - Computer systems

Students are introduced to the internal workings of the (CPU), data exchange, software development, data types and legal and ethical issues. The resulting knowledge and understanding will underpin their work in component 03.

Component 02 - Algorithms and programming

This builds on component 01 to include computational thinking and problem-solving. It covers:

- What is meant by computational thinking (thinking abstractly, thinking ahead, thinking procedurally etc.)
- Problem solving and programming – how computers and programs can be used to solve problems
- Algorithms and how they can be used to describe and solve problems.

Component 03 - Programming project

Students are expected to apply the principles of computational thinking to a practical coding programming project. They will analyse, design, develop, test, evaluate and document a program written in a suitable programming language. The project is designed to be independently chosen by the student and provides them with the flexibility to investigate projects within the diverse field of computer science. We support a wide and diverse range of languages.

Head of Department: Siobhan McClure