Unit 1: National Curriculum in Computing

This unit covers:

• the UK educational system
• the National Curriculum in Computing
• the Widening Participation agenda

Learning outcomes

1. Be able to summarize learning outcomes from the National Curriculum in Computing at different key stages.
2. Be able to explain the relevance of computer science as a discipline for every child.
3. Be able to discuss strategies for improving inclusivity and diversity.

Pre-session task

Watch the recap part (1:55 – 17:28) of the 2018 talk below by Simon Peyton Jones, one of the key architects of the National Curriculum in Computing, and answer the following guiding questions on Slido:

1. What is Simon Peyton Jones’s (SPJ) definition of computer science?
   CS is the study of …
2. What are the reasons (according to SPJ) for teaching CS to every child?
3. What “myths” does SPJ discuss in (the part of) his talk?
4. Name one example (from the video or not) that teaches a concept or idea as opposed to a skill or technique/technology.

Material

• slides

• Video (2022-10-07): English school system, Computing in NC, Computing topics in KS 3, Widening participation agenda

Further resources

There are several resources listed on the slides; check those first:

There are now two reference implementations of the National Curriculum in Computing:

• Teach Computing Curriculum
• Raspberry Pi Curriculum

Here are some more for a wider context.

• Down-to-earth summary of UK School System by YouTubers Joel & Lia.
• Dom’s Map of Computer Science (video, pic) gives a nice graphic overview of the subfields of CS.

• Simon Peyton Jones’ TEDx talk about the NC in Computing from 2014; content is similar to the newer video above; maybe of historical interest mostly.

• University of Liverpool Access and Participation Plan

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Unit 0  ⋅  Syllabus  ⋅  Unit 2