Year 9 Curriculum Intent:

Computer In year 9 the curriculum will develop students’ understanding and application of the fundamental principles and concepts of Computer
Science Science, including abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms, and data representation. Students will be taught to analyse problems in
computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems, including designing, writing and debugging programs. They will
also be encouraged to think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically. Students will also understand the components that
make up digital systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems, the impacts of digital technology to the
individual and to wider society and develop the ability to apply mathematical skills relevant to Computer Science.

Computer Term 1: Term 2: Term 3

Science Year 9:
• 2.4 Boolean Logic • 2d Additional Programming Techniques • 1.1 Embedded Systems
• 1.2 Data Storage (Numbers) • 1.2 Practical Programming Skills • 1.2 Primary Storage (Memory)
• 1.2 Data Storage (Units) • 1.2 Data Storage (Images) • 1.2 Secondary Storage
Topic Titles (in • 2.1 Designing, creating and refining • 1.2 Data Storage (Sound) • 1.3 Networks & Topologies
order of delivery) algorithms • 1.2 Data Storage (Character) • 1.3 Wired and Wireless Networks,
• 2.2 Data Types • 1.1 Architecture of the CPU Protocols & Layers
• 2.1 Programming Fundamentals • 1.2 Compression • 1.2 Practical Programming Skills

• Simple logic diagrams using the • The use of basic string manipulation • The purpose and characteristics of
operators AND, OR and NOT • The use of basic file handling operations: embedded systems
• Truth tables - Open, Read, Write, Close • Examples of embedded systems
• Combining Boolean operators using • The use of records to store data • The need for primary storage
AND, OR and NOT Applying logical • The use of SQL to search for data • The difference between RAM and ROM
operators in truth tables to solve • The use of arrays (or equivalent) when solving • The purpose of ROM in a computer
problems problems, including both one-dimensional (1D) system
• How to convert positive denary whole and two-dimensional arrays (2D) • The purpose of RAM in a computer
numbers to binary numbers (up to and • How to use sub programs (functions and system
including 8 bits) and vice versa procedures) to produce structured code • Virtual memory
• How to add two binary integers • Random number generation • The need for secondary storage
Key knowledge / together (up to and including 8 bits) • The programming task(s) must allow them to • Common types of storage:
Retrieval topics and explain overflow errors which develop skills within the following areas when • Optical, Magnetic, Solid state
may occur programming: • Suitable storage devices and storage
• How to convert positive denary whole • Design media for a given application
numbers into 2-digit hexadecimal • Write • The advantages and disadvantages of
numbers and vice versa • Test different storage devices and storage
• How to convert binary integers to • Refine media relating to these characteristics:
their hexadecimal equivalents and Images • Capacity, Speed, Portability, Durability,
vice versa • How an image is represented as a series of pixels, Reliability, Cost
• Binary shifts represented in binary • Types of network:
• Identify the inputs, processes, and • Metadata o LAN (Local Area Network)
outputs for a problem • The effect of colour depth and resolution on: o WAN (Wide Area Network)
• Structure diagrams • The quality of the image • Factors that affect the performance of
• Create, interpret, correct, complete, • The size of an image file networks
and refine algorithms using: Sound • The different roles of computers in a
o Pseudocode • How sound can be sampled and stored in digital client-server and a peer-to peer network
form • The hardware needed to connect stand-
o Flowcharts
• The effect of sample rate, duration and bit depth alone computers into a Local Area
o Reference language/high-level on: Network:
programming language - The playback quality • o Wireless access points
• Identify common errors - The size of a sound file o Routers
Compression o Switches
• Trace tables • The need for compression o NIC (Network Interface Controller/Card)
• The units of data storage: • Types of compression: o Transmission media
o Bit - Lossy • The Internet as a worldwide collection of
- Lossless computer networks:
o Nibble (4 bits) o DNS (Domain Name Server)
o Byte (8 bits) o Hosting
o Kilobyte (1,000 bytes or 1 KB) o The Cloud
o Web servers and clients
o Megabyte (1,000 KB)
• Star and Mesh network topologies
o Gigabyte (1,000 MB) o Terabyte • Modes of connection:
(1,000 GB) o Wired
o Petabyte (1,000 TB) • - Ethernet
o Wireless
• How data needs to be converted into
• - Wi-Fi
a binary format to be processed by a
• Bluetooth
computer
• Encryption
• Data capacity and calculation of data • IP addressing and MAC addressing
capacity requirements • Standards
• Common protocols including:
o TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol)
o HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
o HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Secure)
o FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
o POP (Post Office Protocol)
o IMAP (Internet Message Access
Protocol)
o SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
• The concept of layers
• The programming task(s) must allow them
to develop skills within the following areas
when programming:
• Design
• Write
• Test
• Refine