Simulation - A Practical Guide to Teaching Computing and ICT in the Secondary School - page 116

Relevant sections of Computing Programmes of Study
The National Curriculum for Computing aims to ensure that all pupils:
• Can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of
computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
• Can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar
technologies, analytically to solve problems.
Key Stage Three
Pupils should be taught to:
• Design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and
behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems.
• Understand several key algorithms that reflect Computational Thinking [for example,
ones for sorting and searching]; use logical reasoning to compare the utility of
alternative algorithms for the same problem.
• Use two or more programming languages , at least one of which is textual, to solve
a variety of computational problems; make appropriate use of data structures
[for example, lists, tables or arrays]; design and develop modular programs that
use procedures or functions.
• Understand simple Boolean logic [for example, AND, OR and NOT] and some
of its uses in circuits and programming; understand how numbers can be
represented in binary, and be able to carry out simple operations on binary
numbers [for example, binary addition, and conversion between binary and
decimal].
Key Stage Four
All pupils must have the opportunity to study aspects of information technology
and computer science at sufficient depth, to allow them to progress to higher levels
of study or to a professional career.
All pupils should be taught to:
• Develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science, digital
media and information technology.
• Develop and apply their analytic, problem-solving, design, and computational thinking
skills.