Computer Science

Computer Science — Year 7

British Curriculum · Ages 11-12

Year 7 begins Key Stage 3 Computing, which is structured around five key areas: Communication, Networks and Information Technology; Data Representation; Algorithms; Programming; and Hardware. Students typically move from block-based programming into genuine text-based coding (commonly Python), learning variables, data types, and basic control structures properly.

Binary and data representation are introduced formally for the first time — understanding how computers represent numbers, text and images using only 0s and 1s.

Key topics covered

• Text-Based Programming — Introduction to Python or similar, moving beyond block-based tools.
• Data Representation — How computers represent numbers, text and images in binary.
• Networks & Communication — How information travels across networks.
• Computational Thinking — Abstraction, decomposition and algorithmic thinking formalised.