Computer Science

Computer Science at Cantell shows students how they can use computers to make their day to day life easier. We have projects in which students graduate from Spy School, and they get to run their own Little Budapest Hotel, using a variety of software that they will come across again when they leave school, such as Word, Publisher, Excel and PowerPoint. We also develop our students’ ability to use flowcharts and algorithms, before helping them take their first steps into programming using Python 3 and Turtle. In addition, we look at the hardware used to build computers and many aspects of how to stay safe online, which we believe is a vital area to cover with new technology.

We use a huge range of resources, including the Lego Mindstorm Robot Kits, our Raspberry Pi collection, BBC Micro:Bits, and a range of Windows computers across our seven computer rooms. To complement this, we use a wide variety of software across the school, including Python 3, Photo Booth, Scratch, GarageBand, TechSoft for engineering, and our Google Education Suite. We also have an incredible team of Computing and IT specialists, who are truly passionate about the subject. At Key Stage 4 we offer both the Computer Science GCSE and a more vocational computing option, to cater for a range of students’ needs.

We are very lucky to have Roke, an international engineering firm who are locally based, support us in running a coding club, where students interact with current industry experts, learning and having fun at the same time. Our extra-curricular tech monkeys club also provides students with an opportunity to work any computing project they fancy. A lot of students use this as a chance to work creatively and artistically, using programming to aid this. Others just enjoy making Lego Robots do different styles of dance!