Computer Science

OCR’s pioneering syllabus ensures we are at the forefront of the introduction of modern computing into the school curriculum. Coding skills are taught from Y5 and programming languages from Y7. Our students become familiar with robotics and basic AI algorithms as well acquiring the basic ICT skills we all need. We make use of Google Classroom and Cloud based document-sharing for homework and collaborative work. We offer qualifications at GCSE, AS and A level.

The computer suites are generally open during break and after school, in addition to timetabled lessons. The Computer Science department actively supports the photography, music composition and film-making courses within the school.

More girls choosing GCSE computer science than ever before at HCH

In spite of the falling numbers of girls choosing computing and technology nationally, as reported this week in The Guardian, HCH has seen a substantial increase in the number of girls opting for GCSE and A level computer science. We interviewed Head of Computer Science, Neelu Vasishth...

Year 8 create mobile apps

Year 8 have been learning the entire process of creating their own mobile apps using App Lab from code.org. Building on the programming concepts students used in previous units, they conceptualized, designed, coded and tested their apps before publishing them for the world to use. The students had to... come up with different ideas for their app and explain how the app will be interesting and beneficial to their intended audience.

Here are some exceptional pieces of work!

Eesa – General Knowledge Quiz for 10-13 year old

Eesa has written 758 lines of Javascript code. The quiz has four different levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Very Hard. There are awards and trophies at the end:

Philo – Minecraft Quiz : Would you like to know more about Minecraft?

Philo has created a Minecraft quiz app with 10 questions. He explains the answers in detail and has chosen beautiful background images relevant to the question for every screen.

Julia – English Revision app for Year 8s

Julia has built an English revision app comprising 12 questions. The quiz is meant for Year 8 and the questions are multiple choice.

Great work, Year 8!

Middle Years computer science students use Scratch and Python to create their own music concert and stories

Despite having only been studying the computer science curriculum for a term, the Year 5 students are demonstrating a keen understanding and enthusiasm for their new found skills in Scratch. They used Scratch this week to make their own virtual, musical concert. They changed the background, added instruments... and a singer and even enabled the drums to play different beats and the singer’s voice to have different harmonies.

In Year 8 computer scicence, the students have been learning how Python programming language can be used to create all kinds of software and websites. In this particular series of lessons this week the students have been using Python to create their own interactive stories.

The work being produced by our middle years computer scientists is of a fantastic standard, here are some examples of their work:

Year 8 Computer Scientists create their own apps

Year 8 have been learning how to create their own apps as part of their online computer science lessons this term. The range of apps they have created include a virtual holiday app, a catching game and a colour knowledge test!
Click here to have a go on some of their newly created apps.

Year 7 Computer Science students create their own e-safety webpages

This year our year 7 students have been learning a lot about the internet and web and how to stay safe online. They’ve decided to share their knowledge of e-safety with the rest of our HCH community.
During this time of lockdown it has been more important than ever for the HCH community to be mindful... of the time being spend online and infront of a screen. The work Year 7 have completed covers a range of topics including identity theft, the use of cookies, GDPR and creating a digital footprint.

Here are their amazing webpages

Year 5 build rocket time capsules in computer science

...Year 5 pupils built their time capsules today: paper rockets in which they stowed away their wish lists created in computer science lessons this term. Every wish is a seed they’ve planted for the future for their families, friends, planet Earth and themselves. Let’s hope all the wishes come true!

Middle and Upper Years students achieve excellent results in Oxford Univeristy Bebras competition

In the second week of November, Middle and Upper Years pupils took part in the Bebras Competition, a computational thinking challenge, devised by Oxford University for school-age children across the UK. Six students from Hampton Court House took part in the challenge and all of them scored above the... national average.

The following three students achieved a score placing them in the top 10% of the country:
Cameron in Year 9 in the competition for the 12-14 age group; 130 000 students participated across the country.
Jack and JT in year 7 were in the category for 10-12 year olds with 80,000 students participating from across the country. Jack also achieved the best result in the school.
The top achieving students will be invited to attend final rounds and the TCS Oxford Computing Challenge in the new year. Congratulations to all our students who took part.