Welcome to KS3 Computing! Scroll down to open your lessons for the course.
Our KS3 Computing course allows your child to follow a course of study based around the latest British computing curriculum, informed by our work with the National Center for Computing Education. Students learn at their own pace, covering the key aspects of Computing: ICT, Digital Literacy, & Computer Science.
Our KS3 courses are divided into 3 separate courses, allowing student to progress to GCSE/iGCSE at a pace that suits them best. Each of our KS3 courses are aimed at students aged 11 – 14 and are led by a qualified Computer Science teacher (Holly Billinghurst) who specializes in distance learning.
As part of this distance learning course, students have the option to access a weekly live class (term time) covering different aspects of the course. Live classes have been designed to give students the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback on their progress as well as having an opportunity to work alongside other students.
KS3 Year 1 Classes are : Mondays at 11.30am UK Time (maximum 10 students)
KS3 Year 2 Classes are : Wednesdays at 9am UK Time (maximum 10 students) Â
Important note: Our course covers a curriculum in line with year 7 – 9 in British schools. All assessments are against the Nation Curriculum KS3 standards or above. Full curriculum is covered over the three KS3 courses but does not prevent students from progressing to GCSE.
Our KS3 Computing classes run over 5 terms with an additional summer project for students wishing to study past the May half term. Live classes are run in groups of 6 weeks with end of topic assessments set at the end of each. Each topic includes:
- Pre-Recorded video lessons introducing the key aspects of the topic
- Downloadable tasks
- Assignments
- Quiz / Interactive task to test your knowledge
- Optional live lessons with a subject specialist tutor via Zoom
Fees above are for one year of study representing £11.25 per week for 5 terms study (September to May/June). Although other courses may be cheaper, we have an absolute maximum of 10 students in a class, allowing Holly to give every child individual attention – every class is fully interactive with activities and notes provided.
Live Classes
Group lessons take place via Zoom with a maximum group size of 10 to allow all students to participate fully. Once courses are full, I am unable to take further enrolments for the live class. Current classes (2nd year remains at the same time as the year 1 class where possible).
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you have enrolled for the option which includes live classes, you will be provided a link to our live classes directly through the online course.
When logging into Zoom, we ask that your Zoom name is your child’s first name, or a recognisable username. This helps us to keep classrooms safe. Where someone logs into a Zoom classroom with an unrecognised name, a message will be sent to the waiting room asking them to update their username.
To join a zoom meeting with a different username, click the “Join” button in the Zoom App:
Then enter the zoom meeting ID and update your name on the pop up:
Lessons are set to be live each half term, but you’ll be able to see what’s coming up using the table below.
KS3 Year 1 Classes are Mondays at 11.30am BST (maximum 10 students)
Go to the “Live Lessons” link
Term Dates 2022/23
| Term | Half Term 1 Dates | Half Term 2 Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn term 2022 | Starts: Monday 5th September Ends: Monday 10th October |
Starts: Monday 31st October Ends: Monday 5th December |
| Spring term 2023 | Starts: Monday 9th January Ends: Monday 6th February |
Starts: Monday 20th February Ends: Monday 20th February |
| Summer term 2023 |
Starts: Monday 17th April |
 |
Message Boards
For help & support in between live lessons, please use the online message boards or send me a direct message using the “Chat” option at the top of each page:
Your Assessment Progress
Our Curriculum for 2022/23
Each of our KS3 courses covers a range of topics each year allowing our learners to access the full range of computing – not just programming! (although there is programming included every year)
Students can enrol at any time, but we strongly recommend starting at the beginning of a half term as the course is divided into topics.
| Half Term | Topics | Day of Live Lesson | Tutor |
| Sept – Oct | The History of Data (from cave paintings to computers) | Mondays @11.30am BST | Holly Billinghurst |
| Nov – Dec | Web Awareness (e-safety & netiquette) | Mondays @11.30am GMT | Holly Billinghurst |
| Jan – Feb | Programming Concepts in Scratch | Mondays @11.30am GMT | Holly Billinghurst |
| March – Apr | Games in Spreadsheets (ICT) | Mondays @11.30am GMT | Holly Billinghurst |
| Apr – May | Python Turtle Programming | Mondays @11.30am BST | Holly Billinghurst |
*please note change of time BST/GMT if you are attending internationally
Important note: Our course covers a curriculum in line with year 7 – 9 in British schools. All assessments are against the Nation Curriculum KS3 standards or above. Full curriculum is covered over the three KS3 courses but does not prevent students from progressing to GCSE.
