GCSE (9-1) Computer Science – eight activities that help ensure you’re ready to teach J277 this September
15 January 2020
With the release of the updated GCSE (9-1) Computer Science J277 specification, we wanted to let you know that we’re working hard to ensure that all resources you need are being updated and produced in time for September 2020 first teach.
For some with a three year KS4, you have perhaps already started to deliver J277 to Year 9 – as they will be sitting the exam in June 2022.
As you will have read in our Bits and Bytes newsletters, we are updating and revising all teacher delivery packs to reflect the updates in J277. We are also updating our schemes of work so that you can get early sight of how the updates may shape your planning.
At the same time, we are creating a second set of practice papers to help familiarise both you and your students with the examinations and these will be released via Interchange, to give you the chance of delivering an "unseen" mock exam in the future.
Our updates allow for creative delivery of coding. Therefore, we are looking at creating further programming resources to support the flexibility now offered by J277 in teaching coding.
So, the question is, how can I, as a teacher, ensure I’m ready in time?
To answer your question, I’ve listed eight actions you can take to ensure you’re prepared well in advance of September 2020.
- Review the core updates from J276 to J277 with our J276 to J277 overview.
Whilst the updates are minimal, they will have some impact. Most notably are the section content updates. There are some notable ones, such as 2.6 Data representation – this is now in Component 01 under 1.2 Memory and storage. A more detailed content mapping document is close to completion and will give you a more detailed overview.
- Check out our range of professional development courses for J277 Computer Science.
They are all free and designed to ensure you feel ready to deliver. These courses will help give you an understanding of the updated specification and the potential impacts. You can also pose questions that you may have to our experts.
- Download our J277 Specification.
We have improved the layout and added a guidance column to make it easier for you, and your students, to use.
The specification will also clearly show the content you will need to prepare. We hope the new guidance column will allow you to refine your resources and delivery effectively. We are also keen to hear how you feel about the improvements to the specification layout, so please do let us know.
- Join an external online Community.
There are many online Communities which provide unofficial support for our J277 Specification. None of these are official OCR groups, but we do try to interact and support teachers within these:
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Computer Science Facebook Group (focused for OCR Computer Science discussions). This group is probably the largest collection of OCR Computer Science teachers. It is a vibrant and supportive community and provides a good place to pose questions to colleagues and seek ideas for teaching Computer Science.
- Generic GCSE Computer Science Facebook Group (generic Computer Science discussions, cross-board/cross-specifications). This is a more general group for any Computer Science teachers. Whilst there can be more generic discussions here, it is none the less a good place to check in to from time to time.
- Register with Computing at School (CAS) and access forums and events. Often teachers feel isolated and do not know local teachers in their area. CAS is part of the National Centre for Computing Education and provides local master teachers and network events to help you build your local and regional connections. Meeting up face-to-face with other teachers is an invaluable source of support and a good way to share and learn from other's good practice and ideas.
- Register with the National Centre for Computing Education. Valuable teaching pedagogy and resource links.
- Dig deeper into our assessments.
We’ve written an in-depth guide on how we create our sample assessment material, and how we will mark them.
We call this our assessment story. This will help you prepare your candidates more effectively for the June 2022 exams and beyond. Assessment principles are not necessarily well understood by teachers. Our guide to how we created our assessments will not only help you prepare your candidates but also allow you to build in our assessment principles into your in-class assessments.
- Sign up to our email updates.
Our newsletters and e-shots will help to keep you up-to-date with the latest release of resources, future professional development and qualification updates. We generally release our newsletters monthly and take care to ensure they are concise and informative – helping you make the most of your valuable time.
- Complete a Teach with OCR registration form
Letting us know you‘re delivering our course helps us plan ahead and ensure that you get the support you need. For new centres, this will alert our Customer Support team of your move to OCR and help us ensure your transition is as smooth as possible.
- Speak to our computer science subject advisors
If you have a specific question email us at ComputerScience@ocr.org.uk or call 01223 553 998
We have a team of three subject advisors who are all ex-teachers and experienced computing practitioners. We take great pleasure in supporting you, your department and your centre. Speaking direct with us can be reassuring and helps you deliver our qualification with confidence.
In summary
Keeping up-to-date can feel daunting – but by taking early steps now, you can be confident that you will be on top of planning and preparation for September 2020.
We will, of course, be providing more support in the future to further support your transition.
About the author
Ceredig Cattanach-Chell - Subject Advisor - Computer science
Ceredig joined OCR in September 2015 incorporating his breadth of experience from education to support the reform and development of the new GCSE (9-1) Computer Science and Entry Level R354. A keen advocate of the challenges faced within the classroom, Ceredig led on the concept and delivery of teacher delivery packs, which have become one of the flagships for the new GCSE’s success with teachers. Prior to joining OCR, Ceredig had eight years of education and teaching experience across a wide range of schools, including primary, secondary, academies and SEN sectors. Ceredig has a degree in Computer Science from Liverpool University and Post Grads from Liverpool Hope and Cambridge Universities. Outside of work, Ceredig is a keen modeller/painter, gamer and all-around geek. From wildlife to war games, his varied hobbies ensure that he is never just ‘sitting down watching the box’.