Skip to main content

This community has been created to share resources and subject knowledge with teachers of A-Level Computer Science. Drop us an email if there is anything in particular you would like us to cover.

  • On this main community page, you can book onto upcoming events and see our community notification board.
  • Click on the link below to access extra content - including our forum, resources and blogs

Access resources, discussion and forum

Is there a topic we're missing that you'd like to present an event on?

If so, click below to complete an application to bring your event to life!

Thematic Community event application

If you'd like to view existing files or upload a new one, please log in below.

  1. EYF Schedule.pdf Upload date: 17/10/2024
  2. EYF - Offer Letter.pdf Upload date: 17/10/2024
  3. Useful websites for A-Level CS.pdf Upload date: 22/04/2024

CAS A-Level Community

Please login to post a comment

CAS System Posting Account
07/11/2024 16:43

Are you teaching 14-18 year olds Computing and looking to introduce or improve your students’ SQL skills?
We’ve just launched a set of FREE resources designed to help you teach SQL with confidence! :tada:

These resources cover the essentials, from basic queries to more advanced database concepts, tailored to engage and challenge your students. Whether you’re new to SQL or looking to refresh your lessons, these materials are perfect for you! :computer::sparkles:

:point_right: Download now and give your students a head start in understanding databases: KS4 and KS5 SQL Lessons :point_left:

Becci Peters
07/11/2024 09:12

Digdata is thrilled to announce free virtual work experience events with National Highways this November and December. These career challenges are designed to develop key employability skills such as problem solving, data literacy, storytelling, and presentation. Hosted on Microsoft Teams, these sessions take place outside of school hours, making them easily accessible.
First Step Challenge Years 7-6 (England and Wales), Years 8-10 (NI) and S1-S3 (Scotland) - 27th November
Next Step Challenge Years 10-13 (England & Wales), Years 11-14 (NI) and S4-S6 (Scotland) - 11th December
Find out more: National Highways career challenges - Digdata - a Data Inspiration Group programme

Ntsika Bovula
28/10/2024 09:20

We are absolutely ecstatic to announce our much anticipated 8th annual Teens in AI #IWD2025 Global Techathon. :rocket:From 6 - 25 March 2025, we’ll unite cities worldwide in an epic tech extravaganza. Our mission? To close the gender gap in tech by introducing the thrilling world of AI to bright young minds aged 12 to 18.

But we can’t do it alone; WE NEED YOUR HELP! Do you champion gender diversity? Do you dream of making a positive impact in your community? Or do you have an interest in the world of AI? We’re on the lookout for Local Ambassadors like YOU, to inspire the next generation of tech innovators! :woman_superhero::man_superhero:

Why Join Us?

  • Sharpen your organisational, leadership, and management skills
  • Boost your credibility by associating with a global event promoting diversity and inclusivity, enhancing your professional portfolio
  • Experience the fulfilment of promoting gender equality and diversity while aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

Join us as a Local Ambassador and seize these incredible opportunities! Sign up now https://bit.ly/iwd2025 to lead the way in promoting a more diverse and inclusive tech generation. :hourglass_flowing_sand:Deadline: 30 November 2024.

Visit Global Techathon - Teens in AI for more details :globe_with_meridians:

#teensinai #ai4good #iwd2025 #globalgoals #unsdgs

Harriet Page
08/10/2024 11:00

Hi everyone,

The UK Bebras challenge 2024 will be taking place between 4th-15th November. If you haven’t already registered your school and students there is still time to do this.

The Bebras Challenge introduces computational thinking to students worldwide. This exciting challenge takes place in schools, under the supervision of teachers, over a two-week period every November. Last year, over 3 million students from more than 80 countries participated!

In the UK, the challenge is open to all young people aged 6 to 19. Each participant has 45 minutes to tackle a series of interactive tasks, designed to encourage logical thinking and problem-solving skills appropriate for their age group. The challenge is conducted online, and tasks are marked automatically by our competition system.

If you would like further information or support we are hosting a series of online sessions. Details of the dates and joining link can be found on the calendar page of our site bebras.uk.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing students take part!
Harriet - Learning Manager
Raspberry Pi Foundation

Marta Bronowicka
07/10/2024 09:09

Hello everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that our A- Level Community meeting, Building advanced database skills for the NEA, is coming up next week on Monday, 14th October at 4pm. We’d love to see you there!

In this practical session, you will explore Ada’s embedded SQL editor, engaging with a new database scenario and related project resources. The event is CPD-eligible, so you can further your professional development while participating.
( CPD Certificates Now Available for Online Events! )

Mark your calendars—we hope you can join us!

Register here:
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2024/october/building-advanced-database-skills-for-the-nea

Becci Peters
25/09/2024 14:33

I am excited to share an excellent professional development opportunity that I believe will be highly valuable. The event, BRILLIANT, is a free, full-day professional development experience designed to inspire, educate and equip teachers with the tools to innovate in the classroom.
Why Attend BRILLIANT?

This event offers a blend of inspiration, hands-on learning and cutting-edge resources to help you and your staff enhance your teaching practice, particularly in the fields of Computing and STEAM - and it is free!

CAS have a stand at the event and I will be delivering a presentation in The Inspire Theatre at 11.35am that unpicks students learning about AI.

Key Highlights:

Classroom of NOW: Experience the latest technologies, teaching methods and see firsthand how they can be applied in your classroom.
STEAM Integration: Discover practical ways to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics into your curriculum to foster problem-solving and innovation.
Visionary Speakers: Hear from renowned educators, thought leaders and industry experts on the future of education and the role technology will play.
Hot Topics: Explore key trends such as Artificial Intelligence, DE&I in classrooms and the growing world of Esports and Gamification.
Networking & Collaboration: Connect with over 1,000 fellow educators and industry professionals, sharing ideas and building a robust learning community.
Date: 15th October 2024 (8.30am - 5.00pm)
Location: ACC Exhibition Centre, Kings Dock, Liverpool, L3 4BX

I highly recommend registering to take advantage of this inspiring day of learning and growth. Whether you’re looking to deepen your knowledge in computing or broaden your understanding of STEAM, BRILLIANT offers something for every educator.
To register or learn more, visit the BRILLIANT website.

I hope to see you there.
Becci

Ian Harcombe
06/08/2024 20:53

I’ve been working on a Python project (bit of a toy project for myself, to get into using Tkinter’s Canvas as much as anything) - it’s to be able to create graphs and then demonstrate standard graph algorithms, step by step.

It’s now at a point where it’s worth sharing with others - it’s not beautiful, coding speaking, but it works as far as it goes (couple of minor cosmetic changes, then on with further functionality). Screenshots and GIF of a screencast, below.

For those interested, it can be installed through PyPI or the source code can be grabbed direct from GitHub.

Any thoughts, suggestions, etc then please do contact me :hugs:



nodemon-screencast

Becci Peters
31/07/2024 14:07

In case you missed the exciting announcement at CAS Conference, Richard Pawson announced ELAN - a new programming language designed for education. You can find out more and join the discussion here: Elan - the first new programming language designed for British schools since BBC Basic - #10 by Richard_Pawson

Marta Bronowicka
15/07/2024 16:30

Thank you to everyone who joined us for CAS Conference on Saturday - it was great to see you all in person! We hope you all enjoyed catching up with each other and listening to some great speakers as well. And don’t forget, the session materials are available to download from

https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/communities-and-events/cas-conference-2024/workshop-programme

Becci Peters
18/06/2024 14:39

New resource! Use this to teach students how to use AI responsibly and what to watch out for.

Becci Peters
12/06/2024 09:29

Join me tomorrow at 4pm where Dave Hartley will be doing an intro to Object Oriented Programming
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2024/june/intro-to-oop-or-why-everything-is-an-object

James Kuht
31/05/2024 15:34

Free competition on Open Source Data Analysis launching for A-level CompSci students tomorrow

Hi all, we’re launching a free Open Source Data Analysis competition tomorrow, well-suited to CompSci A-level students. It launches at 6pm Saturday 1st June, with one clue landing each day until Friday. Entrants have to use a variety of Open Source Investigation techniques to solve the clues - from geolocating a photo, to computer vision analysis of satellite imagery, to prompt injection of a chatbot. There’s a leaderboard - and it should be accessible and great fun whilst being safe and appropriate for young people. All the data is provided and is synthetic (fictional). If any of your students might be interested then here’s a link: Inversity

Have a great weekend! James

Becci Peters
24/05/2024 20:22

I’ve been doing some research into how many degrees don’t require Maths A-Level and the findings were really interesting! Please share with your students The Path to Computing Degrees: Unlocking Opportunities for All Students

James Kuht
16/05/2024 07:39

1-day Hackathon in London suitable for A-level Computer Science students

Morning all, we’re running a 1-day hackathon in London on Saturday 6th July at The Crown Estate, just off Piccadilly Circus. We have an incredible net-zero challenge, lots of industry mentors on hand, and short expert workshops throughout the day on software prototyping, developing in teams, AI in development and pitching. It’s a great ‘first hackathon’ for A-level students and our last one got an average rating of 9/10. It’s £25 to enter - which includes free food and drink all day - there’s also £2000 of cash prizes for winners and internships available, too…!

Learn more and register at Inversity

Thanks and hope to see some of you there :slight_smile: James

Becci Peters
15/05/2024 14:33

If you missed yesterday’s session about how AI changes the skills needed for software engineers, here’s a blog post summarising it which includes a link to the recording

Becci Peters
13/05/2024 09:22

Join me tomorrow at 4pm where I’ll be joined by a former Chief Technical Officer when he’ll explain ‘How AI changed the skills I hired for in Software Engineers and Data Scientists… and what this means for A-level CompSci students skills.’
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2024/may/cas-a-level-skills-needed-for-software-engineers-and-data-scientists-jobs

Tony Seaton
09/05/2024 14:09

University courses for A Level students without Maths (and, indeed, a few good courses for those without A Levels) now added: The Open University, De Montfort University; Newman University.

There are some great HE opportunities out there for bright students who either didn’t flourish in school, or whose schools were unable to nurture or support their interests.

Pete Dring
09/05/2024 13:59

Brilliant - thanks Becci :slight_smile:

Becci Peters
09/05/2024 13:21

Many A-Level students won’t be studying Maths and will want to continue studying a CS-related degree when they finish A-Level. I’ve started putting together a list of degree courses which don’t require Maths A-Level. Please contribute any courses you know of, or come across which don’t require Maths A-Level and use to support your students CS degrees without maths req - Google Docs

Becci Peters
30/04/2024 09:48

For anyone who missed the session last night about using AI for assessment, here’s the blog including links to the slides and recording: AI to enhance assessment and integrity. AI TC Meeting
The later part of the session was focused on student use of AI in the NEA

Becci Peters
24/04/2024 10:40

Join me on Monday where I’ll be joined by 2 teachers discussing AI for assessment AI to enhance assessment and integrity

Becci Peters
16/04/2024 15:36

On Thursday at 4 pm I’ll be joined by Rebecca Franks for an introduction to Unreal Editor for Fortnite.

Explore our new enrichment resources that will support your learners in getting started in Unreal Editor for Fortnite. In the enrichment sessions, learners can design their own 3D world and personalise it with their own objects, they can then make a fun collectable game.
Sign up here: Getting started in Unreal Editor for Fortnite

Becci Peters
15/04/2024 16:43

On Wednesday at 4 pm I’ll be joined by Harry Wake and Anna Wake who will be
-offering some top tips on how you can make your programming lessons more interesting.
-demonstrating how to teach fundamental programming contexts with real-life scenarios, for instance, how programming can be used to tackle climate change.
-showcasing Mission Encodeable, the website they’ve created that takes students from knowing nothing about programming in Python to being able to answer high-demand GCSE programming questions. It’s completely free to access, very popular with students, and includes lots of interesting, real-world projects.
Sign up here Mission Encodeable's free programming resources

Jake Gordon
10/04/2024 18:20

@bpeters suggested I share this here too…

Marta Bronowicka
10/04/2024 13:44

DSIT are carrying out a survey to understand why teachers choose to deliver or not deliver the CyberEPQ and what the main incentives and barriers are. It should only take 10 minutes to complete and your participation will be highly appreciated and valuable to DSIT policy makers, whether or not you currently deliver the CyberEPQ.

Complete the survey here - https://dsit.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39qV4fAM8t8aMt0

Becci Peters
08/04/2024 11:06

COMPUTING, ELECTRONICS & ROBOTICS
05 – 09 August 2024, University of Southampton

LIMITED FEMALE PLACES AVAILABLE!

Take your child’s passion for STEM to new heights in this five-day, ALL-INCLUSIVE residential course. This course will introduce students to industry professionals from Amazon Future Engineer, plus provide them with the opportunity to design and build their own robots whilst learning about the fundamentals of coding and circuits!

This course is available to students currently in Year 12 in England and Wales, S6 in Scotland, and Year 13 in Northern Ireland.

Louise Hayes
05/04/2024 09:32

Hi Alan, on another topic - I wonder if there is a CAS meeting planned for Manchester Central? I am happy to come along or host at Tameside College if a venue is needed.
Thanks, Louise

Mandy Honeyman
12/02/2024 12:45

Please sign up yourself or point your students here: Isaac Computer Science
This is an opportunity for your students and you to find out more about apprenticeships from the BCS and about other alternatives to traditional university degrees at an Isaac Discovery event we are hosting at 9am-10:30 am on 20th February 2024. (Aware that we are hitting half-term for some schools!)

(I’ll cross post to other threads - with advance apologies)

Abirami Kumar
09/02/2024 08:33

Thank you Richard, The spreadsheet really helps.

Richard Pawson
08/02/2024 19:40

Abirami

Not a worksheet as such, but if you are teaching floating point normalisation, you might find this interactive spreadsheet simulation that I created useful:

https://metalup.org/floatingpoint/description.html

It is quite sophisticated, but by interacting with it you end up with a really strong feel for how normalisation works and why it is important to maintain accuracy. Also gives you an understanding of why the first two digits need to be different.

Richard

Abirami Kumar
08/02/2024 13:42

@Alan Harrison, thank you. I never thought about chatgpt worksheets.

Alan Harrison
07/02/2024 13:43

@Abirami Kumar I use Craig’n’Dave resources, ExamBuilder and Isaac, but I also just used the free ChatGPT 3,5 to create some questions with this prompt.

Create a worksheet of six questions worth between 4 and 8 marks each, on 2’s complement fixed and floating point binary numbers, suitable for an exam in OCR A-level in Computer Science. Each question should have a mix of AO1 (demonstrate knowledge and understanding), AO2 (apply knowledge) and AO3 (evaluate and design solutions) marks. At the end of the worksheet write the mark scheme with model answers.
The results are in the chat transcript here, along with a follow-up prompt to create some simple conversion questions. Results are not bad, might need a tidy up.

Becci Peters
07/02/2024 13:33
priya ravi
07/02/2024 13:07

Hi
I still can’t find the resources from 5/2/24 session - Useful websites to teach A level.
Can anyone help?
Thanks

Andrew Russell
07/02/2024 09:02

@abirami Kumar, I teach it off the board, but you could try the Isaac Computing workbook? Isaac Computer Science

For OCR the questions on Data representations start on p127.
Alternatively ZigZag have worksheets with some questions.

Abirami Kumar
07/02/2024 08:21

Does anyone have worksheets for 2’s complement and fixed and floating point binary.

Simon Humphreys
06/02/2024 11:08

Hi all, for those of you teaching KS5, your learners may be interested in applying for an Apprenticeship at Arm. They have Level 4 and Degree apprenticeships in the Arm Cambridge offices.

Apply here: Search for available jobs at arm here

Becci Peters
05/02/2024 16:58

Lots of useful websites are linked to from here: Useful websites for A-Level CS - Google Docs
Do add your own if they’re not already included

Robert Nixon
09/01/2024 14:27

Once I have taught Boolean algebra I get my classes to do Boolean Algebra Quiz and see how many questions they can get right in a row.

Becci Peters
09/01/2024 10:03

Are there any useful websites you use for teaching or would recommend for your students? Hoping to showcase some at our next event on 5th Feb. Email me if you’d be happy to show (Becci.peters@bcs.uk)

Mandy Honeyman
28/12/2023 13:15

Ok, links being stripped out. Please do go to Isaaccomputerscience.org discover events for more details.

Mandy Honeyman
28/12/2023 13:12

Hi there, I’m very excited to be able to offer “Alternatives to traditional university degrees” to a-level students via Isaac Computing events. As an OU graduate and post-grad and a teacher with an utterly non-traditional career, I would not be writing this here now without the OU. We are also talking about Apprenticeships and Code First Girls degrees. Isaac Computer Science
I hope it’s okay to tell people about this here :).

Robert Nixon
19/12/2023 10:32

As someone teaching OCR for the first time this year these are really useful - thank you!

Becci Peters
15/12/2023 09:29

Thanks to those who came to the session this week about marking OCR exam papers. Here are the slides from the session. Do let us know if there’s anything you’d like covered in future sessions

Bruke Bayeh
09/12/2023 23:46

Good idea!

Map

Explore the map

Show:

Communities