Key Stage 4

Codes & Ciphers 

Years 10 and 11

On-site or outreach

From Ancient Greece to the modern day, people have been using increasingly complex codes and ciphers with the intention of communicating secretly and keeping information secure. Enigma was one such cipher. Students will enjoy the rare opportunity to use a genuine Enigma machine as well as encountering a range of historical codes and ciphers as they work together to decipher messages in order to solve a puzzle. This session includes an Enigma machine demonstration.

During this session students will:

• Increase their knowledge of codes and ciphers and their uses throughout history.

• Develop their understanding of the role that ciphers played during WW2, with specific reference to the Enigma machine and the wider operations of Bletchley Park.

• Use and develop team working, problem-solving and mathematical thinking skills, applying them to a practical codebreaking task.

Subject Focus: Maths,

Additional curriculum links: History

Interception to Intelligence: Battle of the Atlantic

Years 10 and 11

On-site

It is 1941 and the Battle of the Atlantic is at its height. Numerous convoys of essential supplies are being sunk by German Wolf packs and Britain is close to surrender. In the role of codebreakers students will intercept, decipher and translate German Naval communications in order to plan a strategy to get the next convoy safely to Liverpool. This session includes an Enigma machine demonstration.

During this session students will:

• Develop their knowledge and understanding of WWII events and the role of Bletchley Park in the Battle of the Atlantic.

• Briefly describe the process of decryption at Bletchley Park, from when a message is first intercepted until the intelligence is used.

• Apply team working, problem-solving and strategic thinking skills to obtain and apply scenario-based intelligence.

Subject Focus: History

Additional curriculum links: Geography, Maths

Interception to Intelligence: D-Day

Years 10 and 11

On-site

It is the early hours of 6th June 1944. Weather prevented Operation Overlord commencing in the early hours of June 5th so today is the best, and perhaps last, chance the Allies have of beginning the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe. Numerous deception plans have been put into place to fool the enemy and protect Allied troops. In the role of codebreakers, students will intercept and decipher German communications in order to decide if the deception plans have been successful and whether it is safe to proceed with the invasion. This session includes an Enigma machine demonstration.

During this session students will:

• Develop their knowledge and understanding of WW2 events and the role of Bletchley Park in the D-Day landings.

• Briefly describe the process of decryption at Bletchley Park, from when a message is first intercepted until the intelligence is used.

• Apply team working, problem-solving and strategic thinking skills to obtain and apply scenario-based intelligence.

Subject Focus: History

Additional curriculum links: Geography, Maths

Breaking Lorenz

Years 10 and 11

On-site or outreach

More effective but less well-known than the iconic Enigma machine, Lorenz was the cipher of the German High Command.

Fiendishly difficult, the Lorenz cipher seemed impossible to break, but Bletchley Park Codebreaker John Tiltman’s inspired breakthrough paved the way for other codebreakers to unlock its secrets. His thought process is laid bare, and students will engage with a series of tasks of increasing complexity designed to give them a full understanding of Tiltman’s break and some of the secrets of this machine, including its use of binary operations to generate many key settings that dwarfed that of Enigma.

During this session students will:

• Develop their knowledge and understanding of ciphers used in the past including those during WW2

• Understand the number of possible settings for a Lorenz machine and come to recognise the scale of the problem for Codebreakers in WW2

• Understand how a key logical step contributed to the breaking of a WW2 cipher, using ideas related to binary addition, the XOR operation and common language patterns

• Work through a problem-solving procedure collaboratively based on real historical events

Subject Focus: Computing

Additional curriculum links: History, Maths

This session does not include an Enigma machine demonstration.

Personal Cyber Security

Years 10 and 11

On-site or outreach

This workshop has been designed for all KS4 students, regardless of whether they are studying GCSE Computer Science or not.

Our lives are becoming ever more digitally connected. Year 10 and 11 students are making their way into this brave new world. But how prepared are they to do this in a way that keeps their personal data and devices secure?

Through discussion, interactive demonstrations and practical activities, students will:

• Consider their individual digital world – looking at the devices, apps and data they value.

• Identify where weakness in their personal cyber security exist and how criminals might exploit these.

• Learn practical ways to improve their cyber security.

• Create a plan of action that is unique to them.

Subject Focus: Computing

This session does not include an Enigma machine demonstration

Data Protection by Design

Years 10 and 11

On-site or outreach

This workshop has been designed for KS4 students studying GCSE Computer Science and links to the OCR, Pearson Edexcel and Equqas syllabuses.

Modern cyber products can collect unfathomable amounts of personal data – often without the user’s knowledge or understanding. But just because computer scientists can, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should. In this workshop, students will be introduced to the concept of Data Protection by Design – a philosophy of integrating user privacy at the conception of a new product.

Through discussion, interactive demonstrations and practical activities, students will:

• Understand the principles of Data Protection by Design

• Debate the ethics of existing ‘controversial’ cyber products

• Integrate Data Protection by Design into the development of a new cyber product

Subject Focus: GCSE Computer Science

This session does not include an Enigma machine demonstration

Past, Present and Future Encryption

Years 10 and 11

On-site or outreach

This workshop has been designed for KS4 students studying GCSE Computer Science and links to the OCR, Pearson Edexcel and Equqas syllabuses.

Throughout history people have used cryptography to keep data secret. But as Bletchley Park’s wartime work proves, seemingly ‘unbreakable’ encryption systems can be broken. So how can computer scientists use cryptography to keep data safe?

Through discussion, interactive demonstrations and practical activities, students will:

• Consider the types of cryptography used by Germany during World War 2 and the weakness in German ciphers.
• Learn the principles that have led to secure, modern-day encryption.
• Send a message using the symmetrical and asymmetrical encryption methods used by modern end-to-end encrypted messaging services.
• Discuss the future of cryptography with quantum computing on the horizon.

Subject Focus: GCSE Computer Science

Additional curriculum links: History, Maths

This session does not include an Enigma machine demonstration