Subject Computing/ICT Head of Department Ms F Kiss

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1 Subject Computing/ICT Head of Department Ms F Kiss Accommodation and Resources Computing/ICT The Computing/ICT Department operates in three well appointed computer rooms. Each room has more than 30 flat screen computers providing access to a range of software as well as the Internet. Most of the software used and taught, is industry standard. This means that our pupils have more transferable skills and knowledge for home, further education and the workplace than those using more economical, less standardised software. The Computing curriculum uses the following software: Python Small Basic BBC Basic Kodu Flowol Game Maker Scratch The majority of the business applications are Microsoft, including: Word Excel Powerpoint Publisher Access Whereas the media, website and presentation software is mostly Adobe and includes: Photoshop Dreamweaver Flash Fireworks Premier Pro In addition we have the Internet and other more specialised software applications and items of hardware for control systems and other aspects. All lessons are provided by experienced and qualified ICT specialist teaching staff. Staffing Ms F Kiss - Head of Department Mr M Capps - KS4 Co-ordinator Mr D Price - ICT Teacher Moodle The Computing/ICT department has been using the Moodle virtual learning environment (VLE) for some time now and it has subsequently been adopted by most departments within the school. The Computing/ICT department and others have found this to be an invaluable resource for: Sharing resources within the department Sharing resources intra-departmentally Sharing resources with pupils. Giving the pupils an area in which to efficiently and reliably back-up their work. Giving the pupils the option to submit work electronically (reducing the amount of paperwork to carry etc.) Monitoring achievement. Pupils being able to self-assess, particularly with regard to KS3 levels and KS4 & KS5 criteria.

2 Massively reducing reprographics costs. Moodle is accessible anywhere with an Internet connection by pupils and staff alike. This means that when a pupil is absent, if they have an Internet connection, they usually have the opportunity to find the work and resources they would have been using in the lesson, minimising the disruption to their learning. Moodle can also be used to give near instantaneous feedback to both the teacher and pupil. Extra Curricular Activities Pupils have access to computer rooms at lunchtimes and after school, as well as having access to a suite of computers in the Learning Resource Centre (library). The focus of after school sessions is to support pupils in their coursework and an ICT specialist teacher is on hand to support them. Key Stage 3 Computing KS3 National Curriculum 3 year scheme of work 2 lessons over a 2 week timetable Key Stage 4 Core / Options 1/2 Cambridge Nationals in ICT GCSE Equivalent Core 2 year scheme of work 2 lessons over a 2 week timetable This course builds on the ICT work pupils completed in years 7 to 9. It will provide pupils the opportunity to improve their skills and capability to solve problems and develop ideas with ICT. Pupils will complete four units of work throughout this course: Unit R001 - Understanding Computer Systems. This unit will provide pupils with the underpinning knowledge and understanding required to use computer systems effectively. Pupils will develop their knowledge and understanding of the systems they use both at home and at school and will explore how these same technologies are used by business organisations. On completion of this unit, pupils will have gained the knowledge and understanding to use computers more effectively in a variety of different contexts including home, school and the workplace. Pupils will understand the need for their own person data security and for the security of the data of others will be increased and, overall, pupils will be more informed users of computers making them more effective paricipators in business and social life. This unit is an external assessment where pupils will be expected to demonstrate their understanding through questions that require the skills of analysis and evaluation in particular contexts.

3 Pupils will complete a written one-hour examination. Unit R002 - Using ICT to create Business solutions. This unit will provide pupils the opportunity to develop ICT skills that will equip them to operate effectively in a business environment. Pupils will work with 'office' applications software that are commonly used in the workplace, schools and in further and higher education. They will learn how to select the most appropriate software to complete tasks to meet specified business requirements in a variety of contexts. Pupils will learn how to use software tools to handle data and communicate information for a range of business purposes, and how to apply formatting to enhance those documents to suit their purpose and intended audience. These types of skills are very valuable as they can be transferred from one software application to another. This unit is assessed through the completion of a portfolio of evidence which will meet the Learning Outcomes of the unit that is centre assessed and externally moderated by. Unit R005 - Creating an Interactive product using Multimedia components. This unit will provide pupils the opportunity to demonstrate their creative flair by combing multimedia components to create a vibrant, energetic or stimulating www, webpage or interactive products which are used widely in everyday life; from visiting a website, ordering online products, using mobile phone applications, viewing a presentation, e-learning products or playing computer games. On completion of this unit pupils will be able to show how the interactive product meets both the user needs and extends their capability within the use of applications software such as website development. This unit is assessed through the completion of a portfolio of evidence which will meet the Learning Outcomes of the unit that is centre assessed and externally moderated by. Unit R007 - Creating dynamic products using sound and vision. This unit will enable pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that would be expected in creative media industries such as advertising, music and online marketing. 21st century technology such as gaming technologies, mobile phone apps, media marketing technologies and web-based technologies make great use of dynamic specialist technologies to differentiate their products for their end user. Pupils will have the opportunity to learn about dynamic products such as music recordings and/or mixes; video/media news clips and animation for webpages before going on to create their own dynamic product. On completion of this unit pupils will be able to prepare, create, export and evaluate a timeline-based dynamic product. This unit is assessed through the completion of a portfolio of evidence which will meet the Learning Outcomes of the unit that is centre assessed and externally moderated by.

4 On completion of all units pupils are able to achieve an equivalent GCSE qualification graded at a Distinction* level 2 to a Pass at level 1 (A* - F). Described above after each Unit Key Stage 4 Core / Options ICT GCSE Options choice 2 year scheme of work 5 lessons over a 2 week timetable This exciting GCSE ICT gives you fantastic opportunities to work with a variety of technologies and offers you choices such as web design, games design or computing, making it engaging and enjoyable to study. The qualification will nurture digital literacy and provide you with up-to-date skills, knowledge and understanding of the rapidly developing digital world around you. It will improve your confidence in areas such as mobile phone applications, web page design and games design. It will improve your understanding of social networking and its impacts. It will give you the skills to enable you to keep up to date with IT and digital developments, at home and in shops. You will be able to explain how IT can help improve your career options and provide you with the skills to solve practical problems. The course will open up an incredible world of opportunities for work both in the technology industries and in supporting roles within other industries. IT people not only need technical skills and knowledge but also other characteristics such as an ability to communicate clearly to all levels of business personnel; planning and project management skills; and excellent self-motivation, decision-making and problem-solving abilities. This course will open doors to diverse career paths such as games design, web and animation development, network management, network security, digital forensics and mobile application development. You will study four units: ICT in today s world you will study a range of ICT systems, as used in the home, at school and in society. Learners will need to be aware of current and emerging technologies and their impact on themselves and others. This is an hour long computer-based test and is marked out of 60 marks and worth 20% of the overall grade. Practical applications in ICT you will select from a range of set tasks which will enable you to demonstrate your practical ICT ability. This is marked out of 60 marks and is worth 30% of the overall grade. ICT in context you will study a range of ICT systems, components, technologies and applications. This is an hour long computer-based test; it is marked out of 60 marks and is worth 20% of the overall grade. Creative use of ICT You will study a range of creative software

5 applications in order to create a solution to a given problem. You will be using your skills of how to analyse the problems as well as designing, developing, testing and evaluation a solution. This will either be a website, a multimedia presentation or a computer game. This is marked out of 60 marks and is worth 30% of the overall grade. Described above after each Unit Key Stage 4 Core / Options Computing GCSE Options choice 2 year scheme of work 5 lessons over a 2 week timetable This course provides a real, in-depth understanding of how computer technology works. It will give you an insight into what goes on 'behind the scenes', including computer programming. This course provides excellent preparation for higher study and employment in Computer Science and if this is of interest to you in the future then studying this course will give you the advantage over others that pick this subject up at A-level. The course will develop critical thinking, analysis and problemsolving skills through the study of computer programming. It is a fun and interesting way to develop these skills, which can be transferred to other subjects and even applied in day-to-day life. The course is an excellent preparation for learners who want to study or work in areas that rely on these skills, especially where they are applied to technical problems. These areas include engineering, financial and resource managements, science and Medicine. You will study 3 units: Computer systems and programming - this covers the body of knowledge about computer systems and is assessed by a written paper of 1 hour 30 minutes. This is out of 80 marks and is worth 40% of the overall grade. Practical Investigation - An investigative computing task which assesses the following: research, technical understanding, analysis of problem, historical perspective, use of technical writing skills, recommendations/evaluation. This is out of 45 marks and is worth 30% of the overall grade. Programming project - You will need to understand standard programming techniques, be able to design a coded solution to a problem, create a coded solution fully annotating the developed code to explain its function and then to test their solution. This is out of 45 marks and is worth 30% of the overall grade. Described above after each Unit Key Stage 5 ICT

6 A Core / Options Options choice 2 year scheme of work 10 lessons over a 2 week timetable Entrance requirements GCSE grade C in Maths and English; GCSE grade B in ICT or a BTEC/ (level 2 qualification) or ICT/DiDA at a merit grade is desirable but not essential. Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13) Year 12 students study AS ICT which provides an exciting mix of developing ICT skills and knowledge of how ICT is used in the world around us. Students will learn through a mixture of practical activities, taught sessions and individual research. Year 13 students continue studying A2 ICT. This course builds on the skills learnt at AS, students will complete a project based on a real-life scenario. All students in the Sixth form are provided with a text book, the ICT department also uses Dynamic Learning resources along with all course resources available on Moodle which is accessible anywhere that has an Internet Connection. / Careers and progression Year 12 - is based on a two-hour examination which is worth 60% and practical structured tasks which is worth 40%. Year 13 - is based on students' coursework which is worth 20% and an end of year examination which is worth 30%.