The aim of the IT department is to introduce the students to the exciting world of IT, so that they understand the technology being used, can design and create their own programs/apps and are also confident users of IT in the classroom.
Key Stage 3
The KS3 curriculum is based around the national curriculum for Computer science; with three key components 1) the use of algorithms and coding, 2) how computers and digital technology works and 3) how to be confident in organising and creating school work on computers.
Key Stage 4
IT at KS4 is an option subject for students and currently the students can study an academic or vocational option.
Vocational option for KS4: BTEC Technical Award in Digital Information Technology. This course is based on two coursework components and one exam component. The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the skills needed to design and create user interfaces, analyse data effectively and have an understanding of technology such as network security and cloud computing for the exam.
Academic option for KS4: GCSE Computer Science. Students are examined on the fundamentals of IT and on algorithms and programming. See the pdf below for more details.
Key Stage 5
At KS5, there is also a vocational and academic option.
KS5 vocational option: We offer the Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma in IT. The units studied are “Fundamentals of IT” (exam), “Global Information” (exam), “The Internet of Everything” (coursework), “Project management and application design” (coursework).
KS5 academic option: We offer the OCR A Level in Computer Science. This course builds on the GCSE content and students are examined on the fundamentals of IT and on algorithms and programming. In addition this course has a project that students complete in year 13. This is on a topic of their own choosing and comprises 20% of the marks for the course.
Long Term Plans
Click the links below to view PDFs