Intent
Our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and computing curriculum is intended to ensure that our students have opportunities to understand the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. We are steered by the National Curriculum and use its guidance to ensure our students ‘become digitally literate at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in the digital world’ (NC page 230).
We believe that a useful ICT and computing curriculum allows students to use computational thinking to understand processes and to be creative with their use of computers and modern technology.
Our intention is that during their time at the school, students will gain greater knowledge, skills and understanding of the following key ICT and computing concepts and learning:
⦁ Fundamental principles and concepts of computer science;
⦁ Ability to analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems;
⦁ Evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems;
⦁ Become responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
Implementation
At Key Stage 3, students have 2 lesson of ICT a week.
At Key Stage 4, students have 2 lessons of ICT a week.
We are keen to ensure that the teaching of reading is explicit in all areas of the curriculum: in ICT and Computing this includes learning and using key computing terminology and having support to understand technical language used in computer programming.
Impact
We monitor the impact of our teaching of ICT and computing through in-class assessments at Key Stage 3 and through exam board led assessments at Key Stage 4 as well as via our monitoring of the Quality of Education throughout the school.