Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Curriculum
Summary:
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is offered to all students within the school and taught on a regular basis. It can also be taught at a higher level to students at KS4.
Introduction:
The curriculum is guided by The Teach Computing Curriculum Curriculum teaching resources (teachcomputing.org) a comprehensive collection of materials produced to support 500 hours of teaching, facilitating and delivery of the entire English computing curriculum (5 – to 16-year-olds). The Teach Computing Curriculum is designed by the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) and is funded by the Department for Education. The materials are suitable for all pupils irrespective of their skills, background and additional needs. All content is editable under Government Licence.
This ICT curriculum is also accompanied by Functional Skills Tutorials in ICT and the AQA Unit Award Scheme. The Functional Skills Tutorials are a range of modules developed to aim to help pupils acquire the skills that are outlined in the Edexcel specification for Functional Skills ICT Entry Levels 1, 2 and 3 for assessment and awards. The AQA Unit Award Scheme makes ICT achievement awards accessible to every student regardless of age, ability or interests.
Teaching/Delivery:
Teaching is provided by the ICT Lead Tutor and is based within the IT room on the ground floor in G2. Computing is a broad discipline and requires a range of strategies to deliver effective lessons to students. The National Centre for Computing Education has recommended that teachers use their professional judgement to review, select and apply relevant strategies for students. The overall aim is to provide a stimulating and varied approach to the study.
The Teach Computing curriculum is structured into units for each year group, and each unit is broken down into lessons. Units can generally be taught in any order, with the exception of programming units – where concepts and skills rely on prior knowledge and experiences – and year 7 – where “Clear messaging in digital media” should be taught first. Lessons must be taught in numerical order.
All learning objectives have been mapped to a taxonomy of ten strands, which ensures that units build on each other from one key stage to the next.
KS3 Units/Subjects include:
Collaborating online respectfully
Spreadsheets
Networks
Scratch Programming
Using Media
Web Formatting
Web Design
Searching the Web
Introduction to Python Programming
Graphics
Mobile App Development
Binary Representations
Cybersecurity
Data Science
Statistics
KS4 Units/Subjects include:
The World of Work
Accessibility Issues
The Skills Required
Cloud Computing
Personal Networks
Remote Working
Assessment:
Every lesson includes formative assessment opportunities for teachers to use. These opportunities are listed in the lesson plan and are included to ensure that misconceptions are recognised and addressed if they occur. They vary from teacher observation or questioning, to marked activities. These assessments are vital to ensure that teachers are adapting their teaching to suit the needs of the pupils that they are working with. Every unit includes an optional summative assessment framework in the form of either a multiple-choice quiz or a rubric.
Contact:
Wayne Newby
ICT Lead
wayne.newby@thetutorialfoundation.co.uk