VOCATIONAL, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ICT

Teaching Staff

  • Ms Judson - Head of Vocational, Computer Science and ICT
  • Mr Costin - Assistant Computer Science Lead
  • Mrs Baird
  • Miss Dean
  • Mr Jones
  • Mr Spooner

Aims

KS3 - Computer Science

Our KS3 Curriculum is designed to be rich in knowledge across a wide range of topics, ensuring that we not only fulfil the National Curriculum but also look to extend students’ knowledge and develop skills that will equip them for further study at KS4 and importantly for when they leave school and move on to the wider world of work.

We want our students to understand and play an active role in the digital world that surrounds them, not to be passive consumers of technology. A sound understanding of computing concepts within our curriculum will help them see how to get the best from the systems they use, and how to solve problems when things go wrong.

The Computer Science area of the curriculum focuses on allowing students to:

  • Learn how to stay safe online and apply the principles of good computer etiquette and file management to other curriculum areas.
  • Use block and text-based programming software to engage the students in computational thinking and problem solving.
  • Show how modelling using spreadsheet software can more effectively solve labour intensive mathematical and organisational problems.
  • Think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically.
  • Use animation software to engage with the student's artistic flair and show how this can be incorporated into a final product.
  • Understand the components that make up digital systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems.
  • Understand the impacts of digital technology to the individual and to society in general.
  • Apply mathematical skills relevant to Computer Science and wherever possible link the exercises to real world scenarios.

The Creative IT area of the curriculum focuses on allowing students to:

  • Be equipped with the wide range of knowledge and skills needed to work in the creative digital media sector.
  • Learn industry standard pre-production techniques and workflow such as visualisation diagrams, mind maps and task planners.
  • Become familiar with some of the most popular software used in the Creative IT fields.
  • Create their own comic strip from planning phase through to using software.
  • Create a multimedia product using Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Learn how to manipulate digital graphics.
  • Learn how to gather and process information into a suitable multimedia product.

With the curriculum covering both areas it allows students to make a more informed decision when choosing their options at Key Stage 4, whether they follow the GCSE Computing route or the Creative IT option.

KS4 - Computer Science

The curriculum is designed so that students are introduced to every key topic in Year 10 and can then use year 11 to re-visit topics and develop their understanding through retrieval practice. There is also space for them to practice their programming skills, which is a key skill in industry.

In Key Stage 4 Computer Science students will:

  • Understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of Computer Science, including abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms, and data representation.
  • Analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems, including designing, writing and debugging programs.
  • Think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically.
  • Understand the components that make up digital systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems.
  • Understand the impacts of digital technology to the individual and to wider society.

Apply mathematical skills relevant to Computer Science.

KS4 - Creative IT

Creative IT is designed to assess the application of creative media skills through their practical use. It provides our learners with essential knowledge, transferable skills and tools to improve their learning in other subjects with the aims of enhancing their employability when they leave education, contributing to their personal development and future economic well-being.

The Cambridge Nationals qualification in Creative iMedia we have chosen will equip learners with a range of creative media skills and provide opportunities to develop, in context, desirable, transferable skills such as research, planning, and review, working with others and communicating creative concepts effectively. Using these skills, learners will ultimately be creating fit-for-purpose creative media products such as digital graphics, comic strips and interactive multimedia products.

Our Creative IT curriculum encourages independence, creativity, and awareness of the digital media sector by being able to:

  • Equip students with the wide range of knowledge and skills needed to work in the creative digital media sector.
  • Learn industry standard pre-production techniques and workflow such as visualisation diagrams.
  • Become familiar with some of the most popular software used in this field.
  • Create their own comic strip from planning phase through to using software.
  • Create a multimedia product using Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Use digital graphics to create logo’s, text and image graphics that pertain to customer specifications.
  • Learn how to gather and process information into a suitable multimedia product.
  • Learn how to optimise using compression and use the most suitable file types for a given scenario.

KS4 -Business and Enterprise

Within our curriculum we aim to prepare students for further study in the industry. Not only will students gain extensive knowledge in Business and Enterprise, learners will also be provided with the core skills required in both public and private sectors. This will not only prove useful in future learning opportunities but will also give learners the confidence in preparing themselves for the workplace when leaving school.

The course consists of two mandatory units, both of which are designed to provide learners with the skills. Knowledge and understanding of the applied study of good business and enterprise practices and an understanding of the working sector.

Further opportunities for use of technology Learners are expected to make effective use of ICT packages including; The use of spreadsheets for data analysis; use of the Internet as sources of secondary evidence, as well as multi-media software to present information in a variety of ways.

KS4 - Travel & Tourism

This qualification provides an engaging and stimulating introduction to the world of travel and tourism providing the opportunity to develop knowledge and technical skills in a practical learning environment. The curriculum explores some of the key areas within the sector, including accommodation, tourism development and promotion, transport and visitor attractions.  It will investigate the importance of the travel and tourism sector to the UK and investigate different types of customer and UK destinations as well as international travel and tourism. The course will develop key skills, such as research, report drafting and writing skills and project management.  There are three mandatory units, covering the underpinning knowledge and practical skills required to work in the industry:

  • UK travel and tourism sector (Unit 1)
  • UK travel and tourism destinations (Unit 2)
  • The travel and tourism customer experience (Unit 3)

The optional units studied are:

  • International Travel and Tourism (Unit 4)

KS4 - Event Operations

Prepare students to be able to plan, deliver and assess the wide range of events that they will/could be involved in e.g. organising and hosting parties, scheduling meetings, involvement in community or charity events. Our students will study the different types of events and the types of organisations that can help to plan and run them. They will draw on their knowledge and understanding of the events industry and factors affecting the success of events to propose a plan for an event to meet specific needs. They will have the opportunity to take part in running an event, working as part of a team, providing customer service and demonstrating effective communication.

Qualifications

  • GCSE Computer Science
  • GCSE Creative IT
  • BTEC Travel & Tourism
  • NCFE Technical Award in Business & Enterprise
  • WJEC Vocational Award in Event Operations

 Please see below for Curriculum Maps for a breakdown of what is taught in each year group and by term: