ICT

Staffing In ICT
ICT is currently taught by five teachers; these include Ms Lewis, Mr Ali, Ms Khanam, Ms Ali and Ms Okudu.

Aims Of The Department
Our department supports the school vision “to equip every Cumberland pupil with the knowledge and the skills to develop as individuals, to contribute as citizens and to build happy and fulfilling lives”.

In ICT we aim to enable every child to leave school with an accredited ICT qualification. We strive to reduce the attainment gap between groups of pupils by making effective use of data to inform teaching and learning and by constantly develop our skills as a teaching team. We aim to support pupils to understand the key skills and process they need to develop and progress. We are constantly developing a curriculum that involves a range of tasks and activities to support and challenge learners of all abilities. We are currently focussing on developing tasks that encourage pupils to be independent learners.

This year we hope to work more closely with our governing body and create further opportunities for pupils to be more involved in supporting the work of the department. ICT Pupil Leaders are involved in a range of activities, including coaching, homework club, Y6 transition events, Diversity Day and extra-curricular activities.

As teachers we are aware of the integral part that the internet plays in children’s’ lives. Our aim is to address e-safety issues and develop life skills that will help our pupils and their families understand the range of risks presented online. We want our pupils to practice safe and responsible behaviours when using digital equipment, be it a computer, or a mobile phone.

The ICT department plays a key part in developing skills that will prepare pupils’ workplace skills, which in turn will contribute to their economic wellbeing. Our Key Stage 3 curriculum contextualises learning through the use of real life situations, moving towards more problem solving scenarios by the end of the key stage. We use industry standard software and pupils develop a range of skills and knowledge alongside personal qualities such as the ability to work effectively in teams. Pupils are well prepared for the Key Stage 4 curriculum where they will study for a GCSE in ICT.

The ICT Curriculum

The ICT Curriculum in Year 7
In Year 7 pupils study ICT for one hour a week and undertake four units of work.

They begin the year by creating an interactive, multimedia quiz using Matchware Mediator. Text, images, and sound are combined with basic programming.
The second unit of work involves modeling with spreadsheets using MS Excel. Pupils develop skills using formulae, functions and formatting. Data is manipulated to model a range of given scenarios. They also create a promotional advertisement using MS PhotoStory.
Data handling is also the theme for the third unit of work. This time pupils use MS Access and learn how to create tables, filter information, run queries and generate reports. Knowledge learned is tested in an assessed task involving independent work at the end of the unit.
The final unit of work in Year 7 involves using 'Scratch' software to create an arcade style computer game.

The ICT Curriculum in Year 8

In Year 8 pupils study ICT for one hour a week and undertake three units of work.

At the start of Year 8 we return to data handling and pupils learn more about working with spreadsheets. They combine this with creating a presentation for a specific audience.
This is followed by a unit of work that re-caps on many of the ICT skills and knowledge learned over the past year and a half and introduces pupils to animation software and sound editing. Pupils work with more complex functions in MS Excel, MS Word and MS Access to complete problem solving scenarios.
The final unit of work in Year 8 uses GameMaker software, which utilises programming software to create a computer game of greater complexity than the one created in Year 7.
Pupils make option choices in Year 8, as our Key Stage 4 courses begin in Year 9. ICT is a core subject and must be studied until the end of Year 11. Pupils who enjoy and are skilled in ICT may also want to select ICT as an option subject.

The ICT Curriculum in Year 9

In Year 9 pupils study ICT for one hour a week.

Pupils begin their KS4 course, which leads to a qualification at the end of Year 11.
This is a single award GCSE in ICT from the Edexcel examination board.
In Key Stage 4 pupils can opt to study ICT as one of their option subjects. This will be in addition to their Core ICT lesson and leads to an additional ICT qualification – ie: GCSE ICT – double award (x two GCSEs).

The ICT Curriculum in Year 10
In Year 10 pupils study Core ICT for an hour and a half a week. Option ICT is studied for a further hour and a half per week.

In Core ICT time, pupils complete Unit 2 - a Controlled Assessment Brief (CAB) set by the exam board, Edexcel.
In Option ICT time, pupils study Unit 4 - a Controlled Assessment Brief (CAB) set by the exam board, Edexcel.

The ICT Curriculum in Year 11
In Year 11 pupils study Core ICT for an hour and a half a week. Option ICT is studied for a further hour and a half per week.

In Core ICT time, pupils complete Unit 1 – leading to an externally set and marked exam that is taken in the summer term.
In Option ICT time, pupils study Unit 3 - a Controlled Assessment Brief (CAB) set by the exam board, Edexcel.

Much more detailed information and a wide range of learning materials for both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 ICT courses is available to pupils and their families via www.fronter.com/newham.

Assessment For Learning
Assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning process in ICT. Pupils are required to evaluate their own work and that of their peers. At the start of each unit they review their achievement to date and set short term targets. Pupils in both key stages are provided with the assessment criteria at the start of each unit, so they can reference what they need to do to move forward.

The teaching team assess progress through questioning in class, marking of classwork and homework, assessed tasks, and annual internal examinations. Data is recorded regularly on the school’s electronic management information system, so that we can track progress towards targets efficiently and effectively.

Attainment In Our Department

Results at end of Key Stage 3 (Level 5+)

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Level 5+	41%	44%	65%	40%	62%

Results at end of Key Stage 4 (A*-C)

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Option ICT	95%	91%	95%	100%	100%
Core ICT	N/A	N/A	N/A	74%	61%

This page was last updated in October 2012

ICT - Cumberland School

ICT