Computing
Meet the Team
Head of Faculty: Mrs T Hunt (Associate Assistant Principal)
Teacher of ICT : Mrs M Rigby
Our intent is to promote computational thinking and digital creativity. We want our students to develop the foundations to enable them to be discerning, life-long learners in a fast-moving landscape. Our curriculum is designed to allow students to provide a balanced and informed curriculum across all key stages giving students access to Computing, ICT and Digital Literacy.
We aim for our students to develop the following skills:
• 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 other systems
• develop a deep understanding of computational thinking and how to apply it through a chosen programming language
• develop valuable thinking and programming skills that are extremely attractive in the modern workplace
• understand the impacts of digital technology to the individual and to wider society
• develop, in context, desirable, transferable skills such as research, planning, and review, working with others and communicating creative concepts
• provide learners with essential knowledge 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
| Pedagogy | Enrichment | Other General Principles |
| Our pedagogy is underpinned by: • the regular use of live modelling to demonstrate processes, standards and expectations of work • a range of strategies to deepen knowledge so that it is committed to long term memory such as Recall • a need to ‘normalise error’ so that teachers can pre-empt error as part of their planning to address gaps swiftly, and students see error as a learning opportunity. | We will enrich our curriculum by: • establishing cross-curricular links • providing regular on and off-site subject or topic related experiences • taking part in national competitions • encouraging students to contribute to the life of the school and the community, including charity work, and use these ‘real’ contexts to develop their skills and knowledge in Computer Science • developing partnerships with external providers that extend student’s opportunities for learning | Our curriculum will enable students to: • have access to both Computer Science and Information Technology and make informed choices on how they pursue the subjects as they continue their learning journey through the academy • be able to use, express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace • be active, aware, and informed participants in the digital world leave their education here with the skill set to keep their knowledge up to date in the ever-changing digital technology landscape. |
Creative iMedia
What is Creative iMedia?
Creative iMedia is a vocational course which equips students with a wide range of knowledge and skills needed to work in the creative digital media sector. They start at the pre-production phase and develop their skills through a number of practical assignments as they create a number of different multimedia products.
How does the course break down?
There are two mandatory parts to the course; the first introduces students to a range of essential pre-production techniques used in the creative and digital media. The second unit sees students explore where and why digital graphics are used and the techniques that are involved in their creation. Finally, two further units are selected exploring different elements of creative digital media.
How is the course assessed and what does it lead to?
Students complete three pieces of coursework throughout the two-year course, each worth 25% of their final grade. There is one written exam worth the remaining 25% of their grade. The course could lead to a level 3 qualification at college and then onto a career in graphic design, marketing and beyond in the digital media sector.
