Information Technology

The digital sector is a major source of employment in the UK, with 1.46 million people working in digital companies and around 45,000 digital jobs advertised at any one time. Digital skills span all industries; almost all jobs in the UK today require employees to have a good level of digital literacy. The UK has positioned itself to be the ‘digital capital of Europe’ as it continues to invest billions every year in digital skills and commerce.

A high-quality ICT / Computing education to equip learners to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.  Learners will become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world. 

At KS4, Creative iMedia allows learners to develop real-world skills to prepare them for their future.  

All our learners at Key Stage 3 will acquire knowledge and skills in the three main areas of Digital Literacy, Computer Science and Information Technology.  Learners acquire computational thinking and programming techniques which helps them to develop problem solving and decision-making skills.  They also use creative software to develop skills and plan solutions.  This approach allows both the understanding of how computers work and how to plan and apply ICT solutions appropriately and is a good foundation leading to studying Creative iMedia at KS4. 

Teachers teach to the top and support learners in achieving mastery of each concept.  Blended activities are used, with online worksheets, quizzes, simulations and interactive resources all delivered through Teams.  Additional support is provided in most KS3 lessons through links to Oak Academy which supports learners’ understanding of each topic.

Learners take part in regular knowledge drills. Interim assessments and quizzes take many forms, are varied in style to meet a variety of disciplines and are appropriate to the topic being taught.  Practical and / or written assessments are completed at the end of each topic and interleaved exams assess the knowledge attained from the start of the year. 

Creative iMedia has tests for each theory topic and learners are also assessed by interleaved examination and end of year mock.  Practical components are assessed by the class teacher and externally moderated.

Learners in KS3 receive homework approximately once every 2 weeks, linked to the topic being studied. These provide further research opportunities for learners to expand their knowledge and increase their interest in the studied topic.  

The homework will be given directly to the learners on Teams.  These can be made available as a hard copy but opportunities to complete at break, lunch and after school are also provided. 

At KS4 learners receive homework that relates to each individual component of the course being studied and is set once per week. 

Further study can be Level 3 qualifications in Creative iMedia or even A Levels in ICT or Computer Science and on into Higher Education.  These can lead to careers in TV, Film, radio, advertising, design, animation, video game design and many other creative fields. 

Learning Journey