Curriculum - ICT - Departmental Information

Aims and Objectives of Information Technology Department

Aims
• To develop, maintain and stimulate pupils’ curiosity, interest and enjoyment of ICT.  Pupils should ideally become autonomous users of ICT with the associated skills supporting life long study, the pursuit of personal interests and prospective employment in a modern technological society.
• To enable all students acquire transferable ICT skills, knowledge and understanding.  Progression should be an important feature in the acquisition of ICT skills.
• To enable all pupils to have equal access to ICT and to experience success in their work.
• To encourage students to develop an understanding of the wider applications and effects of information technology.
• To encourage students to solve problems through the use of information systems and associated principles and techniques.

Objectives
• To provide an Information Technology curriculum that delivers the National Curriculum for ICT in each key stage together with vocation education where appropriate.  Staff will provide a variety of different learning experiences/activities during a course of preferably unit of work.
• Students will have access to a variety of industry standard generic software and hardware across all key stages. ICT staff will use learning strategies and experiences that build upon previous work and students’ present knowledge and understanding.   Students will be provided with a number of opportunities within wider curriculum areas with which to use and build on skills developed within ICT lessons. 
• The ICT department aims to provide an inclusive curriculum meeting the needs of all students at all levels, regardless of gender or ability.   The department will continue to develop the use of assessment data to monitor and assess pupil progress. 
• The ICT department will develop a curriculum which takes its focus from the real world of ICT.  Where possible, we will establish external links with users of ICT in the local community.  Where appropriate, staff will consider the social, legal, ethical and moral issues and security needs relating to the use of ICT in the modern world.
• The completion of curriculum tasks will be encouraged through a systematic approach to problem solving.  Students will acquire skills of analysis, design, implementation, testing and evaluation/improvement.  This will also include the selection of appropriate hardware and software tools required to generate a suitable solution. Staff will promote an awareness of the general benefits and limitations relating to the application of ICT in relation to their own work and in a wider context.