Our ICT CURRICULUM

At Coopers, students can explore a variety of computer programmes used in business and the creative sector and learn the importance of e-safety with the rise of cyber-crime in society.  We aim to educate students to be successful, ethical, and effective problem-solvers and life-long learners who will contribute positively to the economic well-being of whatever path they may choose in life. It is important to the department to equip our students and prepare them to tackle complex 21st Century challenges.  Students will also cover all elements of e-safety and learn how to stay safe online.

Coopers Values: Trust, RESPECT AND RESILIENCE

In ICT we develop trust by: 

• Teaching pupils to be critical and evaluative of online sources
• Becoming responsible users of the digital technology. 

In ICT we develop respect by: 

• Explicitly teaching about respect in online behaviours towards ourselves and others
• Asking the students to respect themselves by respecting all computer equipment. 

In ICT we develop resilience by: 

• Having a “can do” attitude. 
• Not giving up when they are having problems with their codes. 
• Trying hard in lesson. 
• Learning to program using different programming languages. 
• Learning from their mistakes. 

WHOLE SCHOOL INTENT: INCLUSIVE

In ICT we ensure our curriculum is inclusive by:  

• Ensuring that all pupils can access our curriculum regardless of their base knowledge and starting points
• All students are taught to: 
• Develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science, digital media and information technology 
• Develop and apply their analytic, problem-solving, design, and computational thinking skills 
• Understand how changes in technology affect safety, including new ways to protect their online privacy and identity, and how to identify and report a range of concerns. 

WHOLE SCHOOL INTENT: FOCUSED

• In ICT we identify powerful knowledge and having a good understanding of it is a prerequisite for understanding other related content. 
• Equips students to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. 
• ICT has deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. 
• The core of computing is computer science, in which students are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. 
• Students are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. 
• It ensures that students 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.

WHOLE SCHOOL INTENT: SEQUENCED

In ICT we sequence our curriculum using spaced practice. This means large areas of knowledge are broken into smaller chunks, with intervals of time between them, to improve pupil learning and recall. 

KS3 (Years 7, 8 & 9) Computing is delivered through 1x 50-minute lesson per week.  We deliver an in-house curriculum that covers the new national curriculum specification for computing, including a range of different programming environments such as Scratch, Python, Flowol and Pivot animation. Students will also cover all elements of e-safety and learn how to stay safe online.

WHOLE SCHOOL INTENT: COHERENT

In ICT we ensure our curriculum is coherent by the use of Big Ideas that underpin all the learning in our subject. Each lesson is linked to a Big Idea, shared with the students at the start of the lesson, so they can call on prior learning and understand where each lesson fits within our curriculum. 

 Our Big Ideas are: 

• Mastering computer use in a digital age: The ability to competently use Information technology and digital platforms in all areas of life, both professionally and personally
• Problem solving like a computer: The ability to combine computer science centric problem-solving skills to create algorithmic solutions to problems
• Commanding the machine: The ability to create computer programs using high level languages using universal concepts such as iteration, selection, and sequencing.
• Data Vs information the difference and its importance: The ability to discern between data and information and use data analysis on raw data to transform it into information.
• Hardware that runs the world: The ability to recognise and identify physical hardware, its purpose and how the various components of a computer system interact with each other.
• Global impact of computing: The ability to identify the social, environmental, and ethical impact of the growth of IT systems across the globe and evaluate the pros and cons of these impacts.
• Knowing the dangers, keeping yourself safe: Being able to safely and responsibly use technology to ensure yourself and others are safeguarded from online harm

KS4 QUALIFICATIONS

OCR Computer Science

 Pearson BTEC Tech Award in Digital Information Technology