ICT

At Sidcot we have enormously enthusiastic students, who seem to live and breathe ICT. As an international school the opportunities for communication are many and all of our pupils make use of ICT in their daily lives. There is no other subject which is changing so rapidly, developing new technologies all the time.

The school is well equipped with dedicated ICT rooms (the Iain Chapman suite), the school network and pupils have their own workstation in ICT lessons. Pupils enjoy ICT and are very committed to achieving their best, in a co-operative atmosphere - they enjoy above all the sense of achievement which comes from a job well done and the excitement of learning new skills.

Years 7 - 9

ICT is a support subject for key skills - such is the integration of ICT into the curriculum that every subject needs fully equipped ICT practitioners in order to make the most of ICT based subject lessons. KS3 ICT enables pupils to develop a full range of skills and does so in a practical way, using a problem solving approach.

Years 10 & 11

ICT is a subject which permeates throughout the curriculum and all subjects at GCSE use ICT in lessons for research, to process ideas and data and to present findings. The particular skills developed are in using the internet to research efficiently and effectively, and presenting findings using appropriate media.

GCSE

Sidcot has been the starting point for students to make a career of ICT, and as technology develops, there are ever more careers available. GCSE ICT is the first step towards this and also supports careers in business and management. There is a large coursework/project component and students will develop database, website and spreadsheet skills which will be useful for A level or Higher Education in any subjects. Also, pupils build a broad range of knowledge and understanding in diverse subjects such as the law, systems analysis, health and safety and the social and economic effects of ICT.

A level - General comments

ICT Applied A level is very much a 21st century course. "Examinations" are on screen and printed off when pupils have finished. Coursework can be submitted electronically - on CD or online. For either of the options described below, this is very much a practical course - problem solving and using software in real life situations is a major aspect of the subject. Successful pupils on this course are enthusiastic, committed and derive satisfaction from their achievements. They set themselves high standards, working efficiently and to deadlines. There are two options for A level:

Single A level

Aimed at "users" - people who will use ICT in their work as a method of communication, research and presentation. The course covers life in the information age, e-commerce and how software such as databases are used in e-commerce and how spreadsheets are used in decision making and project management.

Double A level

Aimed at "practitioners" - people who develop and manage hardware and software, for whom ICT is at the core of the their daily work. In addition to the single A level course, the double course covers hardware and networks, creating, maintaining and upgrading commercial websites, and programming.

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