Westminster City School
Striving for Excellence, Learning for Life

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ICT

Vision

Our aim is for all students to become confident users of ICT, to achieve this student’s use a range of software which are used in a work based environment. ICT is taught as a core subject at Westminster City School, with all students having timetabled lessons. All pupils leave year 11 with a full GCSE in ICT.

Resources

Westminster City School is at the forefront of technology, the school has invested heavily in ICT and emerging technology, each classroom has 28 Apple I-Mac computers, with a dual-booting system, allowing the students the option to use Apple or Windows operating systems. Following the completion of the BSF programme the ICT department is furnished in three spacious classrooms, each classroom has air-conditioning, interactive white-boards all enabling a conducive learning environment.

Staffing

Mr. A Phillips – Subject Leader
Ms. I French – Head of Learning
Mr. G Sehmbi – Gifted and Talented Coordinator
Mr. D Desanges – Assistant Head Teacher

Curriculum

Each key stage has a separate curriculum in ICT; each is designed to deliver a rich, interactive and educational experience whilst ensuring that students have successful outcomes in each key stage. At key stage 3, students use PowerPoint to produce presentations, Publisher for e-safety posters and leaflets, Excel for spreadsheets and modelling, Access for Databases, Dreamweaver for web development, Fireworks for logo creations and Flash for animations. Pupils are assessed at the end of each unit and levelled for the work produced.

At key stage 4, students have the option to follow GCSE AQA ICT and Edexcel DIDA.


GCSE AQA ICT
This course comprises of two pieces of coursework which counts for 60% of their GCSE and a written examination which accounts for the remaining 40%.

Edexcel DIDA
This course is 100% coursework, students cover unit 1 which is the core unit and called Using ICT; the optional units which students can choose from Multimedia, Graphics, ICT in Enterprise and Game Authoring. For students to succeed on this course they have to plan and manage their time effectively and work independently.

Key Stage 5
Students who opt to study ICT at AS/A2 will require a minimum GCSE grade C. Work covered will build on from GCSE, however, they will need to ensure that they become more independent learners, take risks and apply all their skills developed from Key stage 4.

To be able to use ICT competently and confidently will help students in a number of career areas including; Architecture and Design, Computing, Media, Graphics Design, Game Development, RAF to name a few.

Enrichment

ICT facilities are available before and after school allowing students the opportunity to develop their ICT skills and also can be used to complete homework, coursework for both ICT and other subjects. We are currently running an Animation club, game development using programming language C++ and other Microsoft Dreamscape software.

Additional Support

Westminster City School will be running an ICT class for parents/carers and adult learners, this too will emphasise the need for e-safety and will enable learners to know how to be aware of their children’s internet activity, how to minimise the negative effects of the internet and also how to keep their children safe online. The ICT class to parents and carers will ensure that they have the relevant skill set needed to be able to effectively communicate with their children and as a means of supporting them with their homework etc.

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
As a school we are developing the use of e-learning, as a department we have developed a VLE comprising of exam papers, worksheets, podcasts, RSS feeds for up-to-date news. This is a way to ensure that students learning does not stop once they have left the classroom and also enables parents to monitor and to see what their child is learning at school.