Information Technology (ICT) at Leckford Place

In a world that relies increasingly on Information and Communication Technology, being able to use a computer proficiently is essential.

Fundamental to our teaching of Information and Communication Technology at Leckford Place is a belief that all of our students should become confident and competent users of the main software packages, including word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, presentation graphics and databases. We aim to achieve this by focussing on the key features of each software package and building a core set of skills through a range of practical assignments. Regular assessment and constructive feedback also form an important part of the learning process.

The department is fortunate to be equipped with 15 new PCs, each with a flat screen LCD monitor and wireless network connection. At Leckford Place, we would like our students to use ICT as a tool to help them in their other subjects, rather than simply viewing ICT as a self-contained discipline. To support this, we run occasional projects with other departments to promote cross-curricular learning. At the very least, students are expected to be able to use the Internet for research and produce word-processed documents in most subjects.

In Years 7 – 9, we currently follow the OCR CLAIT level 1 syllabus (www.clait.org.uk). In Year 7, we start by ensuring that all our students are familiar with the routine operation of computers and we provide a general introduction to the student network and responsible use of the Internet within the school. By the end of Year 7, we hope that all our students will have mastered the basic features of word processing, spreadsheet and desktop publishing software.

As students progress into years 8 and 9, they will continue to develop their ICT skills for example by using computer art, building PowerPoint presentations, web pages, producing graphs and charts and using databases.

GCSE ICT

Students may continue studying ICT in years 10 and 11 as a GCSE option. At present, we follow the AQA ICT Specification A and normally our students are entered for the Higher Tier examination.

The course has been very successful in the past with 100% A-C pass rate. Students must complete two extended practical projects for their coursework, each worth 30% of the final grade awarded at GCSE. The final 40% of the marks are awarded for the theoretical examination taken at the end of Year 11.

At GCSE level, students will focus on Access (databases) and (Excel) spreadsheets in much more detail. They will be expected to analyse complex problems and design, implement, test and evaluate significant solutions using a range of ICT skills. In recent years, some of our students have produced some advanced work in Access. Particularly successful projects have included setting up relational databases for a school library and video hire shop. Students will also be expected to review the impact of ICT applications in the wider world and be encouraged to reflect on the legal, social and economic issues and security needs for data surrounding the increased use of ICT in society.

Victoria Källebrink, Head of ICT