ICT & Computer Science: KS3
At TNHA we believe that our students should have the opportunity to follow an ICT and Computing curriculum that creates digitally literate students who are prepared for life in modern Britain and in a world where ICT and technology are consistently advancing.
Good quality ICT skills enable student to engage positively within the modern work place, while Computer Science skills enables students to take an active part in the design, development and creation of new technologies to be used in the world in which they live.
In ICT we want our learners to be independent and creative when exploring how to use software tools, showing confidence as they experiment how to use them. We also want to encourage independence through digital exploration, where students will develop their research skills online whilst knowing how to protect themselves. It is our aim that all students will be digitally competent and confident in the use of ICT. We want to cultivate independent thinking skills as we are aware that hardware/software will change as our learners’ graduate, so their confidence and resilience in taking risks when learning how to use ICT are important skills to develop. At KS3 we provide students with a broad range of skills and experiences which will help them in their studies across other curriculum subjects.
The core to Computer Science is the understanding of how technology works, can be developed and utilised. In Computer Science we want to develop logical intelligence through algorithmic thinking. This will allow students to transfer these critical problem-solving skills to all aspects of life by approaching issues in a structured manner. We aim to introduce text-based programming by extending algorithmic thinking into planning then creating computer programs. Finally, we hope to broaden a student’s knowledge of how a computer works, how they store and represent data, how they communicate and to understand the threats that this technology can pose.
We want to promote the important of a healthy digital lifestyle, where students fully understand online safety and as a result, they will have the skills, knowledge and understanding to develop a healthy digital mind-set.