Information and Communication Technology KS3

At KS3 pupils have one dedicated period of ICT each week.  All classes are taught by subject specialists and supported by a highly qualified Computer Support Officer. 

Pupils follow a programme of study which covers all aspects of ICT required by the NI curriculum and introduces the skills and knowledge required for the ECDL.

All pupils produce a portfolio of work showing the range of topics covered  and skills acquired from form 1 through to the end of form 3.

 ICT is also widely used across the school curriculum and in this way the skills learned can be reinforced and actively transferred to other subjects.

The pupils ICT skills are continually assessed through their protfolios and are formally assessed at the end of each module of learning.  Formal reports are compiled at the end of each year.

Form 1

Term 1 – All girls learn how to wordprocess using MS Word (ECDL Module 3).

Term2 – Internet & Email.  The safety of our pupils is of paramount importance and to this end we devote a considerable amount of time and effort to ensure that the pupils are aware of the dangers involved in using the Internet and WWW.  Pupils are made aware of the dangers of chat rooms, email, instant messaging and social communication websites, and are educated in how to avoid putting themselves at risk.

Term 3 – DTP is widely used across the curriculum in Strathearn School.  Part of the role of the ICT department is to ensure that pupils are given the skills to fulfill the requirements made by other subject areas. To this end we introduce form 1 to the various facilities within MS Publisher, including templates and wizards.

Form 2

Term 1- The basic skills and features of spreadsheets are introduced using MS Excel, including the concept of modelling.

Term 2 – The girls are introduced to the various facilities provided by MS Access by forming teams and creating their own databases for either an Estate Agency Business or a Video Lending Library.

Term 3 – Presentation skills are becoming a neccessity in todays business world.  At this stage the girls will already be familiar with MS PowerPoint.  However a more multimedia approach will now be introduced.

Form 3

Term 1- This year, in preparation for the requirements of GCSE coursework , the more advanced features of MS Word are taught.

Term 2- In this module girls will learn more about spreadsheets through examples, such as Party Planner and Easter Eggs!

Term 3 – To complete the year the girls form teams to plan a sea cruise; the itinerary, destination, the menu etc are up to them.  Through the creation of the various aspects of their cruise they consolidate and refresh all the ICT skills learned from form 1 to form 3.