Co-ordinator:  L A Hope

The School does not offer GCSE ICT, however pupils in Forms IV and V (Years 10 and 11) all follow a cross-curricular ICT Programme which builds on the basic skills covered in Forms I - III (Years 7 - 9).  Individual components of the course are taught within the lessons of GCSE subjects.  The emphasis is, therefore, very much on the practical application of ICT as a tool for learning across the curriculum and indeed students will work with a range of different applications, reinforcing their existing skills and developing new ones. 

The skills developed through cross-curricular ICT underpin the work students do in their GCSE subjects and indeed prepare them for life beyond school.

Through their cross-curricular ICT students will learn a wide range of skills including the ability to:

• access, search for, select and use ICT-based information and evaluate its fitness for purpose • select, interact with and use ICT systems independently for complex tasks to meet a variety of needs • select and use ICT to communicate and exchange information safely, responsibly and effectively • manage information storage to enable efficient retrieval • enter, develop and present information, in a range of formats, independently to suit its meaning and purpose • present information in ways that are fit for purpose and audience • evaluate the selection and use of ICT tools and facilities used to present information • evaluate the effectiveness of the ICT system they have used

With application, pupils can develop the skills required to progress onto the AS/A level courses in Computing and in Information and Communication Technology offered in Form VI.1 (Year 12) if they wish.