AIMS
Information Technology has the potential to enhance the quality of teaching and learning across the Curriculum. Using ICT in the classroom will help students cope with the future demand for a higher level of technological knowledge and awareness. As a result this should help to produce a population which feels comfortable with the new technology and one that can adapt to the rapid progress in this field. We will do this by providing the students with the basic skills and techniques needed to use the main curriculum software and by providing opportunities to use information technology within the wider curriculum of the school in order to enhance their communication and learning. Our aim is for all students to be Information and Communications Technology (ICT) capable and for the school to become a fully-fledged eLearning environment. Students will also develop the ability to choose to use ICT as a means of accessing resources.


SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
In our school we will aim:
o to develop, in all students, confidence and proficiency in the use of ICT in the classroom.
o to develop an appreciation and proficiency in the use of ICT in the context of the wider world.
o to enrich learning and to promote both autonomous study and group work.
o to develop the ability to use ICT appropriately and to choose software suitable for a particular task.
o to provide continuity and progression in the 4 strands of the ICT National Curriculum.
• Communicating and Handling Information – using ICT to generate and communicate ideas in written, visual or aural forms and to retrieve, analyse and amend information. This will include communication via email and the use of the internet for research.
• Controlling and Monitoring – using ICT to control and monitor external events.
• Modelling - exploring computer representations of ideas and of real and imaginary situations.
o to develop ICT skills through curriculum contexts.
o to encourage problem-solving and investigation.

ATTITUDES
A high proportion of work using technology will be using shared resources. We aim to foster group work, sharing and collaboration between peers. Caring and respect for equipment and resources will be an integral part of the curriculum. Working on the open access resources of the internet requires a mature and responsible attitude.

MANAGEMENT
There is a designated ICT Co-ordinator to oversee the planning within the School. The co-ordinator is responsible for informing the rest of the staff about new developments and where appropriate for organising appropriate training. The ICT Co-ordinator convenes and chairs an ICT Focus group whose aim is to develop better whole school use of ICT and develop curriculum planning to ensure this core subject is fully delivered. The group meets approximately twice a term and comprises a member of the senior management team, a member from most curriculum areas and the Network Manager. The ICT Co-ordinator will not act as a technician but will advise colleagues on managing equipment, software, booklets and curriculum to deliver ICT in their subject. Three central resource areas will be maintained and reviewed annually along with other resources for ICT.
The Co-ordinator will monitor the curriculum and report to the Headteacher and Governors on at least an annual basis, on progress with regard to the School's Development Plan.

CURRICULUM ORGANISATION
There are taught ICT lessons in all Year groups. In addition ICT will also be delivered within subjects in every Year group.
The ICT Co-ordinator, in discussion with Heads of Department, will timetable the use of the School's resources to ensure this will happen. The timetabled use of the central ICT areas also allows for the adhoc use of ICT by all subject areas.

Year 7
Students arrive in school with variable ICT experiences: the systems are different and sometimes the software is different. We view these prior achievements as an advantage and aim to build on them. A skills and techniques curriculum will be the basis of the ICT curriculum and this will be built upon by applied use in subjects - the schemes of work used by the ICT department closely follow the recommended QCA schemes of work.

Year 8
Year 8 has taught ICT lessons and a programme of cross-curricular work. Again the schemes of work for ICT follow the recommended QCA schemes of work.

Year 9
Year 9 has  taught ICT lessons and a programme of cross curricular work. Again the schemes of work for ICT follow the recommended QCA schemes of work.

Year 10 and 11 GCSE IT
Due to timetable and rooming restrictions, it is not possible to provide a taught short course in ICT within the School. At present 3 groups totalling approximately 50 students undertake a full GCSE course in ICT, the remaining 70 students undertake a full programme of ICT activities – it is aimed that this will allow for some form of certification in the near future.

Sixth Form
ICT is organised in the school through working within the scheme of work within curriculum areas.

ACCESS
For all students, computer access is ensured through the schemes of work. At present there are 3 bookable computer rooms, together with 9 dedicated curriculum area computer suites; the aim over the forthcoming academic year is to increase this by a further 3 dedicated curriculum area suites. There are a number of computer clubs that are run at lunchtimes and after school. Internet access is available in all computer suites.

TEACHING AND LEARNING
Activities will be planned according to the different levels of student’s skills and previous knowledge.
ICT will be delivered through a variety of teaching and learning methods e.g. whole class, group and individual work.
Differentiation and progression will be ensured by a variety of approaches such as:
o same activity but different expectations of outcome
o same theme but different levels of input
o allowing for different pace of working
o different groupings of students
o developing different modules of work at different times of the year for different abilities.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
The school will recognise the advantages of the use of ICT by students with special educational needs,  as such a dedicated ICT has been made available to the SEN Department, together with specific SEN learning materials including RM Successmaker.

Using ICT can:
o address students’s individual needs
o increase access to the curriculum
o enhance language skills.

A number of students have statements, which prescribe specific computer hardware or software.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
The school will promote equal opportunities for computer usage and fairness of distribution of ICT resources
Positive images of computer use by students of both sexes will be promoted.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment of ICT will take place during ICT lessons and through other subjects, however clear learning objectives will support the focus of accessed activities.
The aim over the next forthcoming year is to develop a system for recording the level of ICT work for all students in the school – including the development of an example of work folder to assist in the monitoring of ICT levels.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
All equipment will be checked annually under the Electricity at Work Regulation 1989. The Health and Safety at Work Act (1 January 1993), European Directive deals with requirements for computer positioning and quality of screen. This directive is followed for all administration staff. Whilst this legislation only applies to people at work, we seek to provide conditions for all students which meet these requirements.

RATIO
The school has a pupil to computer ratio of 1:5 which is below the national average.
(Replacement of hardware is part of a four-year lease arrangement. This allows some equipment to be replaced each year or for replacement at the end of the period. To this end, an annual review of needs will be made so that a systematic updating of equipment is implemented or decisions are made on group replacement).

INSET
The aim over the current academic year is for at least one departmental staff meeting will be arranged for staff to work on ICT. This will include:
o introduction of software
o general training for ICT
o whole school support in planning for ICT
o sharing ideas
o sharing students’s work
o moderation of students’s work
o development of ICT portfolio.

Opportunities for training are offered wherever possible; to meet whole school needs as well as those of individual teachers.

APPENDIX (dealing with technical issues which are likely to change)

SECURITY
The School has an alarm system installed throughout, with specific alarm and security devices installed in each computer suite.

Each computer system has individual security to protect against access to the management system. The files and network system are backed up regularly. The aim over this academic year is to revise these procedures and install new server systems with automatic backup procedures.

MAINTENANCE
Any faults with the computers should be reported via the notice board system to the ICT technician. The majority of the School's computers are covered by a maintenance contract with Dell. The ICT technician will keep a log of faults occurring to help with future replacement decisions and all discussions with repair technicians. The School has a full-time ICT technician and network manager.

RESOURCES
The school resources to deliver these aims include:
calculators/graphic calculators
computers including CD ROM
access to email and internet/intranet
scanners
digital cameras
control equipment
data logging in science
music midi computer
televisions/videos
tape recorders.

DEPLOYMENT OF RESOURCES
The lists below just indicate the bookable ICT facilities – Rooms 30 and 31 are used just for GCSE ICT, the music suite is used just for the music technology course, Room 32 is used primarily for Success Maker and SEN work, media is used for GCSE media, Rooms 16, 22 and 23 are used for departmental ICT work, and the ACC room is used primarily for withdrawal sessions.

HARDWARE
All hardware is a whole-school resource and will be allocated by the ICT Co-ordinator with approval from the management group.

SOFTWARE
A catalogue of software is available from the Network Manager. Master disks are locked in the Network Manager's office.
Teachers who wish to explore new software or view demo copies should contact the either the ICT Co-ordinator or the Network Manager.

Governors' Annual Review: Autumn Term