ICT

Kingsmead School has two ICT rooms, one with 24 workstations and the other with 20. Individual classrooms also have networked workstations. In total there are 70 networked stations plus additional stand-alone machines. Most departments in the Senior School have a data projector and a laptop. There is an interactive whiteboard, situated in the Junior Department. The school has broadband internet access.

At KS3 classes receive one double or two single lessons per week in which the curriculum for ICT is delivered. Students make frequent use of the ICT rooms for their other subjects.

GCSE curriculum

Students take the Edexcel Full Course GCSE. One project must be using a spreadsheet and another a database. The other two projects are free choice and the students may choose to use desk top publishing, create a PowerPoint presentation, write a web page or use a piece of software which is of particular interest to them. The coursework is worth 60% of the final mark. Students sit a written examination at the end of the course, which is worth the remaining 40%.

The first term of the course is spent building up skills by using ICT in practical projects. Coursework is started by Christmas of Year 10 with the first project due for completion by Easter. The second project is due at the end of the summer term, the third by October half term and the fourth by Christmas of Year 11. This course benefits students who are prepared to work hard over the two-year period. Feedback from former students indicates that they feel this course has prepared them well for the ICT element in whatever they have gone on to do after leaving Kingsmead.