Welcome to the ICT Department

Mr M Quinton - Head of Department (Greenwood Road site)
Mr R Ahmad - Head of Department (Ransom Road site)
Mr D Craggs - Senior Leadership Team
Mr O Steffen
Ms F Perveen
Mr S Karoly
Mr M Coffey-Bainbridge
Mr R Spencer
Mr DStroud

At the Nottingham Academy we realise that ICT has a pivotal role to play in society. Our dedicated ICT suites have industry standard software applications and up-to-date fitted hardware throughout.

During KS3, all pupils take ICT. The classes are set and are taught by the ICT team for two lessons per week. The schemes ensure pupils are kept engaged, developing and continually improving their functional, literacy and numeracy skills. All our course materials are developed by our own staff to ensure that they meet the precise needs of our pupils. We are currently re-designing our schemes of work to cater for the Academy's VLE and new technology developments.

At KS4 and KS5 ICT becomes an optional course which allows pupils to study for BTEC and A level qualifications. At this level the classes are mixed ability. The department is staffed with ICT specialists, most of whom have business experience outside of the educational sphere.

At the Academy we believe that ICT should empower pupils with the skills they require to function in the workplace and in society itself. In years 8 and 9 they are able to apply their knowledge to real world scenarios and projects, allowing them to explore the potential of the technologies available to them in society. We look at how ICT can be misused and how this can affect those in a vulnerable position. We look at how information can be misinterpreted and why having accurate data is vitally important to make correct decisions in business.

The aims of our ICT curriculum are:

• to expose pupils to a wide variety of industry standard software packages, enabling them with the skills and confidence to use in their future working environments.
• to allow pupils to explore the idea that ICT underpins so many of the everyday items they use today and to understand what they have replaced in the past and what effect they are having on societies and cultures as a whole.
• to ensure the skills they learn are commensurate to the other subjects, allowing more scope for learning the specifics of that course.
• to give pupils a firm foundation which allows them to use ICT skills in their coursework and examinations in all subjects. They can then focus fully on bringing an enhanced quality to their work throughout KS4 and KS5.

At BTEC and A-Level, students will improve their ICT skills through contact with companies who use ICT in a technically specific environment. IT companies, such as games developers, and IT wholesalers will give students an insight into working and communicating in an ICT driven workplace, looking at topics such as computer graphics, systems and development of products. This hands-on approach will give students a more practically based understanding of ICT and improve their knowledge of business practices.