IT & Computing

IT is a core subject at Ditcham Park School, used throughout every year group and by every pupil from age 4 – 16 years. At Ditcham Park School we have a fantastic IT centre with 2 fully networked teaching suites and an Interactive Learning Centre of 19 computers within our school library.

At Ditcham Park School, we bring IT & Computing to the forefront of the curriculum. They develop both creativity and logical thinking – skills that are vital for life in today’s technology-focused world.

Juniors

The Juniors use IT throughout each Key Stage and all junior classrooms have IT facilities with software chosen and tested for suitability by the junior teaching staff.  Key Microsoft Office programmes and Internet-based learning tools are used to help develop not only IT skills, but also subject focused knowledge across the entire junior curriculum.  This is combined with learning the fundamentals of coding by designing games using a web-based programming tool called ‘Scratch’.

A key part of the Junior curriculum involves learning the fundamental features of the Google Suite including Google Classroom.  The Google Suite helps pupils to develop their creative, collaborative and organisational skills in preparation for Seniors where all pupils carry a chrome book to use in lessons and at home.

Seniors

In senior Forms 1 & 2, pupils develop their computing skills by taking a look ‘under the bonnet;’ of computers, working out what each component does and learning how to build computers.  Pupils also develop their coding skills further using Scratch, Python and Visual Basic to tackle the fundamentals of computer programming theory.  Pupils dive into the world of ‘Kodu’ to stretch their creative skills and harness the skills that they have developed to create a game.

Ditcham Park School is committed to preparing its pupils for success in school and beyond. Part of this preparation includes making sure students are exposed to technology and taught how to use technology appropriately.  At Ditcham Park School, we currently run a 1:1 programme with Google Chromebooks, small laptops that pupils utilise both in school and at home.  In order to facilitate their use, pupils are taught how to use the GSuite and its various extensions as part of the IT curriculum.

In Forms 3 to 5 pupils are able to opt for the GCSE in Computer Science.  In this GCSE, pupils learn how computer systems operate and take a deeper look into how every aspect of a computer functions.  The scope of the course extends to take a look at how computers communicate over networks, including how the internet works.  

Computer programming is a fundamental skill within the GCSE and pupils further develop these skills throughout the course, building up to a final programming project.