Business, Information and Computing Technology
Department Ethos
Our vision is always to ensure that our pupils are learning transferable skills and that they have/develop the D.R.I.V.E to be successful members of our school community.
Determination – To show resilience and problem solve, even when a task is challenging
Risk Taker – To take educated risks
Initiative – To use initiative and be independent learners
Vision – To have an idea about what they want to do when they leave school
Economically Aware – To be aware of how decisions can affect individual economic situations.
BICT Curriculum Content
KEY STAGE 3
In Years 7, 8 & 9 pupils receive three lessons of 60 minutes every two weeks. Lessons consist of Business, Computing and ICT topics throughout each year. Our Key Stage 3 curriculum has a three-stranded approach, allowing pupils to gain a variety of skills and be informed in terms of their future option choices. Our aims as a department are:
- for pupils to use ICT safely and responsibly;
- for pupils to become independent users of ICT who can select when, how, and what use of ICT is appropriate in any task they are undertaking;
- to allow pupils to experience working in small groups and be entrepreneurial in their approach to problems they are asked to solve;
- to develop computational thinking and programming skills.
Pupils are assessed each half term using mini assessments.
key stage 4
Edexcel GCSE business
The qualification will build on the knowledge, understanding and skills established through the Business & Enterprise elements of the Key Stage 3 programme of study. The content has been designed not only to allow for a solid basis of understanding but to engage learners and develop them as commercially minded and enterprising individuals who use their initiative.
The main themes of study are: Investigating Small Business and Building a Business which include:
- enterprise and entrepreneurship;
- spotting a business opportunity;
- putting a business idea into practice;
- making the business effective;
- understanding external influences on business;
- making marketing, financial and operational decisions.
Assessment Scheme
The assessment of the course will be:
- 50% for written paper Theme 1 Investigation Small Business (duration 1 hour and 30 minutes);
- 50% for written paper Theme 2 Building a Business (duration 1 hour and 30 minutes).
OCR Enterprise & Marketing
Exam Board – Cambridge Nationals / OCR — Course Code J819
The qualification will build on the knowledge, understanding and skills established through the Business & Enterprise elements of the Key Stage 3 programme of study. The content has been designed specifically for learners to experience bringing a product to a target market of their choice. The pupils will have to design their own brand in response to a given scenario and then pitch it to a panel who will ask questions about why they have made their business decisions. There are differences to GCSE in how it is assessed and graded.
The course is made up of 3 units of work.
Unit 064(Exam)
- Enterprise and marketing concepts
Unit 065(Coursework)
- Design a business proposal
Unit 066(Coursework)
- Market and pitch a business proposal
Assessment
The assessment of the course will be:
- 50% 1 hour 30 minute Exam – Unit 064, which is externally assessed by the exam board. Learners get 2 opportunities to sit the exam if they need it.
- 50% Coursework Tasks set by the exam board – 2 Units, 065 and 066, both are internally assessed by the class teacher. 065 must be completed before learners can start Unit 066.
This course is marked with Pass, Merit, Distinction and Distinction* grades.
OCR GCSE ECONOMICS (J205)
Economics is about people and their economic choices. This course enables learners to appreciate we are all part of the economy and that economics relates to every aspect of our lives – from the decisions of individuals or families to the structures created by governments and producers. It will develop learners’ understanding of how economic issues affect choices about resources and markets and vice versa.
OCR’s GCSE (9–1) in Economics equips learners with the skills and confidence to explore how consumers, producers and governments interact in markets nationally and internationally. It provides a well-rounded introduction to this subject and an excellent foundation for advanced study in Economics.
By learning how to explain and evaluate economic problems and possible solutions, learners will acquire a way of thinking as economists and develop a logical approach to thinking and reasoning. This course builds on the topics in our Key Stage 3 course of study where curiosity of how the world currently works around us is encouraged. From being involved in a financial investment competition to completing complex mathematics, pupils will be challenged right from the outset.
The main themes of study are:
- Introduction to Economics;
- The Role of Markets and Money
- Economic Objectives and the Role of Government;
- International Trade and the Global Economy.
Assessment Scheme
The assessment of the course will be:
- 50% for written paper Theme 1 Introduction to Economics (duration 1 hour and 30 minutes)
- 50% for written paper Theme 2 National and International Economics (duration 1 hour and 30 minutes)
OCR Creative iMedia
Exam Board
Cambridge Nationals / OCR — Course Code J817
Subject Information
This vocationally-related qualification is aimed at engaging learners interested in working in the creative and digital media sectors, including animation, digital graphics, film, gaming and web development.
The course offers knowledge in a number of key areas in the digital-media field such as pre-production skills through to a creative final product. Creative iMedia has a motivating, hands-on approach to teaching and learning, whilst using and learning industry standard software and techniques. The course is made up from a range of units which allow for flexibility and suiting the individual needs.
Key Content
The course is made up of 4 units: 25% exam based and 75% coursework based
We aim to suit individual needs and interests with the units we choose which will also be based on teacher specialism. Cams Hill school has been given special permission to modify exam board briefs to make the course content exciting and relevant for our learners.
The units of work are:
Unit 1: Pre-Production Skills: In this unit the student will learn about how to plan for digital media. The students will learn how to create moodboards, storyboards, visualization diagrams and audio scripts.
Unit 2: Creating Digital Graphics: In this unit the student will use industry standard graphic design tool Photoshop to design and create a realistic DVD cover for a film company. The students will learn to successfully manipulate bitmap and vector graphics up to a professional standard
Unit 3: Creating a Multipage Website The students will learn how to create animated banners, rollover navigation buttons and video content and arrange into a website aimed at a particular audience and purpose
OR
Unit 3: Digital Comic Book Creation The students will studty the history of comics to enable them to plan, create and present and original idea for a comic strip advertising a product
Unit 4: Designing a Computer Game Concept: In this unit the students will study the history of computer games and present ideas for a prototype game for a particular audience and purpose. The students will learn how to research, plan and present a creative idea for computer game characters, levels and in game presentation. Please note, there is no coding required for this unit.
Assessment
The course features 75% coursework and 25% exam.
The coursework is broken up into 3 units. Each unit is 25% of the final coursework mark.
The course is marked with Pass, Merit, Distinction and Distinction* grades.
GCSE Edexcel COMPUTING
The qualification will build on the knowledge, understanding and skills established through the Computer Science elements of our Key Stage 3 programme of study. Following on from more visual programming environments, programming skills are further developed using high-level textual programming languages (Python). Pupils studying the qualification will help develop an understanding of computer science methods in the real world as pupils will decompose and model aspects of real-world situations and, as a result, be able to design, build and test a fully-programmed solution to a problem.
This course provides a real study of computation and it enables pupils to apply computational thinking in context, which is evidenced through examined assessment and a programming project. This is supported by comprehensive coverage of computer science principles.
The main themes of study are: Principals of Computer Science and Application of Computational Thinking which include:
- problem solving;
- programming;
- data;
- computers and their components;
- communication and the Internet;
- ethical, legal and environmental issues.
Assessment Scheme
The assessment of the course will be:
- 50% for Written Paper Principles of Computer Science (duration 1 hour 40 minutes)
- 50% for Written Paper Application of Computational Thinking (duration 2 hours)
- ‘Programming Project’ (20 hours) Must be completed but does not contribute to final grade. (This gets sent to the exam board, so it must reflect the ability of pupil).
Co-Curricular Provision
- Mr Pritchard – Lunch club on Mondays for a Nurture group and associates, Thursday after school for iMedia catch-up, Computer club at the same time.
- Mr Hudson – ifs Student Investor Challenge for Key Stage 4 GCSE Economics pupils.