Teaching
The world is increasingly dominated by the use of Information and Communications Technology. Many aspects of our daily lives rely on ICT on a practical level and it is one of the most exciting and fastest growing subjects. The ICT department aims to give pupils the skills and confidence to use ICT as widely as possible in their daily lives and especially to support their work in other subjects at school.
Pupils are given opportunities to develop their ICT capability by using tools to support their learning across the curriculum. At The Abbey, girls use ICT creatively and autonomously. We follow a rich and challenging scheme of work, often extending well beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum and encompassing such varied topics such as spreadsheet modelling, multi-media presentation, control and databases.
The school has embarked on a major development of its ICT provision in order to provide the highest standard of delivery of the academic curriculum, while expanding its awareness of emergent and industry standard technologies and harnessing them for academic use. Throughout the Junior School, the girls embark on a number of exceptional cross curricular projects integrating the power of collaborative technologies with the study of particular academic curricular content. The results are incredibly exciting and have offered pupils an excellent opportunity to connect and collaborate in virtual classrooms.
Girls utilise their individual creativity to develop practical skills. Their curriculum reflects our changing society; it is relevant, focused, exciting, flexible and future-proof. Our aim is that pupils see ICT not simply as an individual subject but as a set of skills and tools which facilitate and enhance learning. By Lower III (Year 6), a substantial proportion of each pupil’s work is carried out on computer and each girl has her own school e mail address. As the girls enter the Senior School they build upon their excellent ICT experience and continue to enjoy advanced Industry Standard ICT across Key Stages 3 and 4.
The Facilities
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at The Abbey is approached in a cross-curricular manner, with basic skills taught as part of the ICT department syllabus. Children in the Early Years Centre use computers in their classrooms from the age of three. Many staff make use of the purpose-built, networked ICT Suite, or the class laptops (which access the main school network via a wireless LAN), with a whole form, to enhance the teaching of their subject. Every classroom in the school has a networked computer linked to a ceiling mounted projector and AV resources; a large number of these rooms also have interactive white boards.
Pupils from Lower I (Year 3) upwards, are able to continue with coursework, use curriculum software or access the internet at any time during the school day. They may use the ICT Suite to complete work, under supervision, from 4.15pm each afternoon or use the library at any time throughout the day in addition to lunchtime ICT clubs.