ICT - Teachers Robert Helliar Department Head

At North Hill House we are extremely fortunate to have, not only a dedicated and well equipped ICT suite, but all classrooms in the school offer a a good ratio of PCs to students with 55 computers distributed throughout the school on our network. A new classroom will become available from September to accommodate our growing Primary class groups and will be equipped with a further 5 computers and whiteboard. North Hill House has always been comitted to providing up-to-date technology and communciations within the school and the majority of our classrooms have the benefit of a whiteboard but this is being increased over the coming months (July/August 09) to ensure that all teaching areas in the school have access to whiteboards.

The school is constantly reviewing educational software and has over the years introduced a variety of specialist application packages to help facilitate teaching and to engage learners through a medium that many of our students are motivated by; these have included Graphic packages, video cameras and animation software, web authoring, sound studios, game making, control, modelling and sensing hardware and software. The school has good fast Broadband internet access and e-mail for students and staff which is used for effective communication within the school and students' are able to keep in contact with friends and family. Use of Internet and e-mail is of course monitored by specialist software to ensure that students are kept safe in school.

North Hill House curriculum for ICT is linked to modules from QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) where some of the ICT programmes of study at key stage 2 and 3 is relevant to students with a variety of special educational needs and where with modification, it can provide stimulating and challenging learning opportunities. The focus of teaching ICT at key stage 2 and 3 gives students opportunities to: use ICT tools with increased independence to produce and present work; understand the use of ICT in the wider world for controlling communication devices review, and to evaluate their work.

Since its inception North Hill House has provided an environment to enable students' to achieve in Key Stage 4 by offering a range of GCSE courses and has itself achieve some excellent GCSE results in this subject. However, in responding to the changing needs in education where the focus of achievement within the 14 to 19 age group is shifting toward 'Functional Skills' and courses designed specifically where skills taught and learned are embedded in the 'real' world and qualifications gained have more value. As from September 2009 North Hill House will offer to students the OCR ICT Nationals curriculum where qualifications can be gained at a variety of levels ensuring that all students are able to access this course and reach their own potential. Unit 1 Skills for Business, which is a mandatory unit, will be taught in the first year.