ICT

The philosophy of the ICT Department at St. Helen’s is to ensure that every student is competent and confident in using core applications.  These range from word processing, spreadsheets, email and the internet, and presentations to working with digital images and digital media.  Teaching is led by dedicated expert ICT teachers and assisted by a wide range of support staff. 

The ICT Department has the use of three modern ICT suites to deliver the curriculum.  The school has both a wired and wireless network with a 100MB/Sec internet connection.  This internet connection is well protected and the filtering system is very secure to keep students working on approved sites.  There is also an additional ICT suite used predominately for Modern Foreign Languages and a set of laptops for use in classrooms.

In Years 7, 8 and 9 girls are taught basic computing skills.  They cover a wide range of applications: Spreadsheets, Databases, Control Technology, Presentations, Computer Aided Design, Image Manipulation, Flash Animations and Web Design.  They are taught with up-to-date professional versions of the software.

The school places an emphasis on the teaching of ICT and every student is expected to gain an ICT qualification at the end of Year 11. The GCSE course that the girls follow introduces them to the use of ICT in the workplace. By the end of the course, students have a good understanding of information systems and their importance in our society. They are also introduced to the idea of the systems life cycle which is important in business and the implementation of any new system.

In the Sixth Form students are able to complete an AS and A2 level in ICT.  The school completes the AQA qualification.  This qualification is aimed at the business use of IT and how systems influence business and business decisions.  The girls complete their own system using a spreadsheet in the AS, and a database in the A2 level.

There is also the opportunity for any student to do the ECDL – an internationally accredited IT competence qualification.  This qualification is examined electronically and can be completed independently by students.  There is also an ICT club which extends girls in areas like Digital Video, animations and Web Design.