KS3

It has been an exciting term and our KS3 students have been partaking in a range of activities inside and outside of lessons. Year 7 students were introduced to the concept of using flowcharts to aid in planning and preparation before coding in Python, to further support our students here,  the programming club running weekly every Friday during lunch time has been a great success and many key concepts are being taught at a very early age to promote development of more advanced programming concepts in Python. Our year 8 students have done really well in completing all content planned for the first term which has provided them with the opportunity to begin looking at website design early and understanding why layout, text, graphic choice, colour etc. are important to create effective and meaningful websites, this early design work will help them inform their HTML development in the next term. Similarly, our year 9s have also made a great start in regards to covering this term's content early but efficiently which has led to them using graphic editing software to re-design given logos, their work has been really creative and they have still sustained the brand image by linking their designs to audience and purpose.

KS4

It has been a busy term for our year 10s and 11s, year 10 students have submitted a mock assignment to give them a feel of what to expect in their real submission early 2024, they have analysed a series of adverts, games and magazines with the sole focus on teenage audiences and media product purposes. It has been great to see the enthusiasm and commitment to the course which is reflective in the work they have submitted. Furthermore, our year 10 Computer Science students have recently  completed their computational thinking assessment. They have learnt how to transform flowcharts and pseudocode into python code.  They are currently  working on loops in python and students are beginning to build their confidence in debugging their code.  Year 11 computer science have completed their mock exams and it has been the first time they have gone through a full programming paper, they have been given the opportunity to understand the structure of the practical exam which we will also green-pen and walk through within our classes to gain an in-depth understanding of what went well and how we can improve for the future. Year 11 Creative Media have also achieved a key milestone by submitting their last internal coursework component, we will be working on preparation for the external controlled assessment when we return from a well-deserved Christmas break.

KS5

Our year 12s have got off to a flying start in terms of theory and practical, they have actively been making an effort to enhance their independent learning by learning crucial programming skills outside of lesson time as well as touching up on their understanding of the theory element related to the course. Year 13s have also been preparing for their end of term in class assessments and have similarly been making an active effort in working outside of timetabled lessons - their project work has gotten off to a good start and they have planned out what additional steps are required to further enhance their projects within coming months up until their submission in early summer.