Overview of Curriculum

The increasing use of technology in all aspects of society makes confident, creative and productive use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) an essential skill for life. ICT capability encompasses not only the mastery of technical skills and techniques, but also the understanding to apply these skills purposefully, safely and responsibly in learning, everyday life and employment. ICT capability is fundamental to participation and engagement in modern society. 

ICT can be used to find, develop, analyse and present information, as well as to model situations and solve problems. ICT enables rapid access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures, and allows pupils to collaborate and exchange information on a wide scale. ICT acts as a powerful force for change in society and citizens should have an understanding of the social, ethical, legal and economic implications of its use, including how to use ICT safely and responsibly. Increased capability in the use of ICT supports initiative and independent learning, as pupils are able to make informed judgements about when and where to use ICT to enhance their learning and the quality of their work. We use a curriculum based around the NCCE’s “Teach Computing” programme.

Technology Provision

Despite being technology focused, ICT involves lots of discussion and interaction, both between teacher and students and also between the students themselves. Due to FIC having smaller classes, there is the space to do this, while still progressing with the topic. During these discussions you get to know how each student learns and what their preferred learning style is.

With FIC being a “Bring your own device” (BYOD) school multiple operating systems (OS) and variations thereof are used simultaneously. This means even the same software runs differently between students. While challenging, this allows an opportunity to learn around the method behind what you’re trying to achieve, not just one specific way of getting there. In turn this means that the need to differentiate between abilities, learning styles and the OS the student is learning in.

Assessment Progress Map

Units of Work