At Silverstone UTC we recognise how important it is to have a computing curriculum that will prepare students for life in the modern age and take advantage of the opportunities that this can offer not only in Britain but in the world. We want students to build resilience, and become creative and critical thinkers who can apply their skills to any challenging situation.
The core of the faculty is to make sure that students understand how technology works, and how it can be developed and utilised and to extend the understanding of our students from outside the faculty including in Engineering, Maths, Science, PHSE, and Business. They will have high-quality literacy and numeracy skills embedded through software development, problem-solving, and evaluation skills.
Students also have the opportunity to work with leading industry experts in various fields through seminars, lectures, and practical workshops to enhance their understanding of the curriculum.
At Key Stage 4, the curriculum has been carefully tailored to complement our other specialisms with students being given the option of either BTEC Digital Information Technology (complementing Business) or GCSE Computer Science (complementing Engineering).
Students who study Computer Science and/or Digital Information Technology have the opportunity to:
Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of the key concepts and Principles of Computer Science
- Understand the fundamental principles of Computer Science
- Be able to apply key algorithms and mathematical skills through practical and theoretical work.
- Be able to understand key components that make up digital systems and how they communicate with each other.
- Understand the impacts that digital technology can have on individuals, society, and industry.
- Discuss and form structured arguments about the ethical and cultural impacts of Computing.
- To equip learners with key basic IT skills in areas such as research, planning, and evaluation
The Digital Information Technology curriculum works towards giving students the key basic IT skills that any industry will require. The ability to produce high-quality presentations, written reports, and analysis of data are skills that students will take with them through further study and the world of work. Learners also explore how organisations use digital systems and the wide implications associated with their use.
Our Computer Science curriculum has been specifically designed to interweave the key theory concepts with practical programming to make sure students understand the full picture. Students learn everything from the hardware components within the PC to the ethical values social media poses on society. There is a heavy focus on programming skills and students are given the opportunity to experience a range of languages.
Students who decide to continue into our Key Stage 5 studies have various pathways to choose from to allow them to tailor their journey to further education or apprenticeships.
At KS5 we offer A-level Computer Science and the BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Computing (Extended Cert, Foundation Diploma & Diploma)
