Woodham Academy has been accepted to be a part of the prestigious Network Of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science. Launched in September 2012 by Computing At School and BCS Academy of Computing, the aim of the Network of Teaching Excellence is for schools to either provide or access a high-quality, sustainable training infrastructure. The NoE initiative is supported by The Department For Education, OCR, AQA, CPHC, BSC, CAS, Microsoft and Google.
As the government, industry leaders and educators call for more Computer Science in the school curriculum there is a real need to raise the confidence level of existing ICT teachers to enable them to embrace the delivery of Computer Science.
Darren Smith, Director of ICT at Woodham Academy and a long-time proponent for the move towards a more computing based curriculum said “Not only have we been accepted in the Network of Excellent but we have been designated a lead school. Obviously I’m thrilled that my work and that of my colleague, Mrs Lind, has been recognised nationally but this will also give me the opportunity to share my knowledge and experiences with local primary and secondary schools where the teaching of Computer Science is not yet established”
Woodham Academy has GCSE Computing classes in Years 11, 10 and 9 and is in the process of redesigning the provision for years 7 and 8 to incorporate further Computer Science concepts. Students at Woodham Academy already create apps which they can run on their own android phones, produce sophisticated textual programs and control events through simulators.
Darren Smith said “Although I will be spending time helping other schools develop their Computing curriculum that does not mean development will stop at Woodham. I am about to launch a scheme which will allow our most digitally literate students to train and support teachers and am investigating an international system known as Open Badges.”
Christine Forsyth, Head teacher of Woodham Academy, said “The recognition is well deserved. The Computing Department has worked hard for many years to ensure we are at the forefront of Computer Science teaching.”
You can follow Woodham Academy’s Computing Department on twitter: @WoodhamDigital or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WoodhamDigital
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