ICT & Business

ICT & Business @BLC

Our ICT facilities are excellent, with several hundred desktop and laptop computers. Each pupil has their own profile to store their work and files; they are all able to access the Managed Learning Environment (Moodle) to gain access to learning resources, remote access to their files, timetable and many other important pieces of information.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a core subject at BLC and one that we take very seriously. Our results in year 11 are excellent with most students achieving at least one GCSE equivalent in ICT.

Pupils follow a version of the national program of study for ICT at Phase 3 and in Phase 4, pupils study the Cambridge Nationals in ICT.  As part of the OCR Nationals, Students learn how to use the Microsoft Office suite for business purposes as well as exploring their creative side by producing movies, sound clips and graphics.

There is an exam that will be undertaken at the end of year 10 which makes up 25% of the overall grade. The other 75% is made up of coursework and so we rely on the students completing their coursework, within agreed deadlines, in order to achieve their grades.

For more information about the Cambridge Nationals click here.

We also offer the AQA Business and Communications Systems GCSE to students who wish to extend their knowledge of ICT within a business context. The course is made up of 2 units, ICT Systems in Business which is assessed by a 1 hour written paper (40%) and Using ICT in Business which is assessed by a computer based exam (35%) AND a controlled assessment (25%). The course encourages students to consider the practical applications of ICT within businesses and allows them to explore the theories and concepts in the context of events in the business world.

We also offer the BTEC Business Studies to year 11 students. BTECs offer a practical approach that can be lacking in more traditional routes by applying learning to real-life situations. Students have to undertake a number of units for which they present evidence, based on actual work and studies.

This allows them to demonstrate their skill and knowledge. Students will undertake 5 units of study and there is no exam at the end of the course, therefore we rely on the students completing their coursework, within agreed deadlines, in order to achieve their grades.

From September 2012 our more able ICT students will have the opportunity to work towards the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) Foundation's certificate.  These programmes provide proof of students' skills as well as the satisfaction of achieving a high-quality and internationally recognised standard.

ECDL Foundation's main certification programme, ECDL, is the international standard in end-user computer skills. ECDL has become the de facto standard of digital literacy in many educational systems around the world and has been widely adopted by educational ministries, for both students and teachers alike.