Digital Skills at KS4 and the Jersey Curriculum
At JCG, the Digital Health, Resilience and Skills Strategy is designed to ensure that all students are prepared with the key digital skills that they will need for the future, as well as knowledge, tools and habits to help them keep safe online. The information below details the implementation of this intent across the curriculum.
Digital Skills – developing expertise in digital skills and devices for learning
All students receive a 1 hour weekly Digital Literacy lesson in Year 7. Through 1:1 iPad use by all students in lessons across the school, students become adept at using Microsoft OneNote, Teams, Word, Powerpoint, and Outlook, as well as the full functionality of the iPad’s iOS environment. Spreadsheets are also studied in Computer Science lessons in the Spring term of Year 7. Students learn the fundamentals of writing code through their Computer Science lessons in Year 7 , 8 and 9, with a focus on Python and HTML.
Digital Health and Resilience - Exploring the impact of social media and attention economy
In Computer Science at KS3 students learn about how social media companies make profit through using algorithms to keep attention in their "Impact of Technology" unit. In PSHE at KS3 and KS4 students receive talks and workshops by Brook, Mind Jersey, Natasha Devon (“Phones, Social Media & Surviving the Online World”), and this year Laura Bates (exploring how online elements, including social media, filters and deepfake videos, can fuel sexual harassment and abuse among young people), all of which give insight into the impact of social media on mental health. In French, Spanish and Italian at KS4 students take a module on the positive and negatives of uses of technology (My Digital Life).
Throughout the academic year, digital health topics are interleaved into the tutor programme, whole College and year group assemblies. Examples of topics covered at KS4 in 2024-25 include: online bullying and how to report it, social media kindness,
and keeping safe online.
Digital Revision Skills - Developing effective revision techniques, responding to feedback and an introduction to using AI responsibly.
Effective revision techniques are covered in the Tutor Programme and assemblies in the first half of the summer term in all year groups. These include discussing the responsible use of AI to summarise, ask questions, and check understanding.
The Jersey Computing Curriculum
Specific examples of the implementation of the Jersey Computing Curriculum
The Jersey Computing Curriculum will | Where it is implemented |
Inspire pupils, girls and boys, to be creative and innovative
| The KS3 Computer Science curriculum includes creative and innovative topics such as: |
| At KS4 and KS5, students are expert users of Office 365 and many use visual technologies such as Canva or Photoshop to support their studies or projects; many use a wide variety of apps for revision such as Goodnotes, Anki, StudySmarter, Quizlet, NotebookLM, options which help develop a more creative approach to revision. |
Ensure that pupils use technology routinely and discerningly to search for reliable sources of information, collaborate and publish their work | The routine use of Office 365 throughout KS3, KS4 and KS5 as part of the Microsoft Suite for Learning ensures students have a strong foundation in all Office IT applications including Teams and OneNote, which facilitate collaborative working. Bias, especially in AI generated outputs, is covered in KS3 Computer Science lessons, in Topic 5 of the Edexcel CS GCSE, and increasingly through curriculum discussions at KS4 and KS5 over the use of AI in homework or coursework. |
Develop the wider skills required in the workplace such as creativity and business acumen and how to use and apply new knowledge and skills to problem-solving
| Students, especially at KS5, use their devices to collaborate in problem-solving teams, such as the GAIN Investment Challenge. At KS3 many students take part in the Young Enterprise Business Team Challenge, using spreadsheets for book-keeping and setting up online Team discussion forums. |
Educate and empower students to use technology safely and responsibly, both in school and in all aspects of their social lives with particular regard to their future reputations | At the start of each year, students in Years 7, 8, and 9 learn approaches for staying safe online in Computer Science lessons. Online safety is covered in KS4 of the PSHE curriculum in the following presentations: Sexpectations talk : Making Informed Choices delivered by Brook Jersey. Spring Pornography Awareness (You Matter) Summer Child Sexual Exploitation with Jersey Youth Service Autumn Sexpectations and Consent with Brook Sharing of Nudes and Risky Sharing
Last year, parents also attended a talked at JCG by Kooth on online safety. |
..and aims to ensure that all pupils:
| All these computational and IT skills and knowledge are covered in the Yr 7-9 CS curriculum where students learn programming using Python in each year, and the fundamentals of Computing theory. |
The Jersey Computing Curriculum also requires:
1. “At Key stage 4 all pupils must have the opportunity to study aspects of information technology and computer science at sufficient depth to allow them to progress to higher levels of study or to a professional career.”
All pupils have the opportunity to take Computer Science at GCSE and A Level, either at JCG for as part of our collaboration agreements.
2. “At KS4 all pupils should be taught to:
· develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science, digital media and information technology
· develop and apply their analytic, problem-solving, design, and computational thinking skills
· understand how changes in technology affect safety, including new ways to protect their online privacy and identity, and how to identify and report a range of concerns.”
In addition to the parts of the curriculum detailed above which develop students’ creativity, digital knowledge and online safety elements, problem-solving computational thinking skills, are developed in the KS3 and KS4 Computer Science curriculum. Skills of abstraction, pattern-recognition and algorithms are developed independently in the Maths curriculum at GCSE and A Level as well as elsewhere (such as in Science) where students are taught to interpret, sequence and apply formal symbolic processes to solve problems.
