11 Plus Exams Forum

Can anyone confirm please if Adams Grammar in Newport has computer science in years 7,8,9 . If yes, what are they key elements taught in ICT or computer science ? From the website it seems they dont and it only starts as optional subject for GCSE .

Same question for DT as well please.

Thanks

wolverz wrote:Can anyone confirm please if Adams Grammar in Newport has computer science in years 7,8,9 . If yes, what are they key elements taught in ICT or computer science ? From the website it seems they dont and it only starts as optional subject for GCSE .

Same question for DT as well please.

Thanks

My son is in year 9 now and has not had any computer science or ICT lessons in Ys 7,8 or 9 - they are not in the timetable. It is possible to take Computer Science as a GCSE option though but not until year 10. They do plenty of Design Technology though in those three years, my son has made a clock, and various other things I can't remember as well as doing some technical drawing.

thank you appreciate your response

Yes, exactly as Inspector General says.

I love the school, but the IT/programming is severely lacking. We have tried to broach the subject as our DS will probably want to take it for GCSE, but given they do absolutely nothing till then, I am a bit worried he will know more than the teacher, which would frustrate the **** out of him (and us)!

The response by the deputy head was that, didn’t all boys “do that sort of thing in their bedrooms” anyway like he did to learn programming!!! I think in this respect they are still stuck in the 1600’s!

The only programming my son has done was an after school club to make robots with raspberry pi’s, which they battled at Pi Wars at Cambridge University. This was fantastic and somewhat made up for the lack of anything in the curriculum. Unfortunately the staff member, an IT technician who ran the club, contract wasn’t renewed this year!!!!

Very short sighted in today’s job market and lack of IT/coding professionals in the UK

How strange! At HGS computing is quite prominent - lessons every week all through key stage 3 and I noticed from this year the GCSE is compulsory.

As I said, very short sighted. From this year, the Year 10’s have had to take a “Performance” option GCSE - Drama, Art, Music or PE. This is to promote non academic subjects and a need to broaden their horizons. I can get behind this, but not at the cost of other job worthy subjects being completely overlooked.

Fortunately my son is the type to “play around in his bedroom” and is already quite proficient in Python, but given this is an area he will probably want to have a career in, it is a bit of a worry for us.