Creative iMedia
A high-quality Creative iMedia technology curriculum equips pupils to use Information Technology and creativity to understand and change the world. The IT and Digital Literacy skills involved in Creative iMedia have deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. One of the main aspects of Creative iMedia is how to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of digital media including factors that influence product design, use of media codes and conventions, pre-production planning techniques, legal issues and creation/publishing/distribution considerations. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create digital graphics and a digital artefact. The Creative iMedia curriculum ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
Pupils will:
- understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of digital media including factors that influence product design, use of media codes and conventions, pre-production planning techniques, legal issues and creation/publishing/distribution considerations.
- develop learning and practical skills that can be applied to real-life contexts and work situations.
- think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically.
- develop independence and confidence in using skills that would be relevant to the media industry and more widely.
- design, plan, create and review digital media products which are fit for purpose meeting both client and target audience requirements.
The whole-school curriculum operates at three levels and addresses pupils’ academic, personal and social development. The three individual elements of learning provide a different component to the education of every pupil. Intellectual, personal and social maturity will be the goal of these structured layers of learning at the school. There are three guiding elements which are brought to life in the iMedia curriculum:
- Educational excellence:
- pupils understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of digital media including factors that influence product design, use of media codes and conventions, pre-production planning techniques, legal issues and creation/publishing/distribution considerations.
- They become digitally literate.
- Character development:
- pupils learn to be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
- They become expert problem solvers.
- Service to communities:
- the study of communication technology supports social mobility in an area of high deprivation through use of digital systems, creativity and entrepreneurial skills.
Pupils learn to:
- understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of digital media including factors that influence product design, use of media codes and conventions, pre-production planning techniques, legal issues and creation/publishing/distribution considerations.
- develop learning and practical skills that can be applied to real-life contexts and work situations.
- think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically.
- develop independence and confidence in using skills that would be relevant to the media industry and more widely.
- design, plan, create and review digital media products which are fit for purpose meeting both client and target audience requirements.
The following principles underpin the Creative iMedia curriculum:
- Declarative knowledge, the ‘know what’, is identified and prioritised and there is systematic teaching of it, in Creative iMedia this is Developing visual identities for clients, planning and creating original artefacts and planning, creating and reviewing digital media products.
- Core declarative knowledge is the initial focus of any sequence of learning. It is important pupils become familiar with the facts and methods that will form the procedural knowledge (the strategies, know ‘how to’), plan create and review original digital media products.
- Linked declarative and procedural knowledge, the ‘how to’, are sequenced together to reflect the reciprocal learning relationship between them. Familiarity with the facts helps with learning and understanding the linked method. Familiarity with the method helps to make associated facts firm and precise in the mind.
- Combinations of declarative and procedural knowledge are transformed into strategies when pupils learn to match the problem types that they can be used for, conditional knowledge, the ‘when.’ Appropriate use of digital media to convey meaning and selecting the best tools and techniques to use to solve a problem.
There are four key elements to the implementation of the Creative iMedia curriculum:
- Plan: each lesson is judiciously planned to identify declarative and procedural knowledge. It builds over time to ensure all pupils become digitally literate and can use methods and procedures fluently. Pupils are taught to think computationally.
- Teach: the Creative iMedia Charter is used when implementing the Creative iMedia curriculum.
- Assess: pupils are assessed on composite tasks such as completed digital artefacts. They identify progress in the components which underly communication technology progress.
- Intervene and re-teach composite tasks identify knowledge components that are not secure.
These are re-taught or revisited to avoid future gaps from emerging and to secure automaticity with methods and procedures.
Year 9 & Year 10 (2023/2024)
In the first year of the course, pupils will complete the first compulsory coursework. This is 25% of the students GCSE. This will be submitted in May. The pupils will also study all the exam topics of the course in an aide to best prepare the pupils to know more and remember more throughout journey of the course.
| R094 Coursework (NEA) | R093 Theory |
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Year 11
In the second year of the course, pupils will complete the second, optional coursework. This is 35% of the students GCSE. This will be submitted in May. The pupils will also study all the exam topics of the course in an aide to best prepare the pupils to know more and remember more throughout journey of the course.
| R097 Coursework (NEA) | R093 Theory |
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OCR Creative iMedia J834
R093: Creative iMedia in the Media Industry
| Overview | Focus |
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Written paper: 1 hour and 30 minutes 40% of total GCSE 70 marks |
This paper consists of multiple choice questions, short response questions and extended response questions. |
R094: Visual Identity and Digital Graphics
| Overview | Focus |
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NEA – Mandatory Coursework 25% of total GCSE 50 marks |
· Develop visual identity. · Plan digital graphics for products. · Create visual identity and digital graphics. |
R097: Visual Identity and Digital Graphics
| Overview | Focus |
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NEA – Optional Coursework 35% of total GCSE 60 marks |
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At KS4, pupils are invited to intervention sessions to consolidate their learning and prepare them for the GCSE examination.
We have cross curricular enrichment clubs that bring the subject to life. We run an idea.org.uk club at lunch times. “The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, known as iDEA is an international award winning programme that helps you develop digital, enterprise and employability skills for free. Through our series of online challenges, you can win career-enhancing badges, unlock new opportunities and, ultimately, gain industry-recognised Awards that help you stand out from the crowd.”
In collaboration with Art & Design we run a PhotoShop club, in this club pupils have the opportunity to learn & experiment with PhotoShop tools that go beyond the GCSE spec and the national curriculum. This is a fun and interactive club that allows pupils to manipulate digital images into new and interesting imagery. This also provides an insight into the skills that would required in roles such as an image editor, architect, graphic designer.
In collaboration with science, we run a robotics club where pupils can Engage in Hands-On Learning: Through interactive workshops, projects, and competitions, you will have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to real-life scenarios. Imagine the thrill of building your own robot or creating a program that brings it to life!
We also participate in the BIMA day each year “The only initiative of its kind, BIMA Digital Day gives 11-16 year olds an insight into a world of digital careers. Students get to meet digital experts and compete in a sponsored, nationwide digital challenge for a chance to win £500 cash for their school and some fantastic prizes for themselves.”
We also participate in Safer Internet Day every year Safer Internet Day takes place in February of each year to raise awareness of a safer and better internet for all, and especially for children and young people. As part of this annual celebration, we encourage everyone – including children and young people, parents and caregivers, teachers and educators, policymakers, industry and others – to join “Together for a better internet”. Save the date for Safer Internet Day 2024 which will take place on Tuesday, 6 February 2024.
In relation to careers in IT, programming and computer services have an ever-growing number of jobs in the UK including jobs in Cyber security analyst, robotics engineer, Programming consultants, systems engineer and many others. Major international companies are present in the UK like Goggle, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and are always looking for bright new talent within this field.
