When Seven Kings high school began offering the GNVQ five years ago, it bought course materials developed by Thomas Telford school in Shropshire.
Staff from Seven Kings went to Shropshire for five days’ training in how to use the course. The Thomas Telford course has been phenomenally successful, with 700 schools signed up to buy annual licences costing pound;3,000.
Thomas Telford also offers a range of other courses which have earned it millions of pounds.
But two years ago Seven Kings developed its own materials, which are being used by Mr Rosewell’s current classes. “We found the Thomas Telford materials allowed us to kick-start our course,” says Mr Rosewell. “After a couple of years we were dipping in and out of them, then we stopped altogether and stopped sending them the cheques.”
This year’s Year 10, though, will be the last to study ICT at GNVQ level, because the Edexcel course is being replaced by a diploma in digital applications.
Thomas Telford is again offering course materials for the diploma, and Seven Kings is considering whether to sign up for them.
