Pictured are Kingussie pupils, and Computing teacher Steve Bailey Young.
Learners undertaking Higher, and Advanced Higher Computing Science at Kingussie High School are taking SQA’s National Progression Award (NPA) in Computer Games Development as part of their studies in their senior phase at school.
National Progression Awards are available in a variety of sectors. They’re aimed at assessing a defined set of skills and knowledge in specialist vocational areas. They also link to National Occupational Standards, which are the basis of SVQs.
Getting the right combination
By combining NPAs with qualifications such as Highers, and Advanced Highers, learners get the benefit of developing a theoretical understanding of a topic, and the chance to develop valuable practical skills too.
For the S5 and S6 pupils at Kingussie, having the option to study Computer Games Design at school while they were undertaking their Higher, or Advanced Higher in Computing Science provided a solution that was the best of both worlds.
Rhona MacAskill, Deputy Head Teacher at Kingussie High School said the combination benefitted students keen to take their study of computing science to the next level.
Rhona said: “Studying the SQA NPA in Computer Games Development alongside the Higher and Advanced Higher Computing Science courses is giving this group of young people a deeper understanding of the topic, and awareness of how the theory they are learning in one lesson can be applied in real-life situations in the other.”
Valuable vocational qualifications
Steve Bailey-Young, Computing Science Teacher, at Kingussie High School, said: “We know that games, and games design is hugely popular with our learners. For many of our pupils, it’s their hobby as well as the topic of their studies. So if there’s a chance to capitalise on their interest and develop their skills, we’ll hopefully help them achieve a valuable vocational qualification at the same time. Which will help them as they progress on to the next stage of their education, training, or even employment.”
S6 pupil Oscar Milbauer, said: “I enjoy the Computer Games Development course because it is related to something I enjoy, and it coincides with my Advanced Higher Computing Science course as they share similarities in some of the coding languages, such as Python and GDScript.”
Cael Godsman, also a S6 pupil at Kingussie added: “Overall, the Computer Games Development course is great as it forces you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture as a whole when it comes to preparing for the future.”
SQA’s portfolio of games and gaming qualifications are proving to be popular with learners. In 2023, SQA launched its National Progression Award (NPA) in Esports, giving learners the opportunity to study the esports industry, where teams compete against each other in organised competitive gaming events.
Routes to success
Robert Fraser, Liaison Manager at SQA, outlines the progression routes available to learners after completing the SQA’s NPA in Computer Games Development.
Robert says: “After completing the NPA, learners can go on to study a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Diploma (HND) in Computer Games Development at college. These vocational qualifications then allow learners to progress onto degrees in the gaming sector offered by many Scottish universities or seek opportunities in the workplace Scotland’s thriving games industry.”
Follow the link here for more information on SQA’s portfolio of vocational computing qualifications.
