Computing

Intent

Technology is an integral part of everyday life.  At St Thomas Becket, we aim to prepare our children for a future in an environment which is has technology at its very heart.

We aim to give them the skills that can be applied to a range of technology in a range of situations.

The subject of Computing develops different types of skills in children.

  1. We aim to teach children to become safe and effective users of technology to gain information and understanding in all subject areas and for communication and collaboration throughout their lives.
  2. We also wish them to become producers of content that will further their own understanding and create multimedia experiences for other children to gain knowledge and understanding.
  3. We aim for children to have a variety of computing skills and experiences so that the choice of using the computer to solve a problem, collate information, be creative, communicate and collaborate becomes an automatic choice.
  4. We aim for children to engage in real life experiences through the use of technology such as taking part in communicating with children around the world.

The computing curriculum aims to develop creative and critical thinking in children.  It supports their development in becoming independent learners.

With the opportunities computing offers comes great responsibilities.  An essential part of the computing curriculum is online safety.  We aim for all children to become safe, responsible and resilient users of technology.

 

Implementation

The computing curriculum is reviewed every year to ensure the content matter is up to date, that we are making the most of the resources we have, and that it is embedded where possible in the creative curriculum.   

The curriculum is divided into 6 aspects; Computational Thinking, Programming, Computer Networks, Productivity, Creativity and Communication and Collaboration.

Each aspect builds upon the skills and knowledge introduced in the previous year.

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We follow the 2014 National Curriculum Programme of Study from which we have developed our own scheme of work.  This scheme is reviewed annually to ensure we are challenging our pupils and giving them a good range of experiences. 

At the core of the computing curriculum is Computer Science in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. The aspects of computational thinking are taught throughout the curriculum and can be applied to problem solving in mathematics, science and design technology.

The children are taught how to create programs and a range of content to express their understanding and to enhance the learning of others. The children also learn how to be digitally literate, to communicate and collaborate effectively using web tools and to search and interrogate information. Each year group also study a significant individual who has made an impact in the development of computing.

At the heart of our curriculum is the importance of online safety. At our school, we deliver a rigorous online safety programme from Reception to Year 6 which is supported through our involvement in national events such as Safer Internet Day.  Our Online Safety curriculum can be found in the Online Safety section of our website. 

Computing is embedded in teaching and learning across the school and supports our home-school partnerships through G-Suite and LGfL programmes which are accessible anywhere. We aim to give the pupils a voice in the use of technology through our digital leaders programme. We strive to enable our pupils to be independent learners through the use of mobile technologies and to prepare them for their role in a digital world.

We engage our parents with the pupils learning through family activities during Computing Week and through workshops and questionnaires.