Computing

Be responsible      Be  innovative       Be ambitious

Technology is everywhere and will play a pivotal part in our learners' lives.  Therefore, at St.Mary's we want to model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. We want our pupils to be creators not consumers and our broad curriculum encompassing computer science, information technology and digital literacy reflects this.

Intent

Computing at St Mary’s developing ‘thinkers of the future’ through a modern, ambitious and relevant education in computing. We want to equip pupils to use computational thinking and creativity that will enable them to become active participants in the digital world. It is important to us that the children understand how to use the ever-changing technology to express themselves, as tools for learning and as a means to drive their generation forward into the future. We want children to develop as respectful, responsible and confident users of technology, aware of measures that can be taken to keep themselves and others safe online. 

Our aim is to provide a computing curriculum that is designed to balance acquiring a broad and deep knowledge alongside opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts. Beyond teaching computing discreetly, we will give pupils the opportunity to apply and develop what they have learnt across wider learning in the curriculum.

Implementation

Our aim is to provide a computing curriculum that is designed to balance acquiring a broad and deep knowledge alongside opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts. Beyond teaching computing discreetly, we will give pupils the opportunity to apply and develop what they have learnt across wider learning in the curriculum.

Computing  at our school is  a cohesive, sequential  curriculum that addresses the statutory aspects of the National Curriculum. Computing is branched into three aspects: Computer Science; Information Technology; and Digital Literacy, so that our pupils are set a relevant, challenging continuum of age-related skills and knowledge for their own year groups.

The curriculum aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to thrive in the digital world of today and the future.  We want to ensure that all pupils: 

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation (Computer science)

• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems (Computer science)
• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems (Information technology)
• are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology. (Digital literacy)

Impact

At St Mary’s, we ask the ‘why’ and not just the ‘how’ to explore the depth of each objective within a stimulating environment that encourages children to discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact that computing has on their learning, development and wellbeing. Finding the right balance with technology is key to an effective education and a healthy lifestyle. We feel the way that we implement computing within cross-curricular channels at St Mary’s helps children realise the need for the right balance and one they can build on in their next stage of education and beyond. We encourage regular discussions between staff and pupils to best embed and understand this. The way pupils showcase, share, celebrate and publish their work will best show the impact of our curriculum. We look for positive impact through observing learning regularly, early intervention where necessary and reviewing pupil’s digital skills. Progress of our computing curriculum is measured through outcomes and the record of coverage through work saved in pupils’ personal document folders and saved ‘to do’ content electronically. 

Enrichment