St Thomas a Becket Catholic Primary School

Computing

Intent

At St Thomas a Becket Catholic Primary School, we want pupils to be MASTERS of technology and not slaves to it. Technology is everywhere and will play a pivotal part in students' lives, therefore, 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. We recognise that technology can allow pupils to share their learning in creative ways. We also understand the accessibility opportunities technology can provide for our pupils. Our knowledge-rich curriculum has to be balanced with the opportunity for pupils to apply their knowledge creatively, which will in turn help our pupils become skilful computer scientists. We encourage staff to embed computing across the whole curriculum to make learning creative and accessible. We want our pupils to be fluent with a range of tools to best express their understanding and our aim is that by Upper Key Stage 2, children have the independence and confidence to choose the best tool to fulfil any tasks or challenges set for them.

Implementation

Our computing curriculum is built around an innovative progression framework where computing content has been organised into interconnected networks. All learning outcomes for children across the key stages can be described through a high-level taxonomy of ten strands, ordered alphabetically as follows:

· Algorithms — Be able to comprehend, design, create, and evaluate algorithms

· Computer networks — Understand how networks can be used to retrieve and share information, and how they come with associated risks

· Computer systems — Understand what a computer is, and how its constituent parts function together as a whole

· Creating media — Select and create a range of media including text, images, sounds, and video

· Data and information — Understand how data is stored, organised, and used to represent real-world artefacts and scenarios

· Design and development — Understand the activities involved in planning, creating, and evaluating computing artefacts

· Effective use of tools — Use software tools to support computing work

· Impact of technology — Understand how individuals, systems, and society as a whole interact with computer systems

· Programming — Create software to allow computers to solve problems

· Safety and security — Understand risks when using technology, and how to protect individuals and systems.

Impact

We encourage our children to enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver. We will constantly ask the WHY behind their learning and not just the HOW. We want learners to discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact computing has on their learning, development and well-being. Finding the right balance with technology is key to an effective education and a healthy life-style. We feel the way we implement computing helps children realise the need for the right balance and one they can continue to build on in their next stage of education and beyond. The way pupils showcase, share, celebrate and publish their work will best show the impact of our curriculum. We also look for evidence through reviewing pupil’s knowledge and skills digitally through tools like Google Drive and observing their learning regularly. Progress of our computing curriculum is demonstrated through outcomes and the record of coverage in the process of achieving these outcomes.

Computing Overview

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum