St StephensComputing
Intent
At St Stephens CP School we aim to provide our children with a high-quality computing education that equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing will deepen links with mathematics, science and design and technology, and provide insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of computing is computer science, where pupils will be taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils will be equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing will also ensure that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for their age group and begin to ensure that they are ready for the future workplace and to be active participants in a digital world. Today’s children and young people are growing up in a digital world. As they grow older, it is crucial that they learn to balance the benefits offered by technology with a critical awareness of their own and other’s online behaviour, and develop effective strategies for staying safe and making a positive contribution online. At St Stephens, we understand that online safety is a whole school issue and will ensure that it is explored at all levels of the school using our progression framework. As a subject leader this plan aims to ensure that St Stephens curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment. Our school’s curriculum intent and implementation are embedded securely and consistently across our school.
Implementation
At St Stephens the curriculum for both Computing and E Safety have been organised to ensure that progression from year to year, building on understanding and skills that the children have learned previously. We have used the National Curriculum and Education for a Connected World to ensure that children are equipped for the digital world.
The key principles of information and computation are taught through the computing curriculum in each theme. Programming is taught throughout the key stages via coding. We use a range of resources, such as Dot and Dash, Purple Mash and Micro Bits to ensure that digital systems are taught in a variety of ways whilst also using Tinkercad to use computing to other areas of the curriculum such as Design and Technology, showing the many applications of computing. Questioning is used to ensure that there is a deepened level of understanding and that the children are able to talk their computing and e safety knowledge and put it into practise. As a part of the online safety learning, and use of the Internet Legends, the children will develop their understanding of how to be safe online, the impact that their online presence will have on them as well as on others.
Impact
After the implementation of our robust computing curriculum, children at St Stephens will be digitally literate and able to join the rest of the world on its digital platform. Children will understand the fundamentals of computer science such as abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation. They will be able to analyse problems in computational terms and have a range of experiences using coding to help them solve them. Children will be able to evaluate and apply familiar and unfamiliar technologies analytically in order to solve problems as well as become confident, competent, responsible and creative users of information and communication technology. As a result, they will be equipped, not only with the skills and knowledge to use technology effectively and for their own benefit, but more importantly – safely. The biggest impact we want on our children is that they understand the consequences of using the internet and that they are also aware of how to keep themselves safe online. As children become more confident in their abilities in Computing, they will become more independent and key life skills such as problem-solving, logical thinking and self-evaluation become second nature.
The Subject Leader for Computing is Miss L McKenna.
