Curriculum Statement

Computing

St Katherine’s Church of England Primary School

 

St Katherine’s Church of England Primary School’s chosen Curriculum Drivers - SPIRITUALITY, DIVERSITY, ENVIRONMENT and POSSIBILITIES - are derived from the background and context of our school and its pupils and will help to shape our curriculum breadth in all areas of the curriculum, including computing.

 

Intent

 

At St Katherine’s, we aim to prepare our learners for their future by giving them the opportunities to gain knowledge and develop skills that will equip them for an ever changing digital world and the environment around them. Knowledge and understanding of computing is of increasing importance for children’s future both at home and for employment. Our computing curriculum focuses on a progression of skills in digital literacy, computer science, information technology and online safety to ensure that children become competent in safely using, as well as understanding, technology. These strands are revisited repeatedly through a range of themes to ensure the learning is embedded and skills are successfully developed. Our intention is that computing also supports children’s creativity, nurturing their spirituality and developing in them a sense of curiosity about the subject, enriching their experiences both in and outside of school.

 

Implementation

 

Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision, celebrating diversity and enabling all children regardless of background, ability or additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year-by-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. To ensure a broad range of skills and understanding, computing is taught across three main strands: digital literacy, computer science and information technology. As part of information technology, children learn to use and express themselves and develop their ideas through computing for example writing and presenting as well as exploring art and design using multimedia. Within digital literacy, children develop practical skills and the ability to apply these skills to solving relevant, worthwhile problems for example understanding safe use of internet, networks and email. In computer science, we teach children to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation. We teach the children to analyse problems, exploring all possibilities to computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problem.

 

Within online safety, we ensure that children recognise what information is personal to them and when it is safe to share it. To do this effectively, children must have a clear understanding of the meaning of personal information and recognise their own responsibility in safeguarding this. Children will be taught about their digital footprint and where to seek support and advice should they need it. We believe that this will enable children to access modern technologies and communicate effectively whilst developing an ever-increasing understanding of how to keep themselves safe from evolving dangers in the digital world.

 

Impact

 

The implementation of this curriculum ensures that when children leave St Katherine’s school, they are competent and safe users of technology with an understanding of how it works. They will have developed skills to express themselves, be creative in using digital media, and be equipped to apply their skills in computing to different challenges going forward.