Computing

Our computing curriculum is coherent, planned, sequenced, progressive, challenging and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum from year 1 to year 6 (inclusive of EYFS).

Our computing curriculum is designed to meet the context of our school. It equips our children with the knowledge, skills and attitude to master their learning in computing and be confident learners now and for life.

The computing curriculum at St Paul’s develops pupils into creative, confident, considerate and questioning users of technology who can excel in the digital world. It develops pupils’ understanding of processes, skills and concepts within the areas of computer science, digital literacy and information technology, allowing pupils to see themselves as digital creators. In all these areas, pupils’ experiences and interests are utilised to provided them with a progressive curriculum that promotes mastery by requiring them to develop and embed their understanding of key concepts, skills and process and apply these across a range of devices and applications.

Through their experiences, pupils will understand how they can use technology in a constructive manner to solve problems in a range of contexts, using computational thinking concepts and approaches, and learn about those whose solutions have impacted the world. They developed their understanding of IT systems in order to understand how the technologies they rely on provide their associated services, evaluating the services provided and predicting future uses. Pupils will use a range of resources (both hardware and software) to allow them to transfer knowledge for one context to another and identify the similarities and differences between solutions and evaluate effectiveness for a given outcome.

Through the curriculum, pupils develop their understanding of digital literacy to ensure that routine tasks can be carried out efficiently and transfer the understanding to a range of contexts (including different operating systems). Their experiences with using and presenting information (including data), allow pupils to create digital content as a means to communicate their understanding in other curriculum areas. This can contribute to providing further motivation to learners and the opportunities for some pupils to overcome barriers to learning.

Aims and Objectives  

At St. Paul’s we aim for our children to be master of their learning in computing. To achieve this, the computing curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop conceptual understanding and technical competence in the areas of digital literacy, computer science and understanding IT.
• Can use the principles of computational thinking to write algorithms and programs that provide solutions to problems
• Are aware of the role technology plays in the world in which they live
• Are equipped with the digital literacy skills to use information technology in a purposeful manner
• Appreciate the potential risks associated with technology and conduct themselves in a manner to limit such risks

At St Paul’s, we believe it is of the utmost importance to ensure that pupils have a secure understanding of the knowledge and concepts of each unit of learning before progressing to the next. By allowing children to deepen their understanding, we are ensuring that genuine progression within the computing curriculum can take place.