Computing

“Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.” 

• Stephen Hawking 

At St Johns, we encourage pupils to be masters of technology. Technology is everywhere and will continue to play an increasingly fundamental role in pupils’ lives. Therefore, we want to model how to use technology in a fun, positive and responsible way.  

We do this by teaching computing in exciting and creative ways, following the Teach Computing scheme of work. We allow children to express themselves and share their learning in innovative ways, with hands on projects and using a variety of technology such as digital cameras, Bee-bots, crumble kits and data loggers.  

We encourage children to recognise that there is always a choice when it comes to technology, and we will model how to make a positive contribution to society through these choices. We understand that there are a lot of current societal issues surrounding the use of technology and social media, and we know the best prevention for this is education.

Teach Computing is a scheme created by The National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) and marks a significant investment in improving the provision of computing education in England. It is delivered by STEM Learning. As put forward by Teach Computing, the teaching of this subject is underpinned by core computing pedagogy principles, from leading with concepts to creating projects and making abstract concepts concrete.  

There are four overarching themes that underpin the computing curriculum: computing systems and networks, programming, data and information and creating media. The curriculum follows a spiral structure; each theme is revisited regularly across KS1 and KS2. Pupils return to each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning.  Each unit builds on each other from one key stage to the next.  

Assessment opportunities are built into the curriculum, both within lesson and within unit. Opportunities to address misconceptions include teacher observation, questioning, and multiple choice quizzes.  

In addition to this, we use the Project Evolve resources and toolkit as a key part of implementing our computing curriculum was to ensure the safety of our pupils. We take online safety very seriously and we give children the necessary skills to keep themselves safe online. Children have a right to exist in an online space in a safe and appropriate way, and to benefit from opportunities that a connected world can bring them.  

Children build online resilience through using the ‘Project Evolve – Education for a Connected World’ framework. The framework aims to support and broaden the provision of online safety education through appropriate, meaningful and thoughtful discussion of various online safety messages and topics, starting at Reception level.  

A high-quality computing education aims to develop a range of programming and technological skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas. Because of the spiral structure of Teach Computing, pupils will build on their skills and revisit themes to strengthen understanding. As a result of successful implementation, pupils will be able to apply their skills and knowledge in other learning areas, including Science, Mathematics, English, History and Geography.  

To demonstrate that we have accomplished our aims, pupils at St John the Evangelist Church School should: 

* Be enthusiastic and confident in their approach towards Computing. 

* Present as competent and adaptable ‘Computational Thinkers’ who can use identified concepts and approaches in all their learning. 

* Be able to identify the source of problems and work with perseverance to ‘debug’ them. 

* Create and evaluate their own project work. 

* Have a secure understanding of the positive applications and specific risks associated with a broad range of digital technology. 

* Transition to secondary school with a keen interest in the continued learning of this subject. 

  Computing Overview