Computing

Computing at St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary Academy

At St. Peter and St. Paul, we recognise that computing, in all its forms, is part of everyday life and will continue to become more embedded into society as the children grow up. That is why we have created a rich and varied curriculum that builds the children's skills and fosters their interests.

Intent

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. Knowledge and understanding of all disciplines 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 online safety, digital literacy, computer science and information technology to ensure that children become competent in safely using, as well as understanding, technology.

These strands are revisited repeatedly through a range of themes during the children’s time in the Academy to ensure the learning is embedded and skills are successfully developed. Our intention is that Computing also supports our children’s creativity and cross curricular learning to engage them and enrich their experiences in school.

Implementation

We primarily follow the Purple Mash scheme of work but incorporate other schemes to best suit the needs of our children. Computing units are categorised into elements of Digital Literacy, Computer Science and Information Technology. These are taught directly and also embedded into other subjects.

The Academy uses a suite of core applications linked to the scheme, which enable children to develop and progress their skills through-out their Academy life.

Topics are blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth.

Children have access to their own Chromebook to support all areas of the curriculum.

Teachers follow a clear progression of skills which ensure all pupils are challenged in line with their year group expectations and are given the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge. To support teaching, staff access a range of resources and planning including Purple Mash, J2Code, Scratch and more.

The role of parents is recognised; they are involved in understanding how to keep their children safe at home and resources and links are on our website to support and direct them.

Impact

Our curriculum ensures that when children leave our Academy, they are competent and safe users of computing with an understanding of how technology works.

They will have developed skills to express themselves and be creative in using digital media and be equipped to apply their skills in Computing to different challenges going forward. Our Assessment Tracker allows us to use performance data to inform future practice.