"What a computer is to me, is the most remarkable tool that we have ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds." - Steve Jobs

Intent

St Johns aims to provide an environment where technology is integrated into all aspects of school life. We will do this in a way which actively supports and promotes learning, helping all to make links to the wider world, whilst preparing everyone for the challenge of a rapidly developing and changing technological environment. Our vision is to embrace any existing technology available to us continuously evolve with any advances made in new technology in the future so that pupils become digitally literate - able to express themselves and develop their ideas through ICT. 

​The Computing Curriculum Map sets out the central knowledge and stipulates the core vocabulary. The Long Term Plan determines the teaching sequence. The Learning Graphs demonstrate progression through concepts and skills. In order to learn some of those concepts and skills, pupils need prior knowledge of others, so the Learning Graphs show which concepts and skills need to be taught first.​

​Our computing curriculum provides equality of opportunity to all pupils, enabling them to develop their natural enthusiasm for and experience of computers in a way that enables them to be happy, safe and effective users of technology. Alongside technical learning, social, moral and cultural elements are considered, it aims to empower pupils, enable them to build resilience and develop positive behaviours for the future

In St Johns, our Computing curriculum aims to allow pupils to:

• Enjoy using information technology and tackle all applications with confidence and a sense of achievement and purpose. 
• Develop practical skills in the use of information technology and the ability to apply these skills to the solving of relevant and worthwhile problems.
• Understand the capabilities and limitation of information technology and implications and consequences of its use. 
• Use information technology as a tool appropriately across the curriculum to support and enrich their learning. 
• Understand the importance of online safety so they are able to work safely and sensibly.

Implementation

The TEACH Computing programme written by Raspberry Pi Foundation on behalf of the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) is used to deliver the computing curriculum. Each year group completes 6 units per year. These units cover 4 themes: Computing systems and networks, Creating media, Data and information and Programming.​

​Lessons are delivered weekly by class teachers. Medium Term Plans (Units Overviews) provide a brief overview of each individual lesson. Individual lesson plans include the preparation of high-quality resources. Teachers ensure that their planning guides the acquisition and retention of new learning through a range of strategies rooted in cognitive science such as the use of retrieval practice. Learning is reviewed regularly with the use of retrieval practice based around practical tasks and challenges, in order to assess and address gaps in knowledge which could hinder children’s progression.​

​Each unit leads to a culminating project or activity which enables children to apply the knowledge and skills learned.​

​The most essential content is delivered through reference to real-world examples of software and hardware that children may be familiar with from their daily lives, including video games and social media platforms, alongside model applications and scenarios. It enables reference to first-hand experience of technology as well as ensuring all pupils, irrespective of background, have the opportunity to access appropriate, up to date technology.​

Key concepts and skills are introduced with the specific vocabulary required to communicate in a wider world, and sequenced to build on existing knowledge. The use of formal, key vocabulary is established from the Early Years and repeated with common definitions throughout the curriculum in order to facilitate retrieval and progression.​

​Cross curricular links are used frequently, not only in underlining the potential for the use of technology in other subjects, but for the relevance of history, geography, mathematics and English in computing, and to develop an understanding of the use of technology in the real world.​

​Frequent discussion enables pupils to reflect critically on their own experience of technology, to speak about their concerns and to become confident, responsible and safe digital citizens. The social, moral and cultural implications are considered where relevant and time is given for pupils to actively discuss and reflect on these.

• Progress is assessed as achieved or not achieved, on an on-going basis using the NCCE ‘I can’ statements for each area of Computing. This ensures teachers are aware of individual pupil’s progress in computer science, information technology and digital literacy.
• Lessons completed are recorded on Seesaw and children are assessed as having achieved or not achieved each unit of work.

Progression across key stages

All learning objectives have been mapped to the National Centre of Computing Education’s taxonomy of ten strands, which ensures that units build on each other from one key stage to the next. This approach allows us to use the spiral curriculum approach to progress skills and concepts from one year group to the next.

Children are taught to design, write and debug programs and are able to use their coding skills to make their own interactive stories, games and computer-generated art. Children are faced with more difficult programming challenges as their skillset progresses.
 
Online Safety is an important part of computing and sessions are taught through the National Online Safety programme throughout the school to ensure that the importance of E-Safety resonates with the children when they use the internet.

Impact

• Most children will reach the end of year expectations in terms of attainment and progress.
• Children will be confident users of technology, able to use it to accomplish a wide variety of goals, both at home and in school.
• Children will have a secure and comprehensive knowledge of the implications of technology and digital systems. This is important in a society where technologies and trends are rapidly evolving.
• Children are able to recognise the dangers that exist from the use of technology and understand how to access online systems safely.
• Children are fully skilled to live in a world where technology is continuously evolving and are able to grasp the relevance and possibilities of emerging technologies, so that they can play a part in this rapidly changing landscape. 

We use a number of ways to measure and assess the impact of our intent and implementation. This helps us refine and adapt our planning further, which, in turn, improves the quality of teaching and learning.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Termly pupil discussions and interviews with the subject lead
• Termly learning walks taken by the computing lead to gain an accurate picture of the children’s understanding and knowledge and to ensure progression and cohesion throughout Years 1-6. 
• Teacher voice is obtained formally each year, alongside informal meetings throughout the year. 
• Lesson observations and drop-ins on a termly basis by the Computing lead, allow us to ensure our school assessment policy is being followed by computing teachers. 
• Knowledge investigators are completed at the start and end of the year to assess progress and the retention of knowledge and understanding.
• Continual formative assessment takes place via questioning and observation to assess pupils’ understanding and generate individual and class hotspots (target objectives).