What Computing looks like at St Laurence
At St Laurence, our Computing curriculum prepares children to participate confidently, safely and responsibly in an increasingly digital world.
We recognise that technology will continue to shape how children learn, communicate and work. Some of the careers our pupils enter in the future may not yet exist, so our curriculum develops adaptable knowledge, practical skills, creativity and confidence.
We use the Teach Computing curriculum to support the planning and teaching of Computing. Lessons are carefully sequenced so that children build their understanding as they move through the school. Pupils experience a range of digital and physical computing activities, including programming, creating digital content, managing information and understanding how computer systems work.
Our curriculum aims•
Through our Computing curriculum, children will:
• understand how to protect themselves and others online
• use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly
• think logically and solve problems
• create digital content for different purposes and audiences
• collect, organise, analyse and present information
• design, create and debug programs
• develop confidence in using a range of devices and software
• understand how computers, networks and digital systems work
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How we teach Computing
Computing is taught through practical, engaging lessons in which children explore, create, test and improve their work.
Teachers introduce new knowledge and vocabulary through clear explanations and modelling. Children then apply what they have learnt through carefully structured activities, independent tasks and collaborative projects.
Learning is organised across the three main areas of the Computing curriculum:
• Digital literacy
• Information technology
• Computer science
What children learn
Throughout Key Stage 2, children develop increasingly secure knowledge and independence when using technology.
• Programming and computational thinking
• Computer systems and networks
• Creating digital content
• Data and information
• Online safety
By the end of Year 6
By the end of Key Stage 2, children will be able to:
• approach digital challenges with confidence, resilience and curiosity
• respond appropriately when they encounter something worrying online
• use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly
• identify reliable and unreliable online information
• collect, organise and interpret data
• create, edit and evaluate digital content
• select and use suitable digital tools for a particular task
• understand the basic principles of computer systems and networks
• use logical reasoning to explain how algorithms and programs work
• design, create and debug increasingly complex programs
Enrichment and wider opportunities
Children have opportunities to apply their Computing knowledge across the wider curriculum. They may use technology to research, present information, produce media, collect data and communicate their learning.
Computing also supports creativity and problem solving through projects involving coding, digital design, animation and multimedia.
Supporting all learners
Our Computing curriculum is adapted so that every child can participate, make progress and experience success.
Teachers may use visual instructions, step-by-step demonstrations, paired working, repeated practice, accessible devices and carefully chosen software. Tasks can be broken into smaller stages while maintaining ambitious expectations for every pupil.
Children are also taught that technology can support accessibility, communication and independence in different ways.
Personal and spiritual development
Computing encourages children to consider how technology influences individuals, relationships and wider society.
Pupils reflect on their responsibilities when communicating online and consider the impact their words and actions can have on others. They develop respect, honesty and good judgement, learning that responsible digital behaviour means treating others with the same care online as they would in person.
Children are also encouraged to think critically about technological change and how digital tools can be used positively to improve lives and contribute to the wider world.
