“A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.”

Why we teach your child Computing:

The society we live in is becoming more reliant on computers and most jobs encounter the use of technology.  A high-quality computing education prepares children for accessing those jobs and through teaching computational thinking and problem solving allows children to develop the skills they need to use technology effectively and safely.

Children enjoy the feeling of solving of a problem, through a hands-on approach, computing lessons give all children the opportunity to feel a sense of accomplishment, whether that be fixing a bug in their code, programming a robot to follow a command, or creating their own game.

Children need to know how to use the internet safely, teaching children how to stay safe online and giving them the skills to recognise unethical behaviours and cyberbullying behaviours allows children to enjoy using the internet. With the right e-safety knowledge, children develop an understanding of the dangers of releasing personal information and know what can cause harm.

What our curriculum looks like:

Our computing curriculum ensures all children are able to understand and use technology. Our curriculum is aligned with the Teach Computing curriculum, which provides an in-depth coverage of the content from the National Curriculum. We support children in develop their computational thinking and problem-solving skills right from the start of EYFS.

Our curriculum is mapped out, so children understand computer science, know how to use information technology and become digitally literate. Children from Year 1 to Year 6, start the year by learning about Computer Systems and Networks, then Programming is taught in Spring and Summer, allowing children to learn the skills of how to programme and apply those skills practically.

We recognise the importance of E-Safety, therefore E-Safety is taught throughout the course of each year. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe and what to do when they feel unsafe. Every unit of work includes specific internet safety teaching with resources from the Be Internet Legends programme used to support this.

How we teach computing:

As with every subject, we recognise what makes Computing unique, and as a result make pedagogical choices to ensure teaching is the best it can possibly be.

We have captured our pedagogical choice for Computing in our Computing principles which can be seen below:

Principles of Teaching and Learning for Computing

How you can help your child at home:

EYFS and Key Stage 1

• Talk to your child about what technology they like to use and what they like to do online.
• Ask your child to show you the apps they use and watch them use them.
• Learn ways to stay safe online.

Key Stage 2

• Talk to your child about what they like to do online.
• Ensure you are aware of what technology your child uses and you are aware of what apps they use.

• Visit the Oak Academy Computing lessons to support your child developing their understanding of Computing.
• Learn how to code and make your own game on Scratch.

E-Safety

At St. Joseph's  we take internet safety extremely seriously. We have an E-Safety Policy that provides guidance for teachers and children about how to use the internet safely. Every year group participates in lessons on e-safety and children understand how to stay safe when using technology. 

You may find the following links useful to help your child stay safe online at home:

Please see our section ' Keeping Children Safe' where you can find a host of information regarding keeping children safe online.