St Amand's Catholic Primary School

Computing at St Amand's

Computing opens up for children the possibility of being key influencers and transformational leaders at a local, national and global level. The development of computational thinking and operational skills calls for the formation of learners who prioritise the importance of justice, equality, truth and the common good of all people. 

Implementation

At St Amand’s, every child enjoys regular computing lessons that give them the crucial skills they need to access a firm foundation for both their future use of ICT, and their study of computing and computer science at secondary school. Our curriculum is based on the Teach Computing Curriculum, created by subject experts from the National Centre for Computing Education, using the latest pedagogical research. The computing content is organised into interconnected units of work, ensuring that knowledge is built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. There are times when Computing skills will be used across the curriculum. The units delivered within lessons are based on a spiral curriculum, which means that each of the themes will be revisited either within the same year, or in the next academic year.

The Teach Computing Curriculum is broken down into four main areas:

·       Creating Media

·       Programming

·       Data and Information

·       Computer Systems and Networks

Keeping pupils safe online is crucial for positive wellbeing and emotional and social development. At St Amand’s, we help pupils make smart choices and behave appropriately when using technology thorough e-safety lessons, using Gooseberry Planet, and as part of our RSE lesson, using TenTen resources.

Impact

All pupils become confident in using a variety of hardware and software. They are able to produce high-quality work with a purpose. 

By the time our pupils leave primary school, they will:

1.        Understand what a computer is, and how to use one effectively.

2.       Understand how networks can be used to retrieve and share information.

3.       Comprehend, analyse and evaluate algorithms.

4.       Analyse a problem and design algorithms in order to solve it.

5.       Select, adapt and create a range of media including text, images, sounds, and video.

6.       Understand risks when using technology, and how to protect themselves in their everyday life.

7.       Be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of digital technology.

E-Safety - Gooseberry Planet

From year 1 to year 6, children are taught many key aspects of e-safety. As a school, we use 'Gooseberry Planet' to aid our teaching and to access a range of valuable information for children, staff and parents. Technology is rapidly developing and children are exposed to a great deal of digital input from a very young age. It is so important that they learn how to stay safe online.

Each child has a login to Gooseberry Planet so that they can access the site at home. It allows them to play game-based scenarios which test their understanding of what they have learnt in school. 

https://gooseberryplanet.com/