Intent

Through our computing curriculum at St John’s, we aim to give our pupils the skills to help them use a wide range of technologies creatively, safely and responsibly so that they may flourish as they develop into independent learners. Our computing curriculum recognises that all children have the right to learning experiences that encompass a broad and rich spectrum. We acknowledge that technological devices and software are an integral part of everyday life and that society is becoming more and more reliant on technology to guide, innovate, and develop practice in many sectors of work, education, and daily life.

We want to give children the skills to become autonomous, independent users of computing technologies, gaining confidence and enjoyment from their activities. We want the use of technology to support learning across the entire curriculum and to ensure that our curriculum is accessible to every child. Not only do we want them to be digitally literate and competent end-users of technology but through our computing lessons we see the opportunities to extend their creativity, resilience, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. We want our pupils to have a breadth of experience to develop their understanding of themselves as individuals within their community but also as members of a wider global community and as responsible digital citizens.

Implementation

The computing curriculum at St John’s has been tailored to focus and build upon the three core aspects of Computing; Digital Literacy, Computer Science, and Information Technology. As with all other areas of learning, we intend to use a progressive framework of skills and knowledge that allows the pupil to make the necessary connections within their learning from one year to the next. We use this framework to create a scheme of work for each year group building upon the skills learned in previous years.

Our scheme of work for 2024-2025 uses DFE funded Teach Computing (https://teachcomputing.org) which has been customised for schools to include relevant digital and learning resources. We also use a range of localised Online Resources from LGFL (Including Busythings & J2E), while maximising the best national and global open resources for teaching Computing including Common-Sense Media to teach personal responsibility as a digital citizen. We intend to supplement the way we record our children’s learning progress across many subjects through embracing the appropriate use of alternative resources such as Seesaw. As a result we hope to embed and encourage closer links to our families in the Early Years through the use of Seesaw, where learning can be shared and extended through family and friends.

Impact

Our approach to the curriculum results in a relevant, engaging, and high-quality computing education. The quality of children’s learning is evidenced in online folders and portfolios including (but not limited to) J2E, Google Classroom, Scratch, and Seesaw (archives).

Evidence such as this is used to feed into teachers’ future planning, and as a topic-based approach continues to be developed, teachers are able to revisit misconceptions and knowledge gaps in computing when teaching other curriculum areas. This supports varied paces of learning and ensures all pupils make good progress.

By the end of Year 6 at St John’s, pupils should feel confident in using a broad range of technology. They should be able to recognise how to keep themselves safe online, and they should understand the importance of being an exceptionally good digital citizen. Pupils should have a sound knowledge of up-to-date technologies and how they can be used to enhance their learning and the curriculum.

Internet Safety Policy

Online safety for parents

As well as incorporating e-safety into the curriculum, we aim to have an e-safety workshop for parents each year to provide guidance on the various ways they can help their children to remain safe online. In addition, there are also some excellent sites to explore e-safety at home with your children. Use the links below to look at some of them.  

Safer Internet Centre

Internet Matters

Childnet

Netware

Online Safety for Pupils:

Digiduck's Big Decision

Kidsmart - Smart Rules