Computing

Computers and technology are a huge part of life today. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic First School, our approach to teaching Computing is intended to introduce children to the use of computational thinking and creativity to become digitally literate and IT aware to prepare them for their next stage of learning at middle school; and to be successful in life beyond school.

Computing is intrinsically linked to technology, so education of children in the three areas of computing (Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy) will develop their ability to use these digital tools and devices more effectively. Computer science involves learning about the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Information technology allows children to create programs, systems and a range of content. Digital literacy is being able to use and express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology.

Through delivery of the National Curriculum, we aim to:

• Provide a relevant, challenging and enjoyable curriculum for all pupils which develops skills, knowledge and understanding in strands of Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy
• Use computing as a tool to enhance learning throughout the curriculum
• To respond to new developments in technology
• To equip pupils with the confidence and capability to use computing throughout their later life
• To develop the understanding of how to use computing safely and responsibly

Aims

The national curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
• are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology

We follow the Teach Computing Curriculum which provides a spiral curriculum approach to progress skills and concepts from one year group to the next.

National Curriculum