Vision
We live in a digital world where technology is at the forefront of everyday life. Our aim at La Salette is to equip the children with the skills they will need growing up in such a technological world. We aim to deliver a high quality computing curriculum which allows children to use computational thinking to support their social development and understanding of the wider world around them. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Through discreet computing lessons children are taught to be digitally literate; able to use and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology within a variety of contexts and subjects. The children are taught using laptops and a variety of different hardware such as iPads and coding tools. The children also have explicit internet safety lessons as part of the Computing curriculum. This provides children with the information and tools to keep safe online.
Aims and Objectives
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.
Teaching and Learning in subject
Children are taught computing through the use of the laptops, the iPads and coding toys such as the code a caterpillar. Children are taught internet safety through direct and discreet lessons and attend assemblies based around internet safety. As a school we will take part in Internet Safety day and all the classes will take part in an internet safety activity over that week.
Curriculum Planning
As a school we follow the Purple Mash program of study which provides children with various skills to build upon as they move up the school. The program provides teachers with all the information they will need and a lesson plan. Teachers develop these plans to include all children in the class and to recap or go over skills that the children have not fully understood. The children are also exposed to Online Safety lessons provided by Purple Mash which the teachers will differentiate to suit all the needs of the children in their class. Each class also has units based on either computer science, information technology or digital literacy.
Whole School Curriculum Overview