Our Learning Sequence

Computing is an integral part of everyday life and will play an immeasurable part in our children’s futures. Our vision at STA is that children should be safe, confident, creative and independent users of technology and that children have every opportunity available to allow them to achieve this.  Children will receive a high-quality computing education which will equip them to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. The use of Computing will also enhance and extend our children’s learning across the whole curriculum whilst contributing to motivation and the development of social skills.

St Thomas Aquinas’s computing curriculum has been developed to be able to deliver the National Curriculum for Computing in a way that that enables children to explore, analyse and apply knowledge. We also focus on developing the skills necessary for children to be able to use information in a discriminating and effective way. We want children to know more, remember more and understand more in computing so that they leave primary school computer literate.

We intend to build a computing curriculum that;

• Develops pupil’s learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge of the world around them.
• Ensures all pupils can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
• Ensures pupils can analyse problems in computational terms and allows them to have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
• Prepares pupils to live safely in an increasingly digital British society where pupils can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.

Teachers plan lessons following the ‘Purple Mash’ scheme of work that provides coverage in line with the National Curriculum. Teaching and learning facilitates progression across all key stages within the strands of digital literacy, computer science, evaluating and applying and problem solving.

Teachers give children the opportunity to use technology meaningfully and where appropriate across the wider curriculum.  Wider Curriculum links and opportunities for the safe use of digital systems are considered in wider curriculum planning.

Teachers follow the outlined sequence of learning:

• EXPLORE safe and responsible use
• ANALYSE & LINK to wider world
• KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
• APPLY
• EVALUATE & IMPROVE

• Children will have access to the hardware (computers, tablets, programmable equipment) and software that they need to develop knowledge and skills of digital systems and their applications
• Children will have the opportunity to explore and respond to key issues such as digital communication, cyber-bullying, online safety, security, plagiarism and social media.
• The importance of online safety is shown through displays within the learning environment.
• Parents are informed when issues relating to online safety arise and further information/support is provided if required.
• As well as opportunities underpinned within the scheme of work, children will also spend time further exploring the key issues associated with online safety, through half-termly e-safety lessons and raising awareness by celebrating ‘Safer Internet Day’.