Computing

Intent: Technology is an essential part of our lives today and it is difficult to imagine life without it. At Datchet St Marys we will equip our children to participate in this rapidly changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology. We will prepare our children to use technology in their future learning and to participate in the digital world around them. Our Computing curriculum focuses on a progression of skills in digital literacy, computer science, information technology and online safety to ensure that children become competent in safely using, as well as understanding, technology. These strands are revisited repeatedly through a range of themes during children’s time in school to ensure the learning is embedded and skills are successfully developed. Our intention is that Computing also supports children’s creativity and cross curricular learning to engage children and enrich their experiences in school. Through our Christian values, we foster an environment where the emotional, physical, academic, social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of each child is nurtured. 

Implementation: At Datchet St Mary’s Computing is taught through discreet computing lessons. The curriculum is delivered through a range of well-planned lessons to ensure variety of lessons and progression of skills. Lessons taught and planned to ensure that we can use the infrastructure we have in place at school so that the lesson can meet the needs of all our pupils. Having discreet lessons mean that children are able to develop depth in their knowledge and skills over the duration of each of their computing topics. Where appropriate, meaningful links will be made between the computing curriculum and the wider curriculum. In computing lessons, children will use either iPads or the computing suite in order to access a range of apps and software. Discreet computing lessons will focus on the curriculum skills of data handling, technology in our lives, multimedia, programming and online safety.

Impact:  Our Computing curriculum is based on skills from the national curriculum and is planned to demonstrate progress.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Monitored by subject leaders following the timetable throughout the year in many forms. Including work scrutiny that will be uploaded half termly by the teacher, pupil conferencing to discuss their learning and understanding, lesson observations, working with and reporting to governors.
• Teachers completing foundation trackers at the end of every long term, this data is collated, analysed by the subject leader and reported to governors and the SLT.
• Teachers assessing the learning of each term against the planned skills and out comes specific to the computing topics.