Intent

At Christ the Sower School, CARE is at the heart of our aspirational, engaging and ambitious curriculum.  We want all children to be confident and responsible digital citizens who are digitally literate.  We recognise that technology and the use of it is a key aspect of life in modern Britain and as such is of pivotal importance in the lives of all of our children. 

Our Computing Curriculum is fully aligned with the National Curriculum and our offer is both a varied and inspirational curriculum to inspire curiosity and creativity in all of our students.  Our children are able to use a range of technology, media, tools and platforms to express themselves, develop and share their ideas and support their learning.  Learning is logically sequenced so that it is coherent and our children are able to reflect upon prior knowledge and deepen their understanding.  Children are also able to embed and develop their skills and utilise them across the curriculum.  

Our pupils understand that there is always a choice when it comes to using technology and as a school we model its  positive use.  We model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely.  We recognise the importance of education when it comes to the safe and responsible use of technology/social media and this is the cornerstone of our online safety curriculum. Our children are responsible digital citizens who know how to keep themselves and others safe when using technology.

We recognise that technology can allow pupils to share their learning in creative ways and that it can also provide rich opportunities for pupils to collaborate.  Our pupils will not only be consumers, but also creators when it comes to new technologies and our broad curriculum encourages computational thinking and creativity both independently and through collaboration with others. 

Pupils at Christ the Sower are passionate about Computing and understand the different aspects of computing and their application in the outside world.  Our curriculum is ambitious and is designed to give all learners the skills and knowledge they need to progress to the next stage of their education.  It is our intention that every child is able to access and engage with our curriculum and that they leave Christ the Sower with the skills and knowledge needed for their future aspirations.

Implementation

• A tailored Computing Scheme of Work for all children at Christ the Sower which is fully aligned with the National Curriculum to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which is sequential and progressive.
• Lessons are planned using resources provided by experts in the field (National Centre for Computing Excellence and Common Sense Education) and these are regularly reviewed to keep up to date with changes in the field.
• Pupils are taught to understand and apply fundamental principles of computing including computing systems and networks; digital media creation; programming and algorithms; and data representation and manipulation.
• Logical reasoning, problem-solving and computational thinking are encouraged throughout the computing units and in other areas of the curriculum (for example mathematics).
• Pupils have the opportunity to apply their learning and knowledge in practical and physical ways in both computing lessons and others areas of the curriculum.
• Pupils are taught how to be responsible digital citizens who know how to keep safe online and when using technology.   E-safety is taught through discrete online safety lessons each half term and also through our wider computing and PSHE curriculum. 
• A group of children are elected to take on the role of Digital Leadership.  These children promote e-safety across the school and support their peers to engage and develop their computing skills. 
• Opportunities for cross curricular links are made so that learning is transferable.
• Key vocabulary is shared and taught throughout each computing unit to support learning and understanding.
• Online home learning platforms used in other areas of the curriculum.
• All pupils can access lesson and all pupils are challenged for their level of ability through appropriate scaffolding and extension challenges.

Impact

By the time that all children leave Christ the Sower school they will:

• be responsible digital citizens who are digitally literate and know how to use technology safely, appropriately, and effectively
• be digital communicators who are able to collaborate and utilise technology to develop and share their ideas
• logical problem solvers who are able to use computational thinking to problem solve
• be resilient learns who know there is often more than one solution to a problem
• be able to use technology confidently and creatively and in a wide range of ways to produce media to suit a purpose or outcome
• have acquired the knowledge and skills they require to be successful in their next stage of education and for their future aspirations
• be exposed to cross-curricular links which build both cultural capital and support the embedding and consolidation of computing skills
• be inspired and curious learners who are passionate about computing
• understand the importance and application of computing in the real world
• have the skills and knowledge required to be successful in their next stage of education
• have the skills and knowledge required to achieve or exceed their future aspirations