Computing

Computing

At Our Lady and St. Joseph’s, we believe the Computing curriculum will give our pupils the tools and understanding required to make a positive impact on their own future prospects and opportunities. We want all children to experience a wide variety of applications for them to develop their expertise within computing, while maintaining their online safety. This will enhance life-long confidence, offer future opportunities and provide a gateway into the world of computer science and STEM careers.

Personal Development

We believe the Computing curriculum will challenge and promote resilience through the development of each child’s confidence and ability to problem solve. We endeavour to give children a variety of experiences that will teach them to cope with both success and failure in situations and allow them to learn from and correct their mistakes.

The Computing curriculum will include opportunities to develop pupils' understanding of e-safety and how to maintain their well-being online. We include ample opportunities for pupils to experience coding, manipulating both digital sprites and physical objects. 

We endeavour to inspire children to search faithfully for excellence in computing, aiming high and at a minimum know how to make age appropriate use of computing knowledge to further their work and understanding in other subjects in their life.

Computing Curriculum

Computing is taught in line with the National Curriculum and in blocks throughout each year group so that children develop disciplinary knowledge based on foundations acquired in previous year groups.  Each block has been mapped out to ensure children have opportunity to revisit areas of the curriculum to recap or expand on both substantive and disciplinary knowledge at an age appropriate level.

Computing is used to modify learning even among the youngest pupils in our school. Foundation stage pupils are given opportunities to use interactive white boards and iPads to aid their learning. Our foundation stage pupils are introduced to the school’s ICT suite which continues to be a feature in KS1 and KS2 lessons.

Each child will have opportunity to make use of our VEX robotics equipment in lessons and a select few will make a competitive team to compete in competitions.

Extra-curricular activities

The software our school subscribes to allows homework to be set and completed online. We also offer assistance in achieving this within school, if circumstances do not allow for pupils to access the Internet at home. For those pupils able to access the Internet outside of school, they are encouraged to make use of the online coding programs they are shown within school to continue to develop their knowledge and experience.

All pupils will have opportunity to interact with and use our school’s VEX robotics within the curriculum. However, pupils displaying an interest and talent for this can further their experience through joining the school’s competitive team. This team designs, builds, codes and drives their own robot to play the designated game announced each year. This game is played with and against other schools giving our children chance to network and build relationships with other pupils from different schools. If successful, our team has the opportunity to travel the country and even internationally, an honour our school has achieved twice.