The Subject Leader is Miss. Charlotte Richards.

Vision

In our ever developing technological world, we know that Computing is an essential life skill for our pupils. Therefore, we strive to develop knowledge and skills which will equip children to be able to communicate with the wider community safely, to understand the communication systems which are in use, and have greater knowledge of software which may be used in a future work place. 

Our curriculum is built around the three main learning strands of: Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy. 

The Computer Science strand teaches children to try new ideas and concepts through programming. Children become resilient as they create and test algorithms. They debug their own code if it hasn’t worked immediately and develop a sense of perseverance to reach an end goal.

Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content.

The Digital Literacy strand focuses on the value of technology. We believe that in order to use technology at its best, we need to equip pupils with the skills to evaluate its use. Pupils need to understand and respect the positive and negative impact technology has on our society, in order for them to make clear, confident choices about how they use it in their everyday lives.

The E-Safety elements of our curriculum provide pupils with the knowledge of how to keep safe when using the internet, allowing them to care for each other and to be successful members of a digitally literate community.

Our computing curriculum develops lifelong transferable skills through promoting curiosity, confidence and creativity whilst inspiring pupils to achieve.

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.

Key Stage 1 Pupils should be taught to:

· understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions

 · create and debug simple programs

· use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs

· use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content

· recognise common uses of information technology beyond school

· use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to:

· design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts

· use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output

· use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs

· understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration

 · use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content

· select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information

· use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

Our Computing Curriculum

At Fairhaven we use Switched on Computing to plan our Computing curriculum. Below is our whole school overview which ensures full National Curriculum coverage is taught over a two year cycle. Each two year cycle covers 4 Computer Science units, 4 Information Technology units and 4 digital literacy units. 

Key:

Computer Science: Programming, Computational Thinking

Information Technology: Creativity, Productivity                             

Digital Literacy: Computer Networks, Communication/collaboration