At Stamshaw Junior School, we view Computing as a fundamental subject to help shape and prepare children with the skills and knowledge needed for our continuously growing and changing digital world. We aim to prepare our child to use the Internet with confidence but also in a safe and respectful way. They will understand the necessary precautions to take to stay safe and know where to seek help. Children will also utilise computing efficiently to enhance their learning of all subjects. To be good computer scientists, children will have the opportunity to write and debug code successfully and with confidence across different systems and devices. We will facilitate the children at Stamshaw Junior School to become digitally literate — able to use a range of media, express themselves and develop ideas through information technology — preparing them to become active, responsible citizens in an ever-growing digital world.

We teach Computing skills in two ways, explicitly and by embedding it in other subjects. Teaching it explicitly allows the children to focus purely on the Computing skill they are learning. We support the children by using the National Centre for Computing Education. This allows us to ensure that all the necessary knowledge and skills are taught and allows children to build on prior knowledge. Inside this, they have the opportunity to fully understand the skill, its purpose and impact on using it. Then we provide much opportunity for the children to apply the skill into a context, often within another subject. Here they can evaluate the skill’s effectiveness for a specific purpose. Some examples of this are making an EBook for a story the children have written or using a green screen program to present a science experiment.   

Our school takes part in National Internet Safety day every year when the children take extra time learning about how to be safe online. It covers how to keep personal information safe, conduct and our overall responsibility when online. Each year there is a different theme and focus to follow. We also support this E-safety by using Project Evolve which allows teachers and children to access resources supported by the UKCIS framework.

We also find ways to occasionally teach away from using actual technology in paper tasks. This helps to demonstrate in unconventional ways, such as creating a sequence of instructions to show how to carry out an action. The children would learn to create an algorithm whilst understanding how to debug their sequence.

As a school, Stamshaw is committed to ensuring children can achieve in a new digital world. This includes investment in broadband and wireless capabilities, meaning internet access is fast and safe. Additionally, investment in purposeful, high-quality resources to motive, inspire and support learning. Our digital strategy is also aimed to support adults in the school to develop their knowledge and skills to support all learners.

Formative assessments take place throughout the year and teachers evaluate the progress and attainment against the National Curriculum expectations of attainment. Teachers use this assessment technique to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately.

Further information is gathered through pupil questionnaires; highlighting strengths, achievement, and any improvements, knowledge and skills that still need to be embedded.

The children produce one piece of work for each Computing unit and at least 2 are evidenced within their topic books. These pieces are marked and skills built upon in future lessons.

The Computing subject lead monitors the impact and effectiveness of the subject through looking at the outcomes in the book and getting feedback from staff and pupils. This ensures all learners in our school receive a high-quality curriculum that meets the aims of this statement.