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 children 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.

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.

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. 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. Children are given topics and skills to learn, with guidance, from the National Centre for Computing Education and our e-safety is delivered by Project Evolve, which delivers short, engaging lessons promoting discussion and reflection.

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 find ways occasionally to 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.

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.

When the children produce work, this is saved in the children’s individual Microsoft Teams account, which allows them to access their work from anywhere in school. Children are shown how to access their account and how to keep their work safe.