Rationale

At St. Anthony’s, Computing enables pupils to engage confidently and responsibly with God’s world in a digital age. It equips them with the knowledge and skills to create, communicate, and problem-solve using technology, while understanding its power to influence lives and communities. Rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, pupils learn to act with integrity, protect human dignity online, and use digital tools to serve the common good. Through Stewardship and Solidarity, they explore the ethical impact of technology and their responsibility to use it wisely. Computing nurtures creativity, curiosity, and resilience, preparing pupils to be safe, thoughtful digital citizens who live out their faith through action in an interconnected world.

 

Intent

Our Computing curriculum, following the Teach Computing framework, nurtures curiosity, creativity, and responsibility, preparing pupils to participate confidently and ethically in an ever-changing digital world. It offers a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich learning experience aligned with the National Curriculum.

Core principles include:
• Nurturing virtuous individuals who use technology with integrity, wisdom, and compassion.
• Inspiring high achievement and a love of problem-solving, digital creation, and innovation.
• Promoting collaborative learning and responsible digital citizenship rooted in Gospel values.

Key Stage 1: Pupils develop foundational understanding of algorithms, simple programming, and safe technology use. They explore digital content and begin to understand how computers are part of everyday life.

Key Stage 2: Pupils build on this foundation with increasing depth—designing, writing, and debugging programs; understanding networks and the internet; and using software purposefully to collect, analyse, and present data.

 

Online safety is embedded throughout, ensuring pupils make informed, respectful choices in the digital space. Through this curriculum, pupils grow in resilience, creativity, and ethical awareness—empowered to use technology to live out their faith and serve the common good.

 

Implementation

• Computing is taught using the Teach Computing scheme, ensuring a consistent and progressive curriculum across the school.
• Lessons follow a spiral curriculum structure, allowing key concepts to be revisited and deepened over time.
• Pupils learn through a blend of direct teaching, hands-on exploration, collaborative discussion, and digital creation, using both laptops and tablets.
• A range of age-appropriate software and platforms support the development of programming, multimedia, and data literacy skills.
• Online Safety is embedded throughout the curriculum and further supported by the Be Internet Legends programme, helping pupils develop the knowledge, values, and judgement to stay safe and act responsibly online.
• Cross-curricular links are made, enabling pupils to apply their computing knowledge meaningfully across subjects and real-world contexts.

 

Impact

By the end of primary education, pupils at St. Anthony’s will:
• Demonstrate secure knowledge of computer science concepts, including algorithms, programming, and how digital systems function.
• Use information technology confidently to create, organise, and present digital content for a variety of purposes.
• Apply digital literacy skills to evaluate information critically, communicate safely and respectfully online, and protect themselves and others from digital risks.
• Exhibit virtues such as integrity, responsibility, and perseverance as they navigate challenges and make ethical decisions in digital environments.
• Engage thoughtfully with the world as compassionate, informed digital citizens, using their computing skills to serve others and promote the common good in line with Catholic Social Teaching.
• Be well-prepared for secondary education, equipped with the resilience, creativity, and critical thinking needed to succeed and contribute positively in an increasingly digital society.

 

Assessment

• Each lesson begins with activities to revisit prior learning and reinforce key computing concepts.
• Pupils demonstrate understanding through a variety of tasks such as coding exercises, digital projects, quizzes, and reflective discussions on online safety and ethical technology use.
• Teachers use a combination of observational assessments, practical work, and pupil reflections to monitor progress continuously throughout units.
 

SEND Support Statement

In teaching the Teach Computing curriculum at St. Anthony’s, we prioritise quality first teaching alongside adaptive strategies to support all learners, including those with SEND. Lessons are carefully differentiated to meet individual needs through clear, structured instructions and step-by-step guides. We use a variety of approaches such as visual aids, unplugged activities, and practical tasks to make computing concepts accessible and engaging. Classroom adults provide targeted support when needed, ensuring that all pupils can participate meaningfully. Our use of Kagan cooperative learning structures promotes collaboration and peer support, fostering confidence and inclusion. High expectations are maintained for every pupil, with scaffolding designed to enable success and build independence in computing skills.