Computing
At Stepgates Community School, we are committed to providing our children with a computing curriculum that has a clear intention and impacts positively upon their needs.
The national curriculum for computing intends 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.
(National Curriculum, 2013)
Our expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage, covering the ‘firm foundations’ required for deepening understanding in pupils learning. Our curriculum encourages pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand the world…[developing strong], deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. Our curriculum also makes reference and aligns to to the "Education for a Connected World" document, and through our teaching, learners develop their digital knowledge and skills, with regular opportunity provided to develop these. Pupils are taught about current online technology and understand varied ways in which they should behave online, recognising the need to stay safe and make a positive contribution online, as well as understanding effective strategies for handling online risks.
For Online Safety resources and information, including some of the most current supplementary resources for Social Media published to help support parents / carers, please click on the link below:
(Please note, key information detailed within these documents also refers to age restrictions and suitability)