At Bishop Lonsdale, we want all pupils to have the chance to succeed, regardless of their starting points. We aim to provide them with opportunities to acquire powerful knowledge and build the cultural capital that they will need to succeed in later life.
Computers are a fundamental part of everyday life, so we want our pupils to have the confidence and skills they need to access information technology and to thrive in a digital world. In Computing, their learning will help them to foster a powerful awareness of the computer systems, tools and networks that surround us.
Thinking like a computer scientist will help them to develop logic and problem-solving abilities, perseverance and teamwork – invaluable skills for later life. We teach a range of digital literacy and IT skills, to help our pupils to become empowered, creative users and makers of technology, the internet and digital media. They will learn creative IT skills to help them express their ideas, whether through digital writing, programming games, controlling robots or making animations.
We also want our pupils to become responsible, kind and respectful online communicators. This will help them to stay in control of their digital lives and, most importantly, to stay safe.
Disadvantaged pupils, in particular, will gain cultural knowledge and modern skills that will enable them to build self-confidence, access more opportunities and to become successful, active contributors to society.
Computing opens up exciting possibilities for all of our pupils to achieve great things in future.
Computing Curriculum overview
There are several strands of our Computing curriculum at Bishop Lonsdale. Starting in Early Years and progressing through Key Stages 1 and 2, our children will learn to:Digital literacy and e-safety
1) Identify and demonstrate ways of responding to and reporting problems online (including forms of bullying), build a positive online reputation by showing appropriate behaviour, respect and kindness when communicating online, and self-regulate the amount of time spent online.
2) Recognise when and how information is being shared publicly or privately online, explain what content can or should be shared safely and when to maintain the privacy of personal details, and explain the risks of sharing content illegally online.
3) Be discerning when evaluating digital content, recognise influence, manipulation and persuasion techniques that are used online, and describe strategies to evaluate the validity of facts and to discern them from opinions online.
Computer science and programming
Use computational thinking approaches (tinkering, pattern spotting, decomposition, logical reasoning, abstraction, evaluation) to plan, adapt, write and debug computer programs, using the vocabulary of computer science (algorithm, sequence, repetition, selection and variables) to explain the program’s features and purpose.
Computer systems and networks
Explain the common features of computer systems, networks, the internet and the World Wide Web, and be able to choose and use communication and search technologies efficiently and safely.
Control of physical systems and simulations
Describe, use, program and evaluate simulations or physical systems, including simple robots and Micro:Bits.
Information technology
1) Confidently manipulate, navigate and organise files, folders and media, and be able to type quickly, confidently and accurately, on a range of formats, apps and devices.
2) Create a variety of media content (digital writing, photography, animation, presentations, games, audio and video) to communicate information creatively and effectively to specific audiences.
Data representation
Choose, use and evaluate different ways to collect, sort and present data, using a range of methods.