St Meriadoc Juniors provide a high-quality computing education which equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

 

Our aims

Our computing curriculum 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.

How do we teach it?

Throughout St Meriadoc Juniors, we follow the Purple Mash Computing Scheme of Work. The scheme provides each year group with a variety of units within Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy to deepen pupil understanding of computational concepts and provide opportunities for them to apply and extend that understanding and make links in their knowledge and capabilities.

We use a variety of technology to achieve this. We have a class set of Google Chromebooks and each class has access to iPads whenever needed. 

The scheme has strong opportunities for computational skills to be incorporated into other subjects. Resources could be adapted or created to match topics within Maths, English, Music and more. Online safety units can be taught as a computing unit or can be taught explicitly as part of a RSHE lessons; there is a strong link between the learning objectives related to online safety with many of the aligning RSHE online safety objectives.

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning…"

Proverbs 1:5 ESV