At St. Michael’s Community Academy we aim to prepare our pupils for a rapidly changing world that is increasingly transformed by technology. We understand that computers and the internet will play a huge part in our pupils’ future education, employment and daily lives. Our priority is to ensure that children who come to our school are equipped to use technology effectively and safely in order to become outstanding digital citizens.
We aim, therefore, to encourage pupils to develop the skills to adapt to new technology, and to give them confidence to use their knowledge of computing and IT to further their learning and assist them in everyday life. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils access the Teach Computing scheme of learning in weekly sessions to ensure that they are equipped 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.
Not only do pupils use technology to access the broader curriculum as consumers and creators but pupils also take part in a constantly evolving and exciting computing curriculum the aims of which are outlined below.
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Provide a broad, balanced, challenging and enjoyable curriculum for all pupils.
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Meet the requirements of the national curriculum programmes of study for Computing at Key Stage 1 and 2.
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Develop pupil’s computational thinking skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
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Use ICT and computing as a tool to enhance learning throughout the curriculum.
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To equip pupils with the confidence, skills and capability to use digital tools and technologies throughout their lives.
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To stimulate interest in new technologies.
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To enhance and enrich learning in other areas of the curriculum by cross curricular use of ICT
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To develop the understanding of how to use computers and digital tools safely and stay safe online.
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Can understand and apply the fundamental principles of computer science, including logic, algorithms, data representation, and communication.
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Can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
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Can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
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Are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.