At St Thomas we want all children to develop a fluency in Computing aimed at their individual ability. We intend to provide a curriculum which caters for the needs of all individuals and sets them up with the necessary skills and knowledge for them to become successful in their future adventures. We deliver lessons that are creative and engaging to enable children to make rich connections across computing concepts and develop a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We intend children to develop an understanding of how these skills can be used within other subject areas as well as knowing the importance of Computing in the wider world.

The 2014 National Curriculum for Computing aims to ensure that all children:

• 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

What does Computing look like at St Thomas?

At St Thomas, we use a range of online resources and equipment throughout the school to ensure our curriculum meets the specific needs of our children. As the school has a Computer Suite, we use this to teach a wide range of skills. Each child has access to a PC so can learn at their own pace. To support and enhance this, children have access to a range of equipment from Bee Bots to Ipads. We work closely with Bolton Schools ICT to ensure we keep our learning and teaching up to date in this rapidly changing arena. This is particularly important for the area of Online Safety.

Children will have the confidence to use a range of equipment, programs and apps. Our children will have good keyboard skills as well as knowing how to navigate by touch. Our children will be confident with Online Safety and will share any concerns they have. This will enable children from St Thomas to be able to take the knowledge, understanding and skills they have learnt and use and adapt them as they move into their next phase of education.