Read more about the computing curriculum here:

Computing Curriculum Intent: To give our pupils the life-skills that will enable them to embrace and utilise new technology in a socially responsible and safe way in order to flourish. Our computing curriculum expands access to, and experiences of, a range of technologies in order to develop computational thinking and equip our children for the jobs of the future.

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The Computing Curriculum: Our Vision

“Everybody should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think.”- Steve Jobs

At St Matthew’s, we aim to provide an exciting, rich, relevant and challenging Computing curriculum. As educators, we strive to enthuse and equip children with the capability to use technology throughout their lives, instil critical thinking, reflective learning and a ‘can do’ attitude for all our children, particularly when engaging with technology and its associated resources. We want to prepare our children for the opportunities and careers that technology can bring; that may not even yet exist. Computing at St Matthew’s is all about developing well-rounded digital citizens, proficient programmers and confident users of information technology. 

A high-quality computing education equips children 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 children 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, children are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that children become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information technology.

We harness the skills of computer programming by teaching problem solving and computational thinking. Through a language rich environment, we teach the technical vocabulary associated with programming to help the children reason and explain their ideas. We want our children to think in an analytical way which can then be applied to other areas of the curriculum. We provide them with the opportunity to design, create, and evaluate programs and to apply the skills they have been taught independently. We teach information technology through the opportunity to use a range of software and hardware. We start by teaching the basic skills of typing and navigating computers. We provide children with the opportunities to create digital imagery, games, and music to show them the variety and breadth of what they can achieve with technology.

One of the most important aspects of the Computing curriculum at St Matthew’s is the focus on Digital Literacy. We want our children to use technology safely and respectfully, to recognise the fantastic opportunities that the online world can bring but also to recognise the implications of this. We teach them how to balance their screen time, filter for real and ‘fake’ news, keep themselves protected in an online environment and recognise the impact of their online and offline behaviour.