Computing

Computing touches every part of modern life and it is important that our children are taught how to control and use these tools and, importantly, how to use them safely.

In computing we aim is to enthuse, prepare and equip our children to participate in a rapidly changing world, where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology.  It is our intention to enable children to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information in a variety of creative ways, opening doors and broadening horizons. Our pupils must be prepared for the ever-evolving technological world and we have designed our computing curriculum with this in mind. 

As stated in the National Curriculum aims - 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. With this in mind our curriculum aims to provide a wealth of experiences for pupils to develop their coding and computer science skills.  Perhaps as important is the notion of ensuring our pupils become ‘digitally literate’ and are able to creatively express themselves through developing and presenting their ideas.  This is vital to ensure readiness for not only their next stage of education but also the world of work. 

Despite being a subject specific curriculum we ensure meaningful connections are made between computing and other subjects. These explicit links aim to ensure our computing curriculum is as relevant and meaningful for our context, acting as an inspiration and motivation for pupils to develop their skills in real life, practical contexts. Computing skills are a major factor in enabling children to be confident, creative and independent learners and it is our intention that children have every opportunity available to allow them to achieve this across subjects and contexts, including their ability to troubleshoot and problem solve.

 Online Safety

At Clapham Manor, we acknowledge the need to ensure that all pupils are responsible and safe users of the World Wide Web and other communication technologies.  The school offers a safe online environment through filtered internet access.  Additionally, children are regularly taught about online safety using a carefully mapped 'Online Safety Curriculum', alongside taking part in annual events such as Safer Internet Day.