At St Joseph’s, our Computing curriculum aims to equip every child with the knowledge, skills, confidence and curiosity needed to understand and participate safely and responsibly in an increasingly digital world. We want our children to become confident creators of technology, rather than simply consumers of it, understanding how digital systems work and how technology can be used purposefully to communicate, create, solve problems and make a positive difference.

Our curriculum develops children's knowledge across the interconnected strands of computer science, information technology and digital literacy. From their earliest experiences, children will learn that technology follows instructions and processes, progressing towards increasingly sophisticated understanding of algorithms, programming, networks, data and digital systems.

Children will develop computational thinking, learning to break problems into manageable parts, identify patterns, create and refine algorithms, reason logically and debug solutions when things do not work as expected. We want children to approach computing with resilience and curiosity, understanding that mistakes and debugging are an important part of successful problem-solving.

Children will become confident and discerning users of information technology. They will learn to select and use appropriate digital tools to create, organise, store, manipulate, analyse and communicate information, making increasingly informed choices about which technology is most appropriate for a particular purpose.

Central to our curriculum is the development of safe, responsible and respectful digital citizens. Children will learn how to protect themselves and others online, recognise risks, question the reliability of digital information, understand their digital footprint and know how and when to seek help. As technology evolves, including the increasing use of artificial intelligence, we want pupils to approach new technologies with curiosity while developing the critical thinking needed to consider accuracy, bias, privacy, ownership and responsible use.

Our Computing curriculum will connect learning with children's lives and the wider world. Through visitors and links with professionals, including opportunities to learn from those working within technology and cyber-security, children will see how computing knowledge is applied beyond the classroom and encounter careers and possibilities they may not otherwise experience.

In keeping with our Catholic mission, Fidelis in Servitio – Faithful in Service, children will consider how technology can be used responsibly and ethically in the service of others. We want them to recognise that their behaviour online should demonstrate the same dignity, kindness, respect and responsibility that we expect within our physical community.

Ultimately, we want children to leave St Joseph’s as confident, creative, critical and responsible users of technology, prepared for the next stage of their education and for a future in which digital knowledge will play an increasingly important role

Our Computing curriculum is carefully sequenced from the Early Years through to Year 6, ensuring progressive development of knowledge, vocabulary and skills across computer science, information technology and digital literacy.

Learning begins by retrieving and revisiting prior knowledge. Teachers identify what children already know and make explicit connections with previous learning before introducing new concepts. Important knowledge and vocabulary are revisited regularly so that children build increasingly secure mental models of how technology and digital systems work.

Teachers explicitly model new computing knowledge and processes, breaking complex tasks into small, manageable steps. Guided practice enables children to develop confidence before applying their knowledge increasingly independently. This reflects our wider approach to teaching through Rosenshine's principles and supports children to understand not simply what to click, but why a process works.

Computer science is progressively developed through practical experiences with algorithms, programming, logical reasoning, decomposition, pattern recognition and debugging. Children learn to create, test and improve sequences of instructions and increasingly explain the reasoning behind their solutions. Debugging is deliberately presented as a normal and valuable part of learning, connecting closely with our whole-school Learning Pit approach to resilience and productive struggle.

Information technology is taught through purposeful opportunities to create digital content. Children progressively learn to use technology to work with text, images, sound, video, presentations, data and other forms of digital media, selecting appropriate software and tools for particular purposes. Where meaningful, computing knowledge is applied across other curriculum subjects.

Digital literacy and online safety are woven throughout the curriculum rather than confined to a single annual event or lesson. Children regularly revisit privacy, passwords, online communication, digital footprints, misinformation, appropriate behaviour, reporting concerns and seeking help. Teaching responds to emerging technologies and risks so that learning remains relevant to children's lived experiences.

Children are taught to question digital content critically, considering where information has come from, whether it can be trusted and why particular content may have been created. As appropriate to age and development, children explore artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, learning that technological outputs should be questioned and evaluated rather than automatically accepted as accurate.

Adaptive teaching ensures that all children, including those with SEND, can access an ambitious Computing curriculum. Explicit modelling, visual instructions, chunked tasks, paired working, repetition and appropriate technological accessibility tools are used where needed while maintaining high expectations.

Our curriculum is enriched through real-world experiences and expertise. Visitors, including professionals working within cyber-security and technology, enable children to understand how their learning connects with the world beyond school, broaden their understanding of future careers and reinforce the importance of responsible digital citizenship.

Assessment takes place throughout learning through questioning, observation, discussion and children's digital outcomes. Teachers consider whether children can explain, apply and transfer their computing knowledge, rather than simply whether they have completed a digital task successfully. Retrieval and assessment identify misconceptions and inform subsequent teaching.

By the end of their time at St Joseph’s, our children will be confident, capable and responsible digital learners who understand how technology works and can use it creatively, purposefully and safely.

Children will have secure knowledge across computer science, information technology and digital literacy. They will understand and use appropriate computing vocabulary and confidently apply concepts including algorithms, programming, logical reasoning, data, networks and digital systems at an age-appropriate level.

They will be able to think computationally, breaking problems into manageable parts, identifying patterns, designing solutions, testing their ideas and debugging when something does not work. They will demonstrate resilience and independence when facing technological challenges and understand that reviewing, adapting and improving are fundamental parts of computing.

Children will confidently select and use appropriate digital tools to create, communicate, organise and present information, explaining why particular technologies are appropriate for the task. They will increasingly transfer these skills independently across the wider curriculum.

Most importantly, pupils will leave us as safe, critical and responsible digital citizens. They will understand how to protect their privacy and wellbeing, recognise potentially unsafe or inappropriate situations, behave respectfully online and know how to report concerns and seek support. They will question the reliability of information encountered online and recognise that digital and AI-generated content is not automatically accurate or unbiased.

Children will understand that their digital actions have real-world consequences and that kindness, dignity and responsibility extend into online spaces. Through our Catholic ethos and mission of Fidelis in Servitio, they will recognise the potential for technology to connect communities, amplify voices, solve problems and serve others.

Experiences with visitors and professionals will broaden children's understanding of the opportunities available within technology, computing and cyber-security and help them recognise themselves as potential participants in these fields.

Ultimately, children will leave St Joseph’s digitally curious rather than digitally passive: able to use technology, question it, create with it and make informed choices about it. They will have the knowledge, skills, resilience and responsible attitudes required for the next stage of their education and for life in an increasingly digital world.