At Story Wood we believe technology and computers play a vital role in our lives: at home, at work, for our health and for our informal learning. It is important that our children learn how computing technology works. Computing is a science that we teach to ensure children leave school equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to participate effectively in society, whether or not they go on to become computing professionals.

The National Curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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

Computing in Key Stage 1 teaches children to:

• understand what algorithms are, how they are implemented as programs on digital devices, and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
• create and debug simple programs
• use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
• use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content recognise common uses of information technology beyond school
• use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies

Computing in Key Stage 2 teaches children to:

• design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts
• use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output
• use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
• understand computer networks, including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the World Wide Web, and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration
• use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
• select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
• use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact

Computing is divided into 3 main strands: computer science, information technology and digital literacy. These strands overlap and are taught through topics that integrate all 3 strands. As part of our strategic vision for computing we aim to develop a curriculum that is more advanced and encompasses transferable concepts and skills. We have started to this by looking deeper at the computer science strand, which also includes a division called computational thinking: computer science encompasses the theory, design, development and use of computer systems

Through the programme of study for computing, children will learn about the fundamental principles and processes of computation; they gain repeated, practical experience of writing code to solve problems and to model systems; they also become skilled at creating high quality products and content using digital technology; and they become safe, responsible and critical users of technology.

Through computational thinking children are encouraged to use the following concepts to tackle a problem: logical reasoning, algorithms, decomposition, abstraction, patterns and evaluation. Online safety is also a strand that is embedded within the computing curriculum. E-safety lessons are taught in across all year groups following the government suggested framework : Education for a Connected world.