Computing

At John Locke Academy, our computing curriculum equips children with the fundamental skills and computational thinking to meet the demands of an ever-diversifying technological world. It is our aim to create independent learners who are confident to use their resilience and problem solving skills as they encounter new tasks, technologies and software. 

Technology is available to a large percentage of our children and represents a real opportunity for the expansion of knowledge and experience. Teachers at John Locke Academy have a good understanding of how to help children navigate this connected world safely. We aim to inspire responsible and competent users of information and communication technology who have a firm understanding of online safety and their ever-growing digital footprint.  We aim for all our children to be critical thinkers when using the internet, social media outlets and future as yet unknown technologies.

Our Computing curriculum focuses on the progression of skills in digital literacy, computer science, information technology and online safety. The spiral nature of our curriculum enables learners to revisit and expand upon these skills to fully embed them. It can be adapted to meet the needs of all pupils and helps teachers address misconceptions. 

To ensure coverage and progression, we use the National Centre for Computing Education Teach Computing curriculum planning. Some units are taught discretely, though where possible and where relevant, the content is taught in the context of the learning journey, enabling children to develop their creativity and create cross-curricular links. 

Technology is used across the school in many ways - to support learning in other subjects, to support children with additional needs, to create efficiency and collaboration. We have a large number of chromebooks and some of our teachers are researching different strategies to support learning through the use of individual chromebooks. Supported by the Trust, we are a Google school and many members of staff have Google Certified Educator status. However - we are aware of concerns around screen time and the impact this might be having on children's wellbeing and social skills. Our intent is to show children that computers are a tool to support learning, rather than the only solution. . Teaching children to think critically is part of our school vision to ensure that children are ready for secondary school and beyond.