Our approach to Computing

Intent of curriculum:

Our school vision ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’, demonstrates our goal, which is, to strive for every pupil to be ready to learn, fulfil their potential, develop resilience, work in partnership with each other, be a responsible citizen, have value and respect each other. The personal development of pupils, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, plays a significant part in children’s ability to learn and achieve, which is why at Poplar we weave this through school life and our curriculum. We foster the ideals of our pupils having their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive, caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of the cultures.

We believe at Poplar that Computing is an integral part of everyday life and will increasingly influence how our children work and play. We emphasise high-quality education in Computing which provides access to an ever changing and expanding digital world. At Poplar we aim to foster and enhance the children’s curiosity about computer science and technology. Our aim is that they move on to secondary school with the skills and aspiration to learn more. We wish to develop a love of computing and provide children with the ability to enhance their knowledge, skills and understanding through different types of media in a responsible, safe and secure way. 

We also prepare our children to be aware of the risks online and to be responsible digital citizens. They learn to be aware of their digital footprint (data ownership, bullying) and to evaluate sources - considering whether information is reliable. We do this through the teaching of online safety in lessons, assemblies and workshops. 

Computing has deep links with Maths, Science, Art and DT and we aim to make these links explicit so that children can better understand the world around them. Through the use of PCs, iPads, micro bits, and robotics the children at Poplar practise their skills in digital literacy and computer science. Staff are encouraged to try and embed computing across the whole curriculum to make learning creative and accessible. We have 2 after school clubs which further practise the skills of programming and robotics.