Intent

At John Henry Newman Academy, our aim is to equip children with the skills to find, explore, analyse, communicate, and present information effectively. We place a strong emphasis on developing their ability to use information thoughtfully and efficiently. Our goal is for children to know more, remember more, and understand more in computing, ensuring they leave primary school as confident and capable digital citizens.

We believe computing is key to fostering confident, creative, and independent learners. Therefore, we strive to provide every opportunity for children to develop essential computing skills that support lifelong learning.

Our computing curriculum is designed to help pupils understand and apply the core principles of computer science — including abstraction, logic, algorithms, and data representation. Pupils learn to analyse problems computationally and use technology to develop effective solutions.

At JHN, we are also committed to preparing pupils to navigate an increasingly digital world safely and responsibly. Our curriculum encourages pupils to evaluate and apply a range of technologies, including emerging tools, to solve problems analytically and adapt to new challenges.

By the time a child has left JHN, they will have gained experience in:

• Computer science
• Digital Literacy
• Online Safety

Implementation

At John Henry Newman, our ICT curriculum is diverse, inclusive, and carefully tailored to be age-appropriate. It is designed to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum while also supporting each pupil’s individual progress, development, and achievement of personal goals. All children receive a minimum of 45 minutes of dedicated ICT instruction per week, in addition to opportunities to use ICT tools across the wider curriculum within their classrooms. From Foundation Stage through to Year 6, our ICT lessons are thoughtfully structured to develop a broad range of digital skills.