The Computing and Information Technology Department at Skegness Academy is fully committed to all students gaining a coherent knowledge and understanding of; emerging technologies, program construction, programming and digital practices.  The DIT and Computing curriculum has a clear purpose and is focused around excitement and love for learning. We aim to ensure that learning is bespoke to the needs of our learners and demonstrates a strong understanding about the specific requirements needed to succeed.  

We believe that it is vital for all our pupils to develop: 

• The appropriate subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum and beyond, so that pupils can flourish, reach and exceed their potential. 

• A holistic set of values that prepares them for life in the modern world in a diverse and ever-changing community and work place. 

• The behaviours that learners need to succeed in the world such as concentration, perseverance, imagination, co-operation, the enjoyment of learning, self-improvement and curiosity. 

• And to have developed the social skills to understand society, build a personal morality, and to engage in the culture they live in and understand the cultures of others. 

By ensuring we think about what we learn, who we are when we are learning, how we act when we learn and who we are in the world, we can build; positive, resilient, successful citizens who are then prepared for the use of technologies within life after school. Our planning ensures our curriculum keeps us focused on these areas. 

We have used the National Curriculum, as a starting point, but as a department we are focused upon learners being exposed to quality experiences and need to develop independent thinking.  Visits and enrichment clubs allow learners even greater opportunities to find and develop their individual interests and personal talents. Visitors and parents coming into school also help deepen experiences further.   

We believe that to meet the outlined intentions it is necessary for us to: 

• Plan using progressive skills, knowledge and interleaving techniques.  Learning is regularly checked to ensure progression and understanding, whilst supporting learners’ ability to block learn, increase the capacity in the working memory and to build subject confidence. Teachers keep a record of how learners are achieving and intervene effectively and collaboratively to close any skills or gaps in knowledge.  
• Offer silent time so pupils can meaningfully reflect and develop links between their thinking and learning. 
• Set formal calendared assessments, which are scrutinised, moderated and evaluated in a timely manner to ensure valid and rigorous data around pupil attainment to allow for effective intervention and/or close any skills or knowledge gaps, within classes and groups. 

• Plan a variety of offsite educational visits. Visitors are also invited into school as a way of enhancing subject knowledge and providing the learners with real life experiences.  
• Explore values that are critical to help understand modern Britain and beyond.  
• Design learning opportunities that look for ways to develop good learning behaviours. We understand that learning about learning helps us to be better learners! In our lessons, we ask learners to think about ways to develop concentration, perseverance, imagination, co-operation, the enjoyment of learning, self-improvement and curiosity. For example, we try to frame our learning around questions. For example: What methods of security are most effective with using hardware and software? Why is it important for products to meet the audience’s needs?  

Learners at Skegness Academy develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum and as a result of this, they enjoy the study of DIT and Computing. This is reflected in option numbers at KS4. Student voice shows that they enjoy the learning activities that enable them to progress in the subject and above all, students continue to express their interest in learning new skills and using technology that they may not have had experience of accessing prior to joining Skegness Academy. 

By learning ICT and Computing, our students hone on their critical thinking skills, establish their own identity in it, so they would have a better understanding of the importance that technology and digital practices have on them throughout their lives. Now that so many industries rely on the use of modern technologies, ICT use and digital platforms. It is so important to develop students who are responsible and well-informed.