Computing

Computing

Easingwold Primary School – Computing Curriculum Statement

‘Excellence for All’

Our School Vision

Outcomes for Pupils:

An unwavering ambition to ensure all children are equipped with the academic and social skills needed to be ready for the next stage in their education.

Fostering a thirst for the acquisition of knowledge and recognising that learning is a life-long skill.

Embracing a culture of self-awareness and respect to allow us to grow as citizens.

Teaching and Learning:

Empowered creative and inspirational staff who inspire children to achieve highly.

Enabling our children to widen their horizons and aspire to personal excellence through the development of a broad and exciting curriculum which places experiences as a high priority.

Permitting the taking of risks by means of exploring new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

Intent – What do we want to achieve?

The primary aim of our whole school curriculum is to provide ‘Excellence for All.’ To achieve this we want develop children as curious, independent and resilient learners who have a secure understanding of themselves, their community and the wider world in which they live. We want them to have high aspirations and make positive contributions to their community and society. It is of the utmost importance to us that we provide pupils with indelible experiences from which they can learn and develop a range of transferable, lifelong skills.

In line with the 2014 National Curriculum for Computing, our aim is to provide a high-quality computing education, which equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. The curriculum will teach children key knowledge about how computers and computer systems work, and how they are designed and programmed. Learners will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of computational systems of all kinds, whether or not they include computers.

By the time they leave Easingwold Primary School, children will have gained key knowledge and skills in the three main areas of the computing curriculum: computer science (programming and understanding how digital systems work), information technology (using computer systems to store, retrieve and send information) and digital literacy (evaluating digital content and using technology safely and respectfully). The objectives within each strand support the development of learning across the key stages, ensuring a solid grounding for future learning and beyond.

Our intent, when teaching the above knowledge and skills, is to inspire a curiosity in children and a fascination with technology and the possibilities and opportunities it can present for the children of today becoming the adults of tomorrow. To provide them with opportunities to question how technologies work and connect together and how, through history, technology has helped the human race develop and communicate in new and more intricate ways. To give them creative opportunities to express themselves through the use of technology and to create a positive, safe digital imprint as a foundation for their technological use through life.

Implementation - How will we achieve this?

Computing at Easingwold Primary is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Through our use of the iCompute scheme of work, teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each blocked topic and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic and retrieval opportunities are built into start of each lesson to support the children in remembering more of what they have learnt. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children’s’ starting points. Lessons are designed to provide appropriate support and challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.

Cross curricular outcomes in Computing are specifically identified and planned for. The Computing provision is also well resourced and specific resources are mapped to specific year groups and topics to support effective teaching and learning. A range of devices, including iPads, Chromebooks, interactive whiteboards and panels and a range of other technological equipment are fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes with extensive opportunities for children to explore the technology at their own pace, record their work digitally and question their findings. When on school trips, children are encouraged to consider technological use and provide them with first hand experiences of technology in action.

Impact – How do we know we have been successful?

The impact of our Computing curriculum is that our learners are equipped with the skills and knowledge to help them explore, navigate and understand the technology around them, help guide them through rapid technological developments and use devices safely. Their skills and knowledge will develop progressively as they move through the school to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and will enable them to be fully equipped for the secondary. The children will be able to discuss their learning and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through a range of activities. The children’s learning is assessed against the age-related expectations from the 2014 National Curriculum.

Online safety

We spend a great deal of time teaching the children how to stay safe online and use the SMART acronym to teach children and parents how to keep safe online: