Computing
Intent
Our aim is that all children should enjoy Computing and become confident, passionate and responsible users of technology both inside and outside of school. Through interesting, relevant and inclusive lessons, they will be able to leave Year 6 with a good understanding of how computers and the Internet work, along with being able to complete tasks creatively, independently and reflectively for a range of purposes and audiences.
The Computing curriculum at Falla Park is designed to enable children to embrace and utilise new technologies through the application of essential knowledge, principles and concepts.
Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.
Stephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist and Author
Children must be equipped to operate in a rapidly changing workplace and to be prepared for the career opportunities that will be open to them.
Technology is everywhere and will play a pivotal part in children’s lives, therefore, we want to model and educate them about how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. We want our children to be creators, not just consumers of content and our curriculum encompassing ‘Coding & Computational Thinking’, ‘Information Technology’, ‘Computing Systems & Networks’ and ‘Online Safety’ reflects this. We want our children to understand that there is always a choice with using technology and as a school we utilise technology to model positive use. We recognise that the best prevention for a lot of issues and unsafe use we currently see with technology and social media is through educating the children about it. Technology provides accessibility opportunities for our pupils and also allows them to share their learning in creative ways. Our knowledge rich curriculum has to be balanced with the opportunity for pupils to apply their skills creatively which will in turn help our pupils become proficient computer scientists.
Implementation
Computing skills are taught explicitly with every child receiving dedicated Computing lessons each half-term. These focus on either Information Technology, Coding & Computational Thinking or Computing Systems & Networks with Online Safety lessons also included throughout each half-term. The skills acquired are then embedded throughout the curriculum.
Learning is sequenced to build knowledge, skills and vocabulary. Throughout units of work teachers encourage children to make links between past learning and new content. We recognise prior learning and build on it with memorable learning experiences and provide targeted support where necessary. The units address the requirements of the National Curriculum and are broken down to cover all elements of Computing. The curriculum embeds and covers all elements of the Primary Computing. The progression of knowledge and skills statements build year on year to deepen and challenge our learners. We use Purple Mash as the core of our curriculum tied with Teach Computing and activities from both Project Evolve and Barefoot Computing to create a comprehensive curriculum providing full curriculum coverage and a variety of skills for our children.
Purple Mash is a child friendly computing system that mirrors a lot of programmes seen in the ‘real’ word (for example - font buttons are the same, email formats are the same). By using Purple Mash we are exposing the children to real-word systems but giving them freedom to explore using a child-friendly interface. It is also safe in terms of who and what they can access. Purple Mash is used for most ‘Information Technology’ lessons and also provides a clear progression in ‘Coding & Computational Thinking’ for our Key Stage 1 and 2 children through the use of 2Code.
We believe that the Teach Computing curriculum is the best resource for delivering the ‘theory’ element of the curriculum and helping children to understand ‘how things work’ and this is used for the ‘Computing Systems & Networks’ strand. Some of the Teach Computing Units are also used with Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils to introduce them to coding robots and to give a physical output for their programs (e.g. use of Micro:Bits with Year 6).
Barefoot Computing provides ‘unplugged’ lessons for Early Years children in cluding activities which introduce our youngest children to the concepts of coding.
‘Online Safety’ lessons are mapped to the ‘Education for a Connected World’ framework and some of these activities are reinforced through the PSHE curriculum and assemblies. Project Evolve is used to deliver Online Safety lessons and to cover the requirements of the Education for a Connected World framework. Additional ‘optional’ Online Safety lessons and activities are included within our curriculum, which can be utilised where appropriate and is predominantly needs led.
Impact
Through the Computing curriculum we provide pupils with a set of skills to embed a lifelong love of learning. We ensure that every child can become a confident user of technology and be able to use it to accomplish a wide variety of goals, both at home and at school. Children will have a secure and comprehensive knowledge of how technology works in the world around them and will have a good understanding of how to deal with online situations safely and appropriately. Our children will become confident, global citizens.
Whole class floor books are used to evidence computing work and allow children to reflect on their learning throughout the year. Summative end of unit questions are used to assess children’s retention of key skills taught.
