COMPUTING CURRICULUM

Policy Statement

A high-quality Computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with Mathematics, Science, and Design and Technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems.

The core of Computing is Computer Science, in which pupils are taught the principles of Information and Computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming.

Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world (National Curriculum 2014).

Our Intent

We believe that every child should have the right to a curriculum that champions excellence; supporting pupils in achieving to the very best of their abilities. We understand the immense value technology plays not only in supporting the Computing and whole school curriculum but overall in the day-to-day life of our school.

We believe that technology can provide: enhanced collaborative learning opportunities; better engagement of pupils; easier access to rich content; support conceptual understanding of new concepts and can support the needs of all our pupils.

Our aims and objectives

Our aims and objectives are to:

• provide an exciting, rich, relevant and challenging Computing curriculum for all pupils.
• enthuse and equip children with the capability to use technology throughout their lives.
• give children access to a variety of high quality hardware, software and unplugged resources.
• instil critical thinking, reflective learning and a ‘can do’ attitude for all our pupils, particularly when engaging with technology and its associated resources.
• teach pupils to become responsible, respectful and competent users of data, information and communication technology.
• teach pupils to understand the importance of governance and legislation regarding how information is used, stored, created, retrieved, shared and manipulated.
• equip pupils with skills, strategies and knowledge that will enable them to reap the benefits of the online world, whilst being able to minimise risk to themselves or others.
• use technology imaginatively and creatively to inspire and engage all pupils, as well as using it to be more efficient in the tasks associated with running an effective school.
• provide technology solutions for forging better home and school links.
• utilise computational thinking beyond the Computing curriculum.
• exceed the minimum government recommended/statutory guidance for programmes of study for Computing and other related legislative guidance (online safety).

Our Implementation

Curriculum

As a school, we have chosen the Purple Mash Computing Scheme of Work from Reception to Year 6. The scheme of work supports our teachers in delivering fun and engaging lessons which help to raise standards and allow all pupils to achieve their full potential. We are confident that the scheme of work more than adequately meets the nation vision for Computing. It provides immense flexibility, strong cross-curricular links and integrates perfectly with the 2Simple Computing assessment tool.

Early years

We aim to provide our pupils with a broad, play-based experience of Computing in a range of contexts. We believe the following:

• Early Years learning environments should feature ICT scenarios based on experience in the real world, such as in role-play.
• Pupils gain confidence, control and language skills through opportunities to 'paint' on the interactive board / devices or control remotely operated toys. 
• Outdoor exploration is an important aspect, supported by ICT toys such as metal detectors, controllable traffic lights and walkie-talkie sets.
• Recording devices can support children to develop their communication skills. This is especially useful for children who have English as an additional language.

Key Stage 1 outcomes

• Understand what algorithms are, how they are implemented as programs on digital devices, and that programs execute by following a sequence of instructions.
• Write and test simple programs.
• Organise, store, manipulate and retrieve data in a range of digital formats.
• Communicate safely and respectfully online, keeping personal information private, and recognise common uses of information technology beyond school.

Key Stage 2 outcomes

• Design and write programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts. 
• Use sequence, selection and repetition in programs' work with variables and various forms of input and output; generate appropriate inputs and predicted outcomes to test programs.
• Use logical reasoning to explain how a simple algorithm works and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs.
• Understand computer networks including the Internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world-wide web; and the opportunity they offer for communications and collaboration. 
• Describe how Internet search engines find and store data; use search engines effectively; be discerning in evaluating digital content; respect individuals and intellectual property; use technology responsibly, securely and safely.
• Select, use and combine a variety of software (including interest services) on a range of digital devices to accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.