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Computing

Computing Curriculum at St Eanswythe’s

Rationale and National Curriculum Coverage

Taken from the National Curriculum in England:

‘Purpose of study:

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.’

Intent:

At St Eanswythe’s Primary School, we believe 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 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. At St Eanswythe’s Primary School, we aim to provide an engaging, relevant and challenging Computing curriculum for all pupils, which will teach our pupils to become responsible, respectful and competent users of data, information and communication technology.

At St Eanswythe’s Primary School, we intend on delivering a modern, up-to-date and holistic computing curriculum to our pupils. With the rise of job opportunities and general use of computing technologies, we are focused on educating our pupils in a variety of aspects of computing. An overarching theme of our computing curriculum is safety and we teach the pupils to take safety online very seriously.

What do we want for our pupils?

The ability to pose their own questions and use computing to research appropriately in the search for answers.
Knowledge of how to use search engines to their most effective.
The ability to present information in a variety of ways, using a variety of tools, which matches the audience and content.
To build a sequence of code for purpose.
To analyse a sequence of code for errors and have the ability to debug the sequence.
Understand how to safely use internet search engines, including having an awareness of pitfalls.
Understand which information is not safe to share online.
Understand what to do if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable online.
Understand when it is appropriate to use online resources and applications, and when it is appropriate to utilise offline resources.
The knowledge of how to behave on social media and what is appropriate for social media and messaging.

Implementation:

How we deliver computing in St Eanswythe’s Primary School,

Dedicated time every Friday to deliver computing lessons, from Reception through to year 6.
Through following the Purple Mash scheme of work.
Through cross-curricular links to foundation subjects and core subjects
Use of a coding programme in Purple Mash.
Research-based lessons in foundation subjects.
Creative presentation of information researched in other areas of the curriculum
Use of computer terminals, laptops, tablets and green screen technology.
Data presentation (graphs, charts and tables)
Planning of computing is carried out using the Purple Mash scheme of work as a basis. We set our units/topics using the guidance from Purple Mash, but our staff are not restricted to using only the Purple Mash resources. Planning and resources are adjusted for each lesson based on performance of the pupils from the previous lesson.

Impact:

At St Eanswythe’s Primary School,

Our computing curriculum is of a high quality and is planned to show progression.
Our children will be digitally literate, equipped with the knowledge and skills to use technology effectively and more importantly safely.
Children will understand how to stay safe online, understanding both the benefits and risks of using the internet.
They will be able to apply their computing skills to other areas of learning and the curriculum.
Children’s progress is tracked across each term using the Purple Mash assessment tool. Pupils will be assessed both through observations in the lessons and completed work.