Computing

Computing Curriculum Statement

As with the whole curriculum at Leys Primary School, Computing prioritises children’s acquisition of Key Knowledge skills and experiences, in a range of well-considered cross-curricular and contextualised contexts.

Intent

At Leys Primary school, we aim for our pupils to develop six personal development goals: Resilience, Aspiration, Morality, Co-operation, and Adaptability & Respect. Therefore, In line with the 2014 National Curriculum for Computing, We ensure lessons are fun, stimulating, meaningful, engaging and challenging. Whilst providing a high quality integrated and contextualised computing education, which equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Our curriculum will teach children key knowledge about how computers and computer systems work, and how they are designed and programmed. 

Technology is everywhere and plays a pivotal part in the lives of pupils. Therefore, we model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely.  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 Leys 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.

Implementation

As with all subjects, our teachers use six core values for outstanding teaching & learning: Contextualised; Awe & Wonder; Creative; Multi-sensory; Exploratory and Collaborative.  We implement a curriculum which is progressive throughout the whole school and which is in line with the National Curriculum 2014 Primary requirements.  Computing is taught using a blocked curriculum approach, which is, structured around six half-termly units of work per year group.  This ensures children are able to develop depth in their knowledge and skills over the duration of each of their computing topics. Teachers use   the ‘Switched On: Computing’ scheme, published by Rising Stars, as a starting point for the planning of  computing lessons, which are richly contextualised with other subjects and topics covered in our school. Knowledge, skills and vocabulary are mapped across each topic and year group to ensure systematic progression.

Our Computing progression map is broken down into three strands that make up the computing curriculum. These are Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy. Computer Science underlines the knowledge and skills relating to programming, coding, algorithms and computational thinking. Information Technology underlines the knowledge and skills relating to communication, multimedia and data representation and handling. Digital Literacy underlines the knowledge and skills relating to online safety and technology. These are covered discreetly or activities are made meaningful by relating them to our contextual themes, previous learning, experience, local events and the news.

At Leys primary school, we believe that employing cross-curricular links motivates pupils and supports them to make connections and remember the steps they have been taught.  Therefore, when teaching computing, teachers ensure that ICT and computing capability is also achieved through core and foundation subjects. Where appropriate and necessary ICT and computing is incorporated into work for all subjects using our wide range of interactive ICT resources.

Children have access to a wide range of resources to support their learning in computing.  This includes but not limited to a fully equipped computing suite for 30 children;  two trolleys - one with a set of tablets and the other with a class set of Chromebooks; Pro-bots, Micro: bits, crumble controller kits and Lego Spike kits.  This ensures that all year groups have the opportunity to use a range of devices and programs for many purposes across the wider curriculum, as well as in discrete computing lessons. Children also have access to software that they need to develop knowledge and skills of digital systems and their applications. 

The computing curriculum is also enhanced because Pupils at Leys are fully encouraged to engage with ICT and technology outside of school. Each teacher and pupil at Leys has their own unique Google Classroom login/email address and password. Computing work can be stored and saved using pupil log in details .Also, work is set for pupils to access and complete at home linked to their current class learning.

Furthermore, the implementation of the curriculum also ensures a balanced coverage of computer science, information technology and digital literacy. The children will have experiences of all three strands in each year group, but the subject knowledge imparted becomes increasingly specific and in depth, with more complex skills being taught, thus ensuring that learning is built upon. For example, children in Key Stage 1 learn what algorithms are, which leads them to the design stage of programming in Key Stage 2, where they design, write and debug programs, explaining the thinking behind their algorithms.

Impact

Our Computing Curriculum is a fun, engaging, and high-quality education, which is planned to demonstrate progression, build on, and embed current skills. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills in the different computational components and discreet vocabulary progression within units of work.

Therefore, the implementation of this curriculum ensures that when children leave Leys primary school, they are competent and safe users of ICT with an understanding of how technology works.  Children will also be able to use technology purposely, apply the British values of democracy, tolerance, mutual respect, rule of law and liberty when using digital systems. Furthermore, they will have developed skills to express themselves, be creative in using digital media and be equipped to apply their skills in Computing to different challenges going forward to the next stage and the real world.

Look below to see the topics that are covered in each year group.

• BBC Education Computing  A highly informative offering about coding/programming from the BBC. Recommended for the grown-ups.

• Lightbot  A fun introduction to the concept of programming.

• CODE.org  A collection of online resources to encourage coding. Lots of fun activities here.

• BotLogic  A fun site with programming challenges which get more complex as they're completed.

• Nickelodeon Code-It website  Some coding fun with lots of your favourite Nick characters.

• Rapid Router A block based series of programming challenges to get those groceries delivered. Developed by Ocado.

• Scratch  Scratch and the all new Scratch 3 are fantastic free resources designed to teach the basics of programming.

• Blockly  A block-based programming environment similar to Scratch.