Primary National Curriculum - Computing
Computing Curriculum Milestones
Computing - Our Vision
All of our students live in a world which is increasingly dominated by technology. As a result, we believe that ensuring our pupils become digitally literate is a vital element of supporting their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. As a result, we strive to provide a computing education which allows pupils to work creatively and think computationally; expressing their ideas and developing computational thinking by designing and creating programs, systems and a range of content.
Intent
Our computing curriculum intends to develop the whole pupil as a digital citizen. Students are trained in the fundamental principles of computer science in order to ensure that they can think in a computational way, analyse & write algorithms and apply their skills to new or unfamiliar technologies. Our computing curriculum also has close links with our RSHE curriculum, where students are taught about how to use information and communication technologies in a safe, respectful and healthy manner.
Implementation
Our computing curriculum is guided by the national curriculum and draws from the “TeachComputing” scheme of work, prepared by the National Centre for Computing Education. Due to our small-school setting with mixed-age groups, our computing curriculum is sequenced with an “A” and “B” year, with some exceptions in years 1 & 2 where specific skills are developed and built upon in successive years. Within specific units, a range of strategies and devices are used, including “unplugged” activities, laptops, tablets, data-loggers, physical “Crumble” devices and robotic “bee-bots”. This ensures that our computing curriculum goes further than merely teaching “how to use a computer” and develops deep computational understanding. The effectiveness of our teaching is continually monitored by teachers within lessons, allowing swift identification of those who might need further support or challenge.
Impact
As a result of our teaching, students are enthusiastic about computing and confident computational thinkers. They are able to think logically and analytically in order to make sense of algorithms appropriate to their level of understanding. Students are also considerate digital citizens, able to make use of new and emerging technologies to improve their own lives and the lives of those around them.