Computing
Curriculum Rationale: We believe that skills in Computing are fundamental to children’s learning and should be incorporated into all areas of the curriculum wherever possible. It is recognised that we have a responsibility to encourage digital literacy in all pupils to support children in the present and in preparation for their future. New technologies require children to be able to interact fully with computers, laptops, tablets and a growing number of other devices, programs and software in order to fully support their learning in a number of contexts. It is recognised that the level of expectation on children’s capabilities for using new technologies is rising particularly within the National Curriculum for Computing with its strong emphasis on computer science and computer programming skills which we teach through the Purple Mash scheme.
At St Joseph's, we use the Purple Mash scheme, which is an engaging programme for children, providing differentiated activities, as well as interactive resources. It is fully aligned with the 2014 National Curriculum for Computing. It supports the teaching and the development of computing and builds computer science capability for current and future learning.
Intent: The teachers at St Joseph’s understand the value technology plays in supporting the Computing and whole school curriculum, day-to-day life of our school and also the increasing role it plays in our pupils’ lives as they grow older. We believe that technology can provide: enhanced collaborative learning opportunities; better engagement of pupils; easier access to rich content; support conceptual understanding of new objectives and can support the needs of all our pupils.
In addition, we recognise that technology can allow pupils to share their learning in creative ways and provide accessibility opportunities. We are aware that the best prevention for a lot of issues we currently see with technology/social media is through education. Our knowledge rich curriculum is balanced with the opportunity for pupils to apply their knowledge creatively which will in turn help our pupils become skilful computer scientists.
We provide staff with training and resources to carry out effective teaching of Computing; monitor this through assessments, moderation of children’s work and support where identified or requested.
Our aim is for all our pupils to develop their computational thinking skills and creativity. At the core of the Computing Curriculum lies Computer Science. Our children are able to build on their knowledge using information technology skills and by becoming computer literate. The use of Purple Mash across the school underpins the curriculum needs for all of these areas. Additionally, it enables us to forge cross-curricular links across other subject areas.
Implementation: Computing at St Joseph’s is taught in a number of ways.
We have created a comprehensive curriculum map for staff to follow to best embed and cover every element of the Computing Curriculum. The knowledge/skills statements build year on year to deepen and challenge our learners. In the Early Years the approach is through cross-curricular learning with an emphasis on hands-on experiences within every area of learning. From Year One upwards, we use Purple Mash as a cohesive scheme of work addressing the statutory aspects of the National Curriculum. As a school, we believe in delivering fun and engaging lessons which help to raise standards and allow all pupils to achieve to their full potential. By Year Six, our pupils can transfer their coding skills to other programs such as ‘Scratch’.
Whilst our discrete Computing lessons use Purple Mash as a foundation for teaching, we also enjoy the flexibility of using Computing to enhance our other curriculum area lessons and further engage the pupils in leading their own learning. They are able to use technology imaginatively and creatively whilst also becoming efficient learners and critical thinkers. Cross-curricular teaching helps enthuse and equip children with the capability to use technology throughout their lives. We believe that this transference of skills can aid in teaching pupils the strategies and knowledge necessary to enable them to reap the benefits of the online world, whilst being able to minimise risk to themselves or others.
All year groups begin each half-term teaching a lesson on Online Safety and this is reviewed and recalled upon during Computing lessons throughout the year. This ensures children are aware of the dangers they may face online and have a good understanding of how they can keep themselves safe online. Additionally, subject specific vocabulary is discussed and recalled at the beginning of each Computing lesson to support children in using computing vocabulary in everyday life and allow for them to talk about Computing and the different skills they have learnt confidently.
Impact: We encourage our children to enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver. We want learners to discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact Computing has on their learning, development and well-being. Evidence of work is uploaded to Seesaw and monitored by the subject lead. Children will build on their prior knowledge, develop Computing vocabulary and skills which will enable them to achieve academic success, leading to further study. Furthermore, we want our learners to be equipped with Computing skills and knowledge which will enable them to value the role technology plays in their current everyday life, future education and lives as they grow older as technology evolves and advances.
Computing at St Joseph's
Intent:
The teachers at St Joseph’s understand the value technology plays in supporting the Computing and whole school curriculum, day-to-day life of our school and also the increasing role it plays in our pupils’ lives as they grow older. We believe that technology can provide: enhanced collaborative learning opportunities; better engagement of pupils; easier access to rich content; support conceptual understanding of new objectives and can support the needs of all our pupils.
We provide staff with training and resources to carry out effective teaching of Computing; monitor this through assessments, moderation of children’s work and support where identified or requested.
Our aim is for all our pupils to develop their computational thinking skills and creativity. At the core of the Computing curriculum lies computer science. Our children are able to build on their knowledge using information technology skills and by becoming computer literate. The use of Purple Mash across the school underpins the curriculum needs for all of these areas. Additionally, it enables us to forge cross-curricular links across other subject areas.
Implementation:
Computing at St Joseph’s is taught in a number of ways.
In the Early Years the approach is through cross-curricular learning with an emphasis on hands on experiences within every area of learning.
From Year One upwards, we use Purple Mash as a cohesive scheme of work addressing the statutory aspects of the National Curriculum. As a school, we believe in delivering fun and engaging lessons which help to raise standards and allow all pupils to achieve to their full potential. By Year Six, our pupils can transfer their coding skills to other programs such as ‘Scratch’.
Whilst our discrete Computing lessons use Purple Mash as a foundation for teaching, we also enjoy the flexibility of using Computing to enhance our other curriculum area lessons and further engage the pupils in leading their own learning. They are able to use technology imaginatively and creatively whilst also becoming efficient learners and critical thinkers. Cross-curricular teaching helps enthuse and equip children with the capability to use technology throughout their lives. We believe that this transference of skills can aid in teaching pupils the strategies and knowledge necessary to enable them to reap the benefits of the online world, whilst being able to minimise risk to themselves or others.
All Computing lessons begin with the children acknowledging the on-line safety rules which are adhered to across the school community. Everyday is a online safety day.
Key Stage 1
- 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
- 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 outputs 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 opportunities they offer for communication 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 internet services) on a range of digital devices to accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.
Impact:
Progress is measured through regular teacher assessments. These take place at the end of each unit of work taught and data is subsequently analysed by computing leads. Evidence of work is kept through Purple Mash electronically in the children’s personal document folders.
