Stranton Primary School

Stranton Primary School
Only the best is good enough

Computing

In computing we connect with people using technology.

The teaching of Computing in Stranton Primary School fits in with our rationale and aims for our whole School curriculum:

They include ensuring that the curriculum:

  • Has the needs of the children at the heart of everything we do
  • Is based on a strong foundation of oracy
  • Meets the needs of our local community
  • Is full of exciting, enriching and enjoyable learning experiences
  • Provides opportunities for our children, staff and parents to all learn together.
  • Positively improves academic outcomes
  • Prepares our children to become positive role models in and effective contributors to Society
  • Gives our pupils the chance to become the very best versions of themselves.

Or in short, a curriculum which provides only the very best education, opportunities and experiences for all of our pupils.

Vision for Computing

The aim of Computing teaching is to ensure children become digitally literate – able to safely 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 an ever-changing, digital world. We want children to learn Computing in such a way that it alters their long term, computational thinking relating to using and creating different programs as well as understanding how digital systems work.

The school’s aims are to:

  • provide a relevant, challenging and enjoyable curriculum for ICT and computing for all pupils;
  • meet the requirements of the national curriculum programmes of study for ICT and computing;
  • use ICT and computing as a tool to enhance learning throughout the curriculum;
  • to respond to new developments in technology;
  • to equip pupils with the confidence and capability to use ICT and computing throughout their later life;
  • to develop the understanding of how to use ICT and computing safely and responsibly.
  • ensure children can understand and apply the fundamental principles of computer science, including logic, algorithms, data representation, and communication;
  • teach children to analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems;
  • ensure children can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems;
  • create responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology

Curriculum End Points

By the end of Key Stage 1, we want ALL children to:

  • Apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified below.

Pupils should be taught to:

  • Understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
  • Create and debug simple programs
  • Use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
  • Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
  • Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school
  • Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

This will ensure all pupils are ready and able to access the Key Stage 2 curriculum and beyond.

By the end of Key Stage 2, we want ALL children to:

  • Apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified below.

Pupils should be taught to:

  • Design, write and debug 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
  • Use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work 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
  • Use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
  • Select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
  • Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

This will ensure all pupils are ready and able to access the Key Stage 3 curriculum and beyond.

Teaching of Computing

Computing is taught as a combination of both our ‘topic based’ foundation Curriculum and discrete sessions (i.e. online safety, keyboard skills etc.). Topics are taught termly, with computing objectives fully embedded within each area. Objectives are progressive and sequential; teaching children an array of skills they can use to represent their ideas; whilst gaining an understanding of many different pieces of computer hardware and software.

The school uses a variety of teaching and learning approaches in computing lessons including:

  • Whole class teaching of discrete skills - using subject specific software and laptops / iPads
  • Individual work – using subject specific software and personal laptops / iPads

We recognise the fact that we have children of differing ability in all our classes, and so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies, which are differentiated by task, expected outcome and/or support from peers or adults.

Recording of Computing

Children will maintain an online portfolio of work and assessments, through Purple Mash and Seesaw, which will follow the children right through School – demonstrating the progression the children make in their skills.

Assessment of Computin

In order to assess the children’s knowledge in Computing a variety of assessments will be used, including:

  • Formative assessments - carried out during and following short focused tasks and activities. They provide pupils and teaching staff the opportunity to reflect on their learning in the context of the agreed success criteria. Teachers will track the children’s progress against what has been taught. This will enable misconceptions or knowledge which hasn’t been retained to be addressed in the ‘revisit’ section of future lessons.
  • Summative assessment – used to review pupils’ capability and provide a best-fit level. Use of independent open-ended tasks / quizzes provide opportunities for pupils to demonstrate capability in relation to the term’s work.
  • At the end of each term, teachers will give an overall judgement of each child, recording attainment on the school’s curriculum tracking sheet. This judgement will be based on evidence from children’s book, end of unit assessments and performance in class.

Monitoring of Computing

Monitoring takes place regularly through sampling children’s work, lesson observations and, importantly, talking to the children – ensuring they enjoy each subject and can recall key knowledge of what they have been taught.

Computing Objectives by Year Group