Computing
Intent
At Iford and Kingston CE Primary School, we are committed to developing learners that are fluent users of technology. A fluency underpinned by the acquisition of computing skills, an awareness of the opportunities presented by technology and the confidence to work resourcefully with this knowledge. We believe it is essential to prepare children to not only thrive in but also contribute to life in the 21st century. Empowering learners through technology enables young people to shape their futures and respond innovatively to the challenges of their generation. This philosophy is the heart of our provision.
Implementation
Computing Curriculum
Any use of technology in lessons should be carefully planned for and the purpose of use should be clear to both the teacher and children. Pupil progression is essential and developing a deep understanding of a learner’s ability and experience using and applying computing skills will maximise engagement and achievement. It is very probable that the majority of learning within the computing curriculum will take place beyond the classroom and it is certain that a significant proportion of pupils will be accessing and sharing information through platforms unfamiliar to teachers. The way children learn through and with technology has changed and we must be openly responsive to that change. Pupils are learning without us and beyond our walls and it is our job to foster this independence. Schools should be a catalyst to embrace this rather than obstruct it and we believe it is our role to connect with this new way of learning instead of conflicting it.
At the Skylark Federation, Computing is taught using the ‘Teach Computing’ primary aged scheme of work. This scheme has been devised and published by the National Centre for Computing Excellence (NCCE) and funded by the Department for Education.
Subject leaders recognise the varied class organisations at each federation school and have therefore adapted the scheme to create a bespoke computing curriculum programme for each school – meeting the needs of both single form entry settings and those with mixed age classes. Each programme is reviewed, and where appropriate, modified each academic year should class organisations change.
The Teach Computing Curriculum is a progressive learning curriculum with a recommended, but not prescriptive, teaching order. The general approach to implementing the computing curriculum content for mixed year groups is to teach units for the lower year group in the first three teaching blocks, and units for the higher year group in the last teaching blocks. Subject leaders have worked rigourously to ensure all prerequisite or dependent units have been mapped and a clear and sequential progression of knowledge and skills can be followed by all pupils, in all classes, throughout their journey at Skylark.
The scheme provides a yearly unit overview, lesson plans, resources and signposts child friendly software and hardware that could be used to support achievement in the subject. The scheme is an advisory scheme and it is expected that all plans are reviewed and where necessary, adapted to facilitate equitable rates of progress and achievement for children. Teachers have the flexibility to be creative and innovative with the teaching of computing and may wish to deliver cross curricular computing lessons or units of work they have planned, outside of the scheme.
Valuing the curriculum subject ‘Computing’ in its own right is of paramount importance. It is expected that one explicit lesson of computing is taught each week in each class from year 1 to 6. Although the lesson may be cross curricular in content, clear knowledge and skills from the computing curriculum must be developed and outcomes for pupils identified. Within the Early Years classrooms, teachers are responsible for ensuring that the learning environment provides pupils with the opportunity to explore a variety of technology such as floor robots, electronic toys, mobile devices and a range of software on interactive whiteboards.
Online Safety
At the Skylark Federation, we teach online safety using the Project Evolve teaching resources. These resources have been planned in line with National Curriculum expectations and the ‘Education for a Connected World’ framework. This framework describes the digital knowledge and skills that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages of their lives. It highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development, and what skills they need to be able to navigate it. In 2019, the Department for Education produced non-statutory guidance about teaching online safety in schools. This guidance makes extensive reference to the framework as a tool to support schools in teaching pupils how to be safe online.
The Skylark computing curriculum is designed to meet the individual organisation and needs of each school. Each school has its own bespoke rolling programme which sets out the Teach Computing units that each class should follow as well as the way in which online safety should be taught. Some schools will teach online safety as a six week/half term block unit whereas others will teach it as six lessons that are covered across the year – one at the beginning of each computing unit of work.
The Project Evolve resources are updated and added to frequently so as they are responsive and relevant to the ever-changing landscape of online safety for children and young people. To ensure that online safety lessons at Skylark are similarly meaningful and reflective of the issues and topics that our pupils may encounter, teachers will adopt a ‘cherry pick’ approach to the lessons they teach. This methodology is promoted by Project Evolve who do not map out a scheme of lessons to follow, but encourage teachers to use their professional judgements about what will be most impactful for the children in their class.
To support teachers, subject leaders will signpost which strand and which year group teachers should access resources from however the lessons that are taught within each strand are determined by the teacher. It may be that shorter lessons are combined or longer lessons condensed – this is for the teacher to exercise their professional judgement, informed by their ongoing assessment of pupils, and tailor and tweak teaching materials as appropriate.
Impact
Assessment
Using Teach Computing, we expect that learners will develop embedded knowledge and skills across the computing curriculum and as a result will achieve well. Assessment will be completed using the school’s assessment system. Assessments will be undertaken summatively during Summer Term 2 and teachers will be supported in reaching accurate and meaningful judgements using the assessment guidance within the Teach Computing scheme. This includes the use of end of unit assessment tasks each half term. The data collected will allow subject leaders to identify areas of strength and weakness and inform future action planning. Data should also be shared by class teachers during pupil handover meetings to ensure any gaps in learning are plugged in the new academic year.
Pupils from Y1 -Y6 have individual log-ons and access to shared class drives for saving electronic work. This, along with paper evidence, allows teachers to root their assessment of pupils on a strong evidence base and facilitates moderation of assessment by subject leaders.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring of the standards of children’s work and learning in Computing is the responsibility of the subject leaders. Timetables will be routinely monitored to ensure breadth and balance in the teaching of the subject and long, medium and short term plans will be reviewed to ensure curriculum coverage.
Strengths and weaknesses are recorded and fed back to the teachers individually. This alongside data analysis of pupil attainment impacts on the computing action plan which is fed back to the SLT. Monitoring of Computing lessons and the use of technology to enhance learning happens routinely throughout the school year.
The subject is monitored and developed in the following ways:
- Reviewing computing assessment trackers to monitor progress and attainment
- Computing lesson visits
- Pupil work scrutiny
- Professional and collaborative discussion with staff and pupils following learning walks and pupil work scrutiny
- Team teaching and demo lessons
- Pupil voice surveys
- Staff Questionnaire