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Computing curriculum

Intent : Knowledge, skills and the national curriculum

The Computing Curriculum is taught discretely, weekly through Phase Curriculum Plans for Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2. These Phase Plans are based around the National Curriculum and cover the following Substantive Concepts, Online Safety, Computing Systems, Creating Media, Programming and Data and Information. The rationale for a weekly approach is to ensure children develop modern day skills to be successful in the wider world. Pupils practise every week how to log on, shut down and enter a password and the importance of keeping safe online is re-enforced weekly.

The substantive concepts, principle themes have been developed from the National Curriculum into a range of progressive skills and knowledge that are vital for children to explore. At Mapplewell Primary School we believe it is important to ensure our pupils are using software correctly and that these basic skills are embedded from a young age.

The Curriculum has been mapped out as a two year cycle as it is taught in Phases rather than year groups. The knowledge is progressive and broken down into small granular knowledge to ensure pupils build on their existing skills and understanding

Each Knowledge organiser includes all the weekly learning objectives and success criteria to ensure coverage of vital skills and knowledge and to support teacher workload. As a school we recognise that computing is a life skill and therefore children in the Early Years are given opportunities to use technology and programmable toys safely within their learning.

At the start of all Computing lessons children re-visit the importance of keeping safe online. In February, annually, the school participates in E-Safety week to inform pupils and parents of current social media age restrictions and how to ensure pupils are aware of risks and how to safely use the internet. In addition pupils explore different uses of technology in the wider world.

The Computing knowledge and skills are taught covering 5 Substantive Concepts:

Online Safety

Computing Systems

Creating Media

Programming

Data and Information

The Computing Curriculum we offer is designed to meet the needs of all our pupils. It is rich, varied, imaginative and ambitious and can be easily adapted for pupils with additional needs. The Success Criteria for each lesson shows a clear progression of skills.

implementation : accelerated learning

Computing is taught weekly to ensure that pupils re-visit their learning regularly and can build on previous learning, ensuring that they know more and remember more. The Computing Curriculum is rich and varied and provides our pupils with the skills required for life in the 21st Century.

A Gather Skills Apply approach is used where pupils investigate high quality outcomes such as publications or computing games before learning the skills to enable them to apply this into their own quality outcome.

The Accelerated Learning Cycle, based on the work of Alistair Smith, is applied in all lessons. It stems from the idea of a supportive and challenging learning environment. The cycle has active engagement through multi-sensory learning, encourages the demonstration of learning and consolidation of learning in a variety of ways.

Adaptations are available through quality first teaching to enable all pupils to achieve. This may be in the form of additional prompt cards, the use of voice technology or adult support.

impact : formative and summative assessment

Formative assessment is ongoing throughout each lesson. It judges progress and enables teachers to make flexible adaptations to their planned teaching.

Through this regular ongoing assessment, tasks are matched to the ability of each pupil through differentiated activities or adult support, providing a level of challenge that is stimulating for pupils and questioning skills.

INSIGHT assessments are used as a summative assessment tool to assess Foundation Subjects. The knowledge and skills based curriculum is regularly highlighted to identify any gaps or misconceptions to be addressed or passed onto the next year group receiving teachers.

Evidence of Learning is recorded as a class on The Seesaw app to ensure coverage and to enable the Subject Co-ordinator to monitor the subject.

Credits:

Created with an image by Pixies - "technology keyboard computing"