Computing

Intent

The subject of computing is becoming ever present in children and adults lives as technology grows and grows. We all use computing every day to communicate, program and present our ideas in a variety of ways. With the intense shift towards using computing in society our curriculum intent is to prepare children for the technological world they live in. Our intent in computing ensures that the national curriculum is being taught progressively through carefully constructed progression grids which allow teachers to understand the subject, showing the curriculum coverage across the school and how this will be implemented to ensure quality first teaching. Staff are given a long term plan which covers all strands of computing: Digital literacy, Information technology and Computer science. This allows children to access a wide range of computing knowledge, skills and vocabulary which will deepen their understanding and engagement within the subject. Furthermore, children will also be exposed to understand how computing affects them within the wider world. This will include allowing them access to a variety of hardware and software which they can control and program, as well as word processing and emailing skills. The overall profile of computing is of great importance and this will be raised through enhancing the available resources and encouraging parental involvement in computing by the use of parent inspire mornings. This will allow parents to understand the knowledge, skills and vocabulary children are using within computing and how they progress within the subject.

Implementation

Within the school, the profile of computing will be raised to ensure that all children are able to articulate using computing vocabulary. This will be evident within the classroom through tier three, subject specific visual and spoken vocabulary within computing lessons, as modelled by the teacher. Lessons will be clearly structured with children able to gain an excellent understanding of all areas of computing which includes digital literacy, information technology and computer science. Children will be regularly exposed to a variety of computing resources and confidently use these, not only within computing lessons, but across the curriculum, understanding and appreciating their value within the classroom plus home and school environments. This will include but not be limited to laptops, Ipads, interactive whiteboards, cameras and various hardware which children can program, stimulate and code. It is crucial that children are able to engage with a variety of enriching activities as well as experiencing external visitors and parent workshops to showcase their computing skills. Furthermore, teachers will have a clear understanding of the subject matter for their year group as well as how it progresses throughout school and they will be able to deliver this within lessons, using appropriate resources, vocabulary and modelling to ensure children receive quality first teaching. Frequent assessment will take place within lessons to allow the teacher to scaffold and extend learning appropriately.

Impact

The resulting impact will allow children to gain a greater knowledge of the skills needed throughout the computing curriculum and have access to vocabulary within this subject, showing a confident and articulate understanding of the subject matter. Children should be able to talk about the three strands of computing and show the differences between them, knowing what they have learnt and how this has progressed throughout their teaching of computing in school. Pupils should be able to talk at length about their computing lessons, noting how staff help them progress through modelling, scaffolding and revisiting of learning to embed knowledge and skills. Furthermore, children will understand the vital role computing plays within society and how it is used for everyday life, having importance across the curriculum, in school and at home. They will know how the skills used within school can be implemented within a variety of the technologies they will come across in life. Finally, parents will have a good understanding of the skills being taught within computing, enhancing the positive values placed on the subject.