Computing

COMPUTING

Key person responsible - J Sanderson

We want to lead our children’s learning with concepts; we want to support pupils in the acquisition of knowledge, using key concepts, terms, and vocabulary, providing opportunities to build a shared and consistent understanding.

We want our children to first unpack complex terms and ideas, exploring these ideas in unplugged and familiar contexts, then repack this new understanding into the original concept.

Through the provision of activities with different levels of direction, scaffolding, and support that promote active learning, and through the modelling of processes and practices, we want our children to remain engaged and grow a greater sense of independence - relying less on scaffolding, and more on their own knowledge, understanding and application.

We want to provide our children with project-based learning activities to afford them the opportunity to apply and consolidate their knowledge and understanding.

We want to encourage collaboration to stimulate classroom dialogue, articulation of concepts, and development of shared understanding.

As a school, we want to bring abstract concepts to life with real-world, contextual examples. Through the use of unplugged activities, analogies, conceptual storytelling and experiences within pupils' lives, we want to maintain a flexible focus on links with other curriculum subjects.

From Early Years through to Year 6, we want our children to access physical computing and making activities that offer play, tinkering, tactile and sensory experiences to enhance learning; combining electronics and programming with arts and crafts for example to give creative, engaging context that enables further exploration and the application of computing concepts.

Key points teaching:

The Computing curriculum is divided into 3 main areas:

• Computer Science (Computational Thinking) – the ‘foundation’ of the subject, I.e. the underlying principles that make up the subject.
• Information Technology (Ability to use technology and software programs (applications) including the internet, usually linked to class topic) – how the foundation knowledge is ‘applied’ to purposefully create and make things.
• Digital Literacy (Online Safety forms part of this) – the ‘implications’ of what we do/how we do it when using digital technologies.

Online Safety also holds close links with PSHE and will be taught within a mix of discrete lessons and through the teaching of PSHE/Computing.

Progression across key stages/across year groups: From Easter 2022, through the Teach Computing Curriculum, all teaching units will be mapped to the National Centre for Computing Education’s (NCCE) taxonomy of ten strands, which ensures that units build on each other from one key stage to the next.  Every year group learns through units within the same four themes, which combine the ten strands. This will enable us to use a ‘spiral curriculum’ approach to progress skills and concepts from one year group to the next. Whilst units will be taught within a year group, aside from Programming A and B, they can be taught in any order to suit the curriculum/topic needs for that year.

Table: Teach Computing Teacher Guide KS2

EYFS: Whilst the National Curriculum does not stipulate the teaching of Computing at Foundation Stage, ‘Computational Thinking’ is at the heart of all we do. According to the Statutory Framework for EYFS September 2021, we are required to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and ‘give them a broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life’. Computational Thinking is at the core of the computing curriculum and children will only be ready for this subject if we provide them with foundational experiences. The problem solving of Computational Thinking closely aligns with the Characteristics of Effective Learning. By aligning EYFS provision to Computational Thinking, we can ensure effective progression and readiness for KS1 and beyond.

Table: https://www.barefootcomputing.org/earlyyears

Key points assessment:

• Learning objectives and success criteria ought to be introduced at the beginning of every lesson to support opportunities for pupil self-assessment and teacher formative assessment.
• Formative assessment opportunities, e.g. teacher observation, question, marked activities, quizzes etc. will be used to ensure that misconceptions are recognised and addressed (not all methods would be expected in all lessons.)
• Focus in KS1and for those still developing literacy skills: a pupil’s understanding of computing concepts and skills, as opposed to reading and writing, ought to be assessed through observation/evidence of completed work, e.g. notes on conversations or discussions heard during an activity, photographs of completed work, pupil self-assessment at the end of a lesson.
• KS2: As well as integrating the above strategies, Teach Computing Units will include an optional summative assessment framework – either MCQ (multiple choice quiz) or a Rubric.
• Each year group will have their own file in which to save and document work to show progression.
• Sampling of evidence and assessment from the above will take place across year groups in order to ensure clear progression and areas for improvement/development.
• Online safety will be assessed on an ongoing basis with year group outcomes highlighted.
• Assessment sheets are completed for each unit showing class competency and children exceeding or below expectations.

Supporting documentation

• Curriculum overview
• Computing Long term plan
• Teach Computing Teacher Guide KS1 and KS2
• Curriculum Resources

Wider curriculum links 

• Across the curriculum, both in school and at home
• Crumble
• Literacy Shed
• TT Rock star
• MyMaths
• Phonics play
• SPAG
• Twinkle
• Grammarsaurus
• White Rose Maths
• Tapestry