Computing

COMPUTING

Intent

Our children are living in a world surrounded by devices and technology is changing the lives of everyone. Through teaching computing we equip our children to participate in a rapidly changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology.

At Shakespeare Infant School we want pupils to be MASTERS of technology and not slaves to it. Technology is everywhere and will play a pivotal part in students' lives. Therefore, we want to model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. We want our pupils to be creators not consumers and our broad curriculum encompassing computer science, information technology and digital literacy reflects this.  We want our pupils to understand that there is always a choice with using technology and as a school we utilise technology (especially social media) to model positive use.

   We recognise that the best prevention for a lot of issues we currently see with technology/social media is through education. We recognise that technology can allow pupils to share their learning in creative ways. We also understand the accessibility opportunities technology can provide for our pupils. Our knowledge rich curriculum has to be balanced with the opportunity for pupils to apply their knowledge creatively which will in turn help our pupils become skilful computer scientists.

   We encourage staff to try and embed computing across the whole of our curriculum integrating it where possible, to make learning creative and accessible and our learning values drive this. We want our pupils to be fluent with a range of tools to best express their understanding and hope by the end of Key Stage 1, children have the independence and confidence to choose the best tool to fulfil the task and challenge set by teachers. 

Implementation

To ensure that we make Computing an engaging and challenging learning experience we:

• Keep up to date with the technological changes that go on in the world.
• Plan our project led curriculum to allow pupils to engage with the National Curriculum objectives in a range of ways using a variety of tools including laptops and iPads.  

• Recognise that all classes have pupils with widely differing ICT abilities. This is especially true when some pupils have access to ICT equipment at home, while others do not.
• We provide suitable learning opportunities for all pupils by matching the challenge of the task to the ability and experience of the pupil.

This is achieved in a variety of ways, by:

• Setting common tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses.
• Setting tasks of increasing difficulty (not all pupils complete all tasks).
• Providing resources of different complexity depending on the ability of the pupil.
• Giving pupils the opportunity to use a variety of hardware and programmes/apps.
• Having a clear overview of the curriculum within each key stage and each year, showing the sequence of learning.

Computer Science embodies logic, perseverance and problem solving. Therefore we equip all children with specific problem solving and evaluative skills required to sequence instructions to generate an outcome.  They will be using  programming languages to input their instructions and debug electronic devices and software. Children will develop an in depth knowledge and understanding of how computers and computer networks work and how information is distributed and viewed via the World Wide Web.

IT is the understanding how the computer works, and how to maintain work on computers - file and folder structure and naming files appropriately.  It also encourages children to troubleshoot problems with the computer and understand wider issues about the impact of using computers in our society.

Digital Literacy concentrates on the children having the skills, knowledge and understanding to use ICT as a tool for learning. These skills are embedded in all areas of the National Curriculum enriching, and inspiring them to produce work beyond that of published media.    

Interwoven in to all aspects of computing is E-Safety. Children are taught how to keep safe in this ever changing digital world and the steps to take if problems or worries arise.

Impact

We encourage our children to enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver. We will constantly ask the WHY behind their learning and not just the HOW. We want learners to discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact computing has on their learning, development and well-being. Finding the right balance with technology is key to an effective education and a healthy life-style.

We feel the way we implement computing helps children realise the need for the right balance and one they can continue to build on in their next stage of education and beyond. We encourage regular discussions between staff and pupils to best embed and understand this.

The way pupils showcase, share, celebrate and publish their work will best show the impact of our curriculum. We also look for evidence through reviewing pupil’s knowledge and skills digitally through tools like Purple Mash and observing learning regularly. Progress of our computing curriculum is demonstrated through outcomes and the record of coverage in the process of achieving these outcomes.