Computing
Why is Computing important at Bredbury St Marks?
- We believe teaching a comprehensive Computing curriculum prepares our pupils for life in the 21st
- We encourage children to develop an understanding of how technology makes a difference in all aspects of life- at home, at school and in the workplace, as well as considering the impact technology has had on society over the years
- As they progress through KS1 and KS2, children will become increasing confident in the application of their digital skills, becoming increasingly efficient and effective communicators, collaborators and analysts, showing imagination and creativity in their use of ICT in different aspects of their learning and life beyond school.
- Children develop a respect for the resources used and understand the importance of looking after them. Children are encouraged to work in a democratic way, exercising the ‘give and take’ required for successful teamwork. This is particularly true of topics which require children to work in groups to research or to design and create a product.
- Computing also enables children to appreciate the importance of staying safe online and respecting others. E-safety is a fundamental element of computing teaching and technology use at Bredbury St Marks. The school has a separate E-Safety policy, and E-Safety sessions are included at the beginning of each Computing lesson.
Knowledge / Concepts / Skills
The computing curriculum covers 10 key strands:
■ Algorithms — Be able to comprehend, design, create, and evaluate algorithms
■ Computer networks — Understand how networks can be used to retrieve and share information, and how they come with associated risks
■ Computer systems — Understand what a computer is, and how its constituent parts function together as a whole
■ Creating media — Select and create a range of media including text, images, sounds, and video
■ Data and information — Understand how data is stored, organised, and used to represent real-world artefacts and scenarios
■ Design and development — Understand the activities involved in planning, creating, and evaluating computing artefacts
■ Effective use of tools — Use software tools to support computing work
■ Impact of technology — Understand how individuals, systems, and society as a whole interact with computer systems
■ Programming — Create software to allow computers to solve problems
■ Safety and security — Understand risks when using technology, and how to protect individuals and systems
Whilst all strands are present at all phases, they are not always taught explicitly.
Curriculum Design
Spiral curriculum
The units for key stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. This style of curriculum design reduces the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made even if different teachers are teaching the units within a theme in consecutive years.
Physical computing
The Computing Curriculum acknowledges that physical computing plays an important role in modern pedagogical approaches in computing, both as a tool to engage pupils and as a strategy to develop pupils’ understanding in more creative ways. Additionally, physical computing supports and engages a diverse range of pupils in tangible and challenging tasks. The physical computing units in our Computing Curriculum are:
■ Year 5 – Selection in physical computing, which uses a Crumble controller
■ Year 6 – Sensing, which uses a micro:bit
Online safety
The unit overviews for each unit show the links between the content of the lessons and the national curriculum and Education for a Connected World framework (ncce.io/ efacw). These references have been provided to show where aspects relating to online safety, or digital citizenship, are covered within the Computing Curriculum.
Not all of the objectives in the Education for a Connected World framework are covered in the Computing Curriculum, as some are better suited to personal, social, health, and economic (PSHE) education; spiritual, moral, social, and cultural (SMSC) development; and citizenship. However, the coverage required for the computing national curriculum is provided.
Core Principles
Our curriculum is inclusive and ambitious. Each lesson is sequenced so that it builds on the learning from the previous lesson, and where appropriate, activities are scaffolded so that all pupils can succeed and thrive. Scaffolded activities provide pupils with extra resources, such as visual prompts, to reach the same learning goals as the rest of the class. Exploratory tasks foster a deeper understanding of a concept, encouraging pupils to apply their learning in different contexts and make connections with other learning experiences. As well as scaffolded activities, embedded within the lessons are a range of pedagogical strategies.