Harrietsham Church of England Primary School
Computing
Statement of Intent
At Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, we understand that computers are an integral part of our lives – our schools, homes and places of work constantly involve computer systems, so it is vital that all of our children become confident in using the systems, start to understand how they work and are eager to explore the opportunities available to them; therefore, the lessons need to be fun and engaging, encouraging the children to investigate the capabilities of the technology. We aim to make our lessons accessible to everyone, so that everyone can develop their skills and flourish. Computing is a fantastic subject that inspires creativity and problem solving; tasks are designed to be fun and suitably challenging. We hope that children develop resilience and a positive mindset as they fix bugs and develop their work. They should also have the opportunities to effectively communicate their ideas and understanding during the lessons.
Implementation
At Harrietsham Curch of England Primary School, we are following the key concepts provided in the National Curriculum for Computing to ensure that our children develop a range of skills and knowledge to fully experience and enjoy our technologically rich world, understanding the importance of Computing in many aspects of our lives.
Our curriculum is creative and inclusive, encouraging pupils of all ages and abilities to get involved and investigate a range of programs. In Early Years, Computing is not a statutory curriculum area but children are still exposed to the use of technology and included in the whole school online safety planning.
We are following the TeachComputing scheme, as this provides a clear structure for developing skills across year groups, using a spiral curriculum structure to ensure that themes are regularly revisited to consolidate and build on prior skills effectively. The lessons are sequenced to build on the previous lesson and through scaffolded activities, we provide learning that is both inclusive and suitably challenging.
We encourage children to discuss their ideas, providing opportunities to work in pairs or small groups, which should help them learn to communicate their ideas effectively.
Impact
Here at Harrietsham, we understand the importance of nurturing an enthusiasm for Computing in an increasingly technological world. By developing confidence in Computing, we will help provide our children with essential skills that will be profoundly useful in many future career prospects and we hope that they will all develop a love of the subject, using a wide variety of software for recreation too.
We hope that all children will become inquisitive and learn just how important computer systems are, understanding how they can stay safe and how they can have a positive digital footprint. They will understand that there are some risks, but they will be aware of how these can be minimised by following small, simple steps, ensuring the computers continue to be a beneficial resource throughout life.
The subject of Computing is constantly developing; we therefore encourage the children to explore the possibilities provided by the computer programs and aim to instil a positive mindset to resolving possible problems by teaching the importance of programming, testing and debugging. We want the children to develop a curiosity to explore new technology and software, becoming proficient in a range of skills – after all, we hope that they will explore and investigate new technologies that are also developed in the future.
Through a well-structured, caring and supportive approach that utilises a wide range of software and many opportunities to express themselves through creative tasks on various programs, the children will flourish in the subject. By the time the children leave the school, they will be confident and competent users of computer systems, understanding how to safely use the systems in meaningful ways.
Computing Long Term Plan
The document below gives details of the Computing Topics that each year group are planning to cover over the course of the school year.
Computing Subject Framework
Our Framework gives details of all of the areas of Computing that we would want an Age Expected child to have mastered at the end of each term. Click the link below to view the Computing Framework for each year group within our school.
Computing Subject Concepts
Our Computing Concepts are key concepts within the Computing curriculum which we have identified as being important to our children's computing learning. These concepts run through our Computing Curriculum and are revisited and built upon at various points in our children's educational journey.
Computing Ready to Progress Criteria
Our Computing Ready to Progress Criteria are the key objectives that we would like each child to have mastered before moving onto the next year group curriculum. Without mastering these Ready to Progress Criteria, the children may develop gaps in their learning.
Computing Ready to Progress Criteria
Computing Leadership
Mr Hyder is our Computing Leader. For more information about Computing at our school, please contact him via the school office.
