Why are we teaching this?

Within an ever changing and technological world, Poverest Primary School understands and values the importance of teaching a broad and balanced Computing curriculum from a young age. We acknowledge that our children will rely heavily on their computational confidence and digital skills in order to be active participants in the digital world. 

Therefore, it is our aim at Poverest to ensure that every child is taught the three core areas of Computing (Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy) through active learning to develop a deep knowledge. Our aim is to provide quality first teaching of the computing curriculum, which is designed to offer broad and deep knowledge alongside opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts through creative and engaging learning. Beyond teaching computing discreetly, we will give pupils the opportunity to apply and develop what they have learnt across wider learning in the curriculum. 

Whilst ensuring they understand the advantages and disadvantages associated with online experiences, we want children to develop as respectful, responsible and confident users of technology. We aim to inspire learners to ensure that our learning is inclusive to all children. Most importantly, we want our children to be aware of measures which can be taken to keep themselves safe online. 

How is this being taught?

At Poverest Primary, we follow the ‘Teach Computing’ scheme of work which covers all aspects of the National Curriculum. This scheme was chosen as it has been created by subject experts and based on the latest pedagogical research. It provides an innovative progression framework where computing content (concepts, knowledge, skills and objectives) has been organised into interconnected networks called learning graphs.

The curriculum aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to thrive in the digital world of today and the future. The curriculum can be broken down into 3 strands: computer science, information technology and digital literacy, with the aims of the curriculum reflecting this distinction.

The Teach Computing curriculum aims that all of our children:

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation (Computer science)

• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems (Computer science)

• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems (Information technology)

• are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology. (Digital literacy)

A key part of implementing our Computing curriculum is to ensure that safety of our children is paramount. We take online safety very seriously and we aim to give children the necessary skills to keep themselves safe online. Children have a right to enjoy childhood online, to access safe online spaces and to benefit from all the opportunities that a connected world can bring them, appropriate to their age and stage. Online safety and responsible use of technology are topics covered in computing and PSHE lessons, assemblies and during events such as Safer Internet Day. 

As a school, we have achieved the National Online Safety award for schools in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 and we aim to achieve the award again in 2022-2023. To achieve this, staff and parents undertake National Online Safety training and assessments to ensure that we are providing our children with quality knowledge and information. 

To support with our Computing teaching we have the following resources available to our children:

• Computing room with 30 desktop computers. 

• iPads (80 iPads across the school)

• Chromebooks (285 Chromebooks across the school)

Teachers and support staff are provided with the following:

• Interactive whiteboard in each classroom

• At least 1 adult iPad in every classroom

• Chromebook or laptop

• Desktop computer in every classroom

• Visualiser in every classroom 

All children are provided with Google Education Suite accounts and work can be accessed in school and remotely. All teaching staff have undergone CPD over lockdown during the Covid pandemic to enable them to deliver content with confidence. 

Technical support is provided by our experts at BlueFox. We have worked alongside BlueFox for a number of years, they work with us for two days every week.

What is the effect?

The impact of our quality teaching of Computing will be evident within pupil voice and the skills children gain throughout their time at Poverest. We will see skills progress and develop as children work their way through the Teach Computing curriculum and they should gain a deeper understanding of the three areas of Computing alongside this. The success of the curriculum itself will be assessed via the analysis of yearly progress data, lesson observations and skills audits. This will then inform future adaptions of the scheme of work and help to ensure that progression is evident throughout school.