Computing
“A computer is like a violin.” You can imagine it making beautiful music, but you have to learn how to play it.” – Bill Gates
Intent
Computing at All Saints Upton intends to develop ‘thinkers of the future’ through a modern, ambitious and relevant education in computing. We want to equip pupils to use computational thinking and creativity that will enable them to become active participants in the digital world. It is important to us that the children understand how to use the ever-changing technology to express themselves, as tools for learning and as a means to drive their generation forward into the future.
Our aim is to provide a computing curriculum that is designed to balance acquiring a broad and deep knowledge alongside opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts. We have six dedicated Computing units per academic year. This is to allow more time for the application of Digital Literacy skills in other areas of the curriculum. Children should have more opportunities to use technology to support their learning in literacy, maths, and all the other areas of the school curriculum. All children have access to the computing suite in school as well as portable devices within the classroom.
Implementation
Our scheme of work for Computing is adapted from the ‘Teach Computing’ Curriculum and 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 national curriculum for computing aims to ensure all pupils:
- 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)
In addition to the scheme, it is important to recognise that some aspects of traditional ICT are still required to be taught discretely and should not be forgotten:
- In KS1, children should be taught to: “use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content”;
- In KS2, children should be taught to: “select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information”.
