Computing Vision

At County Bridge, we strive to provide a computing curriculum that inspires and prepares children for the future. Children will leave our school being digitally literate and have the ability and skills in order to use ICT to benefit their education and future career paths. Our curriculum is progressive and meets the needs of all of our children. We provide children with high quality equipment that enables them to learn all of the skills necessary to succeed and thrive in modern digital times. Computing is embedded throughout our curriculum, giving children the opportunity to strengthen their digital literacy skills via a range of subjects and topics.

Intent

At our school, we want children to leave us digitally literate and prepared for an increasingly digital future. We are fully aware of the immense role technology will play in their futures, therefore we strive to deliver a high quality curriculum that allows children to achieve their full potential. Our computing curriculum has been carefully planned out for our children, from First Steps (two year olds) to Year 6. It is progressive, and ensures children are given the opportunity to revisit and recap skills taught in previous years in order to remember more and to be able to do more. Our children are equipped with computing skills that will benefit their future education and possible career paths in an area of computing. We provide all children with the chance to explore their talents and interests, and believe they all have the potential to become software engineers, games designers, computing technicians, 3D animators, web developers, security analysts and even those occupations that are not yet fully realised. Online safety remains at the core of all of our computing teaching, and we ensure that all children are knowledgeable around how to stay safe online, both in school and in the outside world.

Implementation

Our bespoke Computing curriculum has been written and designed with our children in mind so we can meet their individual needs. Our computing overview is clear, and allows us to plan a clear progression of skills from Early Years into Key Stage 1 and through to Key Stage 2. Our curriculum is coherently planned, and builds towards clear end points that ensure sufficient knowledge and skills are gained by children for future learning and employment. When teaching computing, teachers ensure that lessons are differentiated effectively to enable all groups of children to achieve exceptionally well, particularly our most disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and disabilities.

We are extremely well equipped for computing. Each class has access to both chrome books and iPads. These are used to deliver discrete computing lessons each week, as well as enhancing the teaching of the wider curriculum. Staff have access to ongoing, quality continuing professional development that allows them to develop their own skills and ensure that they are always up to date with the latest ICT programmes, which are then implemented throughout our curriculum to engage our children. All of our training and professional development is relevant and tailored to staff needs. We strive to deliver this effectively to support the growth of teachers’ knowledge and skills.

We use Purple Mash, an online resource, to support the delivery of our computing curriculum. Purple Mash allows children to have access to high quality, engaging resources, interactive programmes, educational quizzes and games. These can be used both in school and accessed at home. Staff have continued support and training around the resources and programmes available to them on Purple Mash. Our curriculum has been designed with this in mind and makes reference to specific tools and programmes within Purple Mash that will enhance the delivery of each unit. Purple Mash has a multitude of programmes within its software, which allow our children to develop their general ICT competency and specific computing skills, including coding.

Google Classroom is an additional programme used throughout our school as a means for supporting our computing teaching and encouraging the use of ICT throughout the wider curriculum. Staff set weekly homework through either Purple Mash or Google Classroom, where children will complete quizzes, pieces of writing, research projects or other activities related to their learning in school that week. Both Purple Mash and Google Classroom have been used effectively to deliver virtual lessons and provide remote learning during the pandemic. Our children continue to receive quality computing curriculum through live lessons via Google Meets, when appropriate.

From the moment children start with us in nursery, we ensure that they are exposed to ICT throughout their curriculum to work towards achieving their Early Learning Goals. This is with the use of the Interactive Whiteboard, iPads, and other electronic toys. They are made aware of the importance of basic online safety principles, which continues in to their learning journey in Reception. This is where they begin to develop their general ICT competency and gain key skills such as beginning to type and learn to take photographs.

By the end of Key Stage 1, children are taught to create and debug simple programs in their coding unit. They develop a secure understanding of how to purposefully use a range of technology to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content as well as being able to recognise common uses of information technology beyond school. They are taught to use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private. The children learn about where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet.

By the end of Key Stage 2, our children are taught to design, write and debug more complex programs. They develop a good understanding of how to use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs, use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and correct errors in algorithms and programs. They are able to use search technologies effectively, learn to appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content. Children are taught to select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals.

By the time our children leave our school they have a secure understanding of how to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly. They are able to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and know how to report concerns about content and contact.

Impact

Through a high quality curriculum delivery and ongoing staff assessment of children’s needs informing their next steps, children make good progress in computing. Our progressive curriculum enables children to build upon prior learning so they know more, remember more and are able to do more as they progress through the school.

They produce high quality outcomes that are evidenced on our online platforms, Google Classroom and Purple Mash. Children are able to talk the key online safety principles, and can also articulate their computing learning and use the correct key vocabulary and terminology.