Computing

What is this curriculum trying to achieve, and how does this relate to our overall aims and ethos?

Our Computing curriculum is designed to equip children with the digital-literacy skills necessary to enable them to communicate and create in the digital world. The children are challenged to be as creative as possible with what they produce, using computational thinking to understand how the world works. Whenever possible we work practically using a range of hardware and software that is not limited to educational software which allows the children to use their computing skills beyond school.

Online safety is a vitally important part of our curriculum. At Lyminster Primary School, we aim to provide the pupils with the skills and understanding they need to stay safe and be socially responsible when they are online in any context. The children discover both the benefits and the risks of being online and how to deal with any worries that they may have about the internet. At the centre of the learning is enabling the children to make independent choices in order to protect themselves online. Our online safety curriculum is mapped to the DfE guidance document Education for a Connected World.

How is the curriculum actually implemented – how do we ensure progression, retention, and what does teaching and learning in this subject actually ‘look’ like?

Computing is broken down into three main aspects: digital literacy, information technology and computer science. Through our scheme of work, the following knowledge and skills are developed:

· evaluating digital content, using technology safely, respectfully and responsibly and identifying a range of ways to report concerns;

· the importance of online safety, including behaving responsibly online, evaluating the reliability of online information and what to do with worries;

· learning how computers and networks work and how to use technology to create, manipulate and retrieve digital content;

· design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals (coding);

· access to resources which aid in the acquisition of skills and knowledge.

Some of our learning is ‘unplugged’ which support deeper understanding of the subject, for example by practicing algorithms as instructions and games. Physical programming uses devices such as Beebots and the Micro:bit to bring coding into the physical classroom.

Every year, we also have lots of fun participating in Safer Internet Day which supports our teaching of online safety based around an international theme.

How is this curriculum adapted to meet the needs of different children and groups of children, particularly those with SEND?

Individual ISPs or EHCP priorities are considered when lessons are planned by teachers so far as practicable. Teachers use scaffolding and collaborative work to support all children to access the age-appropriate curriculum whenever possible. Formal recording of ideas and work is kept to a minimum to reduce unnecessary barriers to learning. Work is captured through photos, videos and the outcomes of activities.

Should a child be unable to developmentally access an objective at all, the previous program of study is used to differentiate the objectives, but every effort will be made to keep the learning contextually the same as the class project or focus.

How is progress against, and retention of, this curriculum assessed? How are any gaps in learning then addressed?

Key pieces of children’s work have been collated in an exemplification document to illustrate successful learning from across the program of study linked to the progression overview. Children may demonstrate successful learning in a range of ways for many objectives throughout a series of lessons, including from ‘unplugged’ activities. These summative judgements are recorded formally once a year and are reported to parents.

Gaps in understanding can be addressed by revisiting learning in other units to aid repetition in a new context. At the end of the school year, teachers will share strengths and weaknesses in the children’s understanding in a transition meeting. The child’s new teacher will continue to address these gaps in the autumn term.