Computing

Computing Subject Rationale

"Technology is best when it brings people together." (Matt Mullenweg)

Purpose

An integral and essential part of our everyday lives both at school and at home, computing provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. We recognise the importance of a high-quality computing education, from Early Years to Key Stage 2, that equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. The core of computing is computer science, in which children are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, children are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

By the time our pupils leave us at the end of Key Stage 2, the Chalklands Computing Curriculum ensures they:

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
• select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals
• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
• have a strong understanding of how to be safe and secure online
• are safe, responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology
• are able to recognise acceptable behaviour and identify a range of ways to report concerns about content
• learn, think, read, write and speak like content creators
• are fluent with a range of tools; able to select from them to best express themselves and their understanding
• generate ideas and express themselves safely and responsibly in a technologically developing world
• are creativite, resilient, critical thinkers and problem-solvers.

For those teaching computing, supported by comprehensive and current planning resources, the Chalklands Computing Curriculum aims to develop the passion and knowledge needed to inspire the children they teach and confidence with both what they are teaching and how to teach it.

Content and Sequencing

The Chalklands Curriculum Principles guided the decisions made during the design and construction of the Chalklands Computing Curriculum.  In addition, the Chalklands Computing Curriculum builds upon the attainment targets set out in the National Curriculum’s Computing programme of study.

The acquisition and development of computing knowledge and skills begins in the Early Years - in particular, within the area of learning entitled ‘understanding the world’.  Here we create an ethos of curiosity, exploration, and a love of learning through purposefully planned responses to children’s interests, continuous provision, high quality interactions, real-life experiences and a stimulating, enabling, language-rich indoor and outdoor learning environment.

In our drive to provide children with a world-leading computing education, we have designed a curriculum that draws upon high-quality teaching and learning resources.  In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, within the Chalklands Computing Curriculum, computing knowledge and skills are grouped into half termly units of learning.  The majority of these units draw from the DfE funded National Centre for Computing Education’s (NCCE) Teach Computing resource.  Additionally, the first unit in each year has been produced collaboratively by the Chalklands computing leaders. It focuses on safety and security as we recognise the importance of ensuring pupils know and understand how to be safe and secure online both now and in the future.

We want our pupils to be creators not consumers and our broad Chalklands Computing Curriculum reflects this by encompassing: Digital Literacy, Computer Science, and Information Technology. In every year group, children experience two units of digital literacy (Safety and Security and Creating Media), three units of computer science (Computing Systems and Networks and Physical and Virtual Programming), and one unit of information technology. As children progress through the units within and between years, they become proficient in these strands.  Crucially, because children revisit some of these strands multiple times per year and all of these strands in each subsequent unit and year group, they deepen and secure their existing understanding as they learn more about the same strands through different contexts and activities. 

We have carefully sequenced the units of learning within and across year groups.  Our decision making process involved several points.  Fundamentally, our sequencing decisions demonstrate our recognition of the importance of children developing a secure understanding of each unit before returning to the same strand later in the current or in the following year.  Recognising the common challenge of living in a rapidly developing digital world and that with technology comes choice, each year group’s first unit is a safety and security SMART themed unit.  This presents an opportunity to revisit, deepen, and further refine safety and security knowledge and skills.  Following this unit, safety and security features as a deliberate thread interwoven throughout subsequent units and is the basis of all retrieval opportunities throughout the year.  Within computer science, children experience one computing systems and networks unit and two programming units.  The computing systems and networks is the first of these three units to be taught.  This ensures children first develop their understanding of how computers work.  Later, and to provide children with a hands-on experience before working in a more abstract manner, the physical programming unit is deliberately placed before the virtual programming unit later in the year. 

The digital literacy units which focus on digital art provide the opportunity for children to also achieve proficiency in associated art and design knowledge and skills.  Some information technology units provide children the opportunity to use and apply their mathematical understanding from the statistics domain, including collecting, presenting and analysing data.  Some computer science units provide children the opportunity to use and apply their mathematical understanding from the position and direction domain, including describing position, direction and movement, using mathematical vocabulary.

Children’s experiences throughout the computing curriculum, but particularly within the carefully designed end of unit outcome showcases, are included to both mirror and broaden children’s experiences and actively encourage anti-racism and discourage discrimination.  As such, they reflect real-world career opportunities that will be open to them as individuals within their community but also as members of a wider global community.

Oracy

The Chalklands Computing Curriculum reflects the importance of spoken language in children’s development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically.  It reflects our understanding that the quality and variety of language that children hear and speak are key factors in developing their computing vocabulary and articulating computing concepts clearly and precisely. Children are assisted in making their thinking clear, both to themselves and others; teachers ensure that children build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their misconceptions.

Teaching

Our Pedagogical Principles drive teaching and learning across our school - including within Computing.  They support the transfer of knowledge and skills from working to long term memory, strengthen memories, increase retention, build deep, holistic, connected, and sustainable thinking, and ensure all children know more, remember more, and can do more.

At Chalklands, we understand the importance of outdoor learning as it encourages children to develop an appreciation of the outdoors whilst broadening the range of environments in which they experience learning. In turn, this enables them to have enhanced, and therefore more memorable, learning experiences. We aim to deliver aspects of our Computing curriculum using the outdoor learning approach, where appropriate, to give the children the chance to gain those exciting and engaging experiences.

Computing: equipping children with the technological skills to participate effectively and safely in the ever-evolving digital world.

 

Computing in EYFS

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) represents the bedrock of each child’s educational journey. It is our intention for children who enter our EYFS to begin their lifelong learning journey by developing physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally whilst also embedding a positive attitude to school and a love of learning.

We establish meaningful relationships with each individual child to create strong foundations which allow them to feel safe, secure and included in their school environment. Through carefully planned opportunities, we provide each child with meaningful experiences which enrich their cultural capital. Using our increasingly deep knowledge and understanding of the children, we create equal opportunities enabling them to evolve into explorers, active learners, and critical thinkers.

We adopt a thematic approach to curriculum design in the EYFS, which integrates child-initiated and adult enhanced pedagogies across the expertly designed indoor and outdoor environments. Using this approach, children are provided with rich, meaningful opportunities to gain knowledge and skills from across the seven areas of learning and development within the statutory framework for the EYFS.

Our children’s learning journeys in computing begin in the Early Years and the design of our computing curriculum reflects this and signposts progression in knowledge and skills from here through to Year 6. In this phase, children’s early computing experiences are captured within the specific area of learning and development entitled Understanding the World.

Captured in long and medium term planning, we draw upon statutory guidance and non statutory guidance (Development Matters 2021) to ensure teaching and learning is planned for and enacted in an age appropriate way that identifies and responds to each unique child’s individual developmental milestones - also guided by our school’s unique identity and local context.  An experiential learning environment, combined with focussed teaching and basic skills, ensures that firm foundations are laid in a positive and long lasting way, so that children make rapid progress before moving into Year 1 where their learning experiences in computing are planned for using the key stage one national curriculum.