Computing
'Through him God made all things; not one thing in all his creation was made without him'
John 1:3
Computing Intent
At Holy Family Catholic Primary School we ensure computing develops the ‘thinkers of the future’ through a modern, aspiring and relevant education, whilst ensuring that we maintain our Catholic ethos and our desire to encourage each child to grow as confident and respectful individuals.
Computing is now an integral part of everyday life in education, leisure and business and we want our pupils to be enthusiastic and able to operate in the ever-changing technological world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology. Therefore, we want to model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely.
Our aim is to provide a computing curriculum that is designed to balance a broad and deep knowledge alongside opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts.
Computing Implementation
Our scheme of work has been adapted from the ‘Teach Computing’ Curriculum and covers all aspects of the National Curriculum. This scheme was chosen based on the subject experts who created the scheme and we believe that the innovative progression framework really showcases the development we want to see in the children the best. This curriculum aims to give young people the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to thrive in the digital world of today and the future.
There are three strands of the computing curriculum: computer science, information technology and digital literacy, with the aims of the curriculum reflecting this distinction. The subject knowledge taught becomes increasingly specific and in depth, with more complex skills being taught, ensuring learning is being built upon. The use of technology is embedded across the wider curriculum providing strong cross curricular link.
At Holy Family we have mixed aged classes and therefore follow a 2-year rolling cycle whereby by the end of KS1 all children will have been taught all objectives for year 1 and 2, by the end of year 4 all children will have been taught all objectives for year 3 and 4 and by the end of year 6 all children will have been taught all objectives for year 5 and 6.
A typical lesson in our school will begin with a 10 to 15 minute online safety starter, in order to ensure that these key messages about staying safe are consistently reinforced to the children.
In computing, the children are assessed throughout the lessons to see where more support can be given or the children can be pushed to further their learning. At the end of the unit, the children are assessed again at the end of the unit, this will help find any gaps in learning and support the teaching the following unit.
We teach the new concepts to the pupils by ‘unpacking’ complex terms and ideas, exploring these ideas in unplugged and familiar context, then ‘repacking’ this new understanding into the original concept. Beyond teaching computing discreetly, we give pupils the opportunities to apply and develop what they have learnt across wider learning in the curriculum.
Online Safety
A key part of implementing our curriculum was to ensure that safety of our pupils is paramount. We take online safety very seriously and 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.
Computing Impact
In our school we encourage our children to enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver. We want learners to discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact computing has on their learning, development and well-being. Finding the right balance with technology is key to an effective education and a healthy lifestyle. As a school, we feel that as a result of a structured curriculum and effective planning, teaching and assessment, we ensure our pupils have the opportunities for a fun, engaging and high-quality computing education. Through doing this, we feel it helps children to leave the school to use technology at a competent, age-related standard. They can identify opportunities where technology can provide a solution to a real-life problem. They are enthusiastic about computing and ready to undertake further study at Key Stage 3 and beyond.
For more information on Holy Family's ICT teaching, please
download our policy.
Curriculum Documents
Holy Family Whole School Overview
Computing Progression of Knowledge and Skills
Computing in action at Holy Family
More information to follow