Computing & ICT

computing

Our high-quality Computing curriculum will equip the children with the knowledge, understanding and hands-on skills they need, to enable them to make sense of digital technology and to use it productively, appropriately and safely.

Intent, Implementation, Impact

Intent

Our computing curriculum aims to equip our pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate a world in which digital technology plays an ever-growing role. We aim to ensure that our children are competent users of digital technology, and that they are able to access online technology in a safe way.

Our curriculum ensures that pupils:

Know that digital technology is embedded in many aspects of life – not just in the iPad they hold but also – for example - in the washing machine in the kitchen, the TV in the front room and within the systems that control airline flight paths or train timetables!
Know how to use digital technology as a useful tool – for example to control a device (such as a BeeBot), to carry out research, to communicate, to make movies, to solve mathematical problems, and to create a document.
Can use the knowledge and skills they learn in Computing, in other curriculum subjects - and our teachers facilitate this in the way they organise the wider curriculum.
Gain an understanding of computer science, including computational thinking, programming and algorithms.

Implementation

Our computing curriculum is based around iLearn2, a commercial scheme which we have tailored to meet our needs. The content is carefully organised and sequenced, via focused 'units of work', each designed to last half a term. Across each year, the programme covers age-appropriate elements of all three parts of the computing curriculum: Computer Science, Digital Literacy and Research and Information Technology.

Our Computing curriculum is designed 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 aims to ensure that 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 teaching computing, we provide the children with as many hands-on, practical experiences as possible. Whilst aspects of computing are sometimes taught directly and discretely, we also provide frequent opportunities that enable the children to use what they have learned in other subject areas.

The teaching of Online Safety at Grangetown is embedded within our computing curriculum, via the materials from Project Evolve, an initiative headed by the South West Grid for Learning (SWGL) in collaboration with the UK Safer Internet Centre. We have adapted these materials to suit our school, and we have arranged the content across EYFS to Year 6, half term by half term. The Project Evolve resources are based upon UK Council for Internet Safety's (UKCIS) framework 'Education for a Connected World', as recommended by the DfE.

We are well equipped to successfully implement our Computing curriculum, because we have invested carefully in IT kit over the years, and because we have knowledgeable teachers all of whom are well-versed in how to use IT - teachers have good subject knowledge and enjoy teaching computing. In terms of equipment, we have:

A well-equipped Computing Suite with 28 PCs
1:1 iPads from Years 1-6, with a shared set of Ipads for EYFS
3-4 desktop computers in every classroom, for pupils
4 laptops in every KS2 classroom (these can be combined for larger groups)
A 70” CleverTouch screen in every classroom, linked to a teacher PC
A visualiser in every classroom
A suite of Software covering the key elements of our taught Computing curriculum
Sets of BeeBots for EYFS and KS1.

Impact

Our curriculum is designed to ensure that, as they move through school, the children develop their knowledge of computing, so that by the time they leave they are digitally literate i.e. competent users of IT, knowledgeable about the key taught aspects of computer science. Equipped in this way, they will be ready to successfully move on to the next stage of their education, they will have gained a bank of transferable learning skills, and they will be able to understand how digital technology impacts on their day to day lives. Importantly, they will also have the ability to keep themselves safe and secure whilst using the internet and social media – for communication, research and – for example – for banking or online shopping.

We measure the impact of Computing through:

Ongoing assessment of the taught curriculum – via observation, discussion, questioning and through written or digital work. An assessment system is in place for Computing, based on teacher evaluation against the key learning objectives - judgements are made half-termly (based on ongoing formative assessment).
Classroom discussions with the children about their learning.
Regular monitoring by the Computing subject leader – lesson drop-ins, scrutiny of pupil work and teacher planning, termly discussions with groups of children about their learning discussions in staff meetings and key stage teams.

Computing Policies

Computing Curriculum Maps

Our Computing Subject Map provides an overview across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Our Online Safety Curriculum Map provides an overview of what we teach, from Reception to Year 6.

Long Term Planning

Our Long Term Plan for Computing, from our Quest 1 document, is here.

Our Long Term Planning for Online Safety has been developed using the Project Evolve toolkit - Education for a Connected World, produced for schools by the UK Safer Internet Centre - developed in collaboration with the South West Grid for Learning and Childnet, as set out here.

We have taken these resources, tailored them to our school, and produced the following:

Grangetown Primary

Computing & ICT

Intent, Implementation, Impact

Computing Policies

Computing Curriculum Maps

Long Term Planning

Medium Term Planning

Computing and ICT in Action