Intent
At St Breward School we believe that computing knowledge and understanding underpins modern life and the 21st Century. Children need to build vital confidence, knowledge and understanding of the way technologies work - and how internet-connected systems can be employed - in order to adopt flexibility to ever rapid change over coming years.
We believe it is important that computing knowledge begins to develop from the earliest years, and builds appropriately as children develop. As a result, we begin computing lessons in EYFS and children have access to laptops, IPADS and a range of computing software. As children revisit areas of understanding, and become ever-more confidently equipped, they will be able to harness the many opportunities that modern technology presents, while remaining safe.
At St Breward, we use the scheme created by Digital Learning Cornwall as a starting point. This has then been adapted for our small two-class needs into our own unique curriculum. Digital Learning Cornwall has been chosen due its progression in skills through a mastery approach of knowledge and understanding.
Key aims:
- An ambitious curriculum that is continuously updated to go above and beyond the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum.
- Children will understand that information technology consists of a wide variety of computer systems and contexts relevant to the ever-changing modern world.
- Children to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including logic, algorithms, data and information, and programming, including hardware.
- Children to be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of IT. The curriculum teaches children to be cautious and safe users of internet-connected technologies, as befits our modern age and digitally connected communities.
- Children to become confident creators of digital artefacts and media, applying new and unfamiliar technologies to their productions.
Implementation
Progression through the curriculum milestones, and wider learning opportunities found within units of work, is based on key terms of knowledge and skills being revisited and expanded upon. In small school with only two classes, we are focusing on progression in a skills across a year instead of from year to year. This will enable children to make accelerated progress within a year on a particular skill, then move on to the next, removing the challenges a small school rolling programme can have.
Children will work on the following core skills:
-Programming, including controlling hardware
- Data and information
-Computer systems and contexts
- Digital media
- Operational core skills
- Self-image and identity
- Online relationships
- Online reputation
- Online bullying
- Managing online information
- Health, wellbeing and lifestyle
- privacy and security
- copyright and ownership
Assessment
Each class keeps a computing floorbook to record learning through print outs, photos and quotes from children. This is beneficial to children’s learning process and provides a good location for recall purposes.
Assessing and recalling vocabulary and knowledge Units of work that are particularly knowledge-based can be assessed – at any point in the learning sequence – with online assessments based within Quizziz. These can be assigned to children electronically, with automated marking and Excel-sheet analysis built into the system.
Impact
At St Breward, we believe that a well-considered Computing curriculum, which is prioritised, will be likely to have a huge impact on the life chances of the children who experience it. Many units of work in this collated, broad-ranging curriculum are suited to crosscurricular learning, spreading the impact of Computing education wider across a school’s range of opportunities. Computing units can be embedded meaningfully into a multitude of areas: from photo editing in art; to digital music production; to pictograms and databases in Maths; to on-screen pieces that combine words with graphic design; to animation based in a PSHE topic; to data logging in a Science experiment; to video editing a green-screen enabled interview with a historical figure; to designing and creating a fitness step-counter; or producing the graphics and web-page design for a product – the possibilities are endless and the chance to motivate children is huge. Such links should not be spurious or distracting – they place learning within the bounds of 21st century understanding, and produce a significantly inspiring cocktail of learning for children to fathom and master. Year on year, each time the lessons are delivered, the impact made can be even deeper and more purposeful.
