Curriculum

Computing

Curriculum intent, implementation, and impact

Intent

“Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computing programming is an essential skill to learn.” – Stephen Hawking.

The curriculum for Computing at HLC is purposeful, accessible and designed around the needs of our children. We recognise that technology, the internet and digital media is increasingly becoming a huge part of children’s daily lives, and our curriculum reflects this. We follow the National Curriculum for Computing, the Teach Computing curriculum by the National Centre for Computing Education alongside the ‘Education for a Connected World’ document published by the Government’s Internet Safety Strategy group.

Our vision is to empower young learners with the confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills needed to thrive in a digitally connected world. We strive to make our children feel like they belong by creating a supportive learning environment where every child feels included and valued, fostering collaboration and teamwork through technology.

We expose our children to a range of different hardware and software for them to become confident and competent users of Information Technology, Computer Science and demonstrate masterful Digital Literacy. We want to inspire and spark curiosity by showing them the exciting possibilities technology offers for creativity and innovation as they continue in their education and into their future lives. We aim to ensure that pupils can succeed in using technology to express themselves and develop their ideas ensuring that learning about technology is engaging, enjoyable and rewarding.

Our aim is to provide opportunity for every child to apply their computational thinking and logic skills gained from their Computing education and problem solve effectively in other subjects making every child excited to explore and join our everchanging digital world.

Implementation

Through our delivery of the Teach Computing curriculum, children gain key knowledge and skills in the three main areas of the computing curriculum:

Computer Science – programming and understanding how digital systems work.
Information Technology – using technology to create media and share ideas.
Digital Literacy – evaluating digital content and using technology safely and respectfully

Computing skills are taught both discretely and across the wider curriculum, supporting other areas of learning across the school. Children have experiences of all three strands in each year group right from the beginning of school, but the subject knowledge imparted becomes increasingly specific and in depth.

As children move through school, they actively build on their learning from previous years, with more complex skills being taught. The curriculum ensures that the skills gained are progressive and sequential. In each year group, children can discover new pieces of hardware and software to ensure that the ‘Wow!’ aspect of Computing is never forgotten.

Children will:

Have access to hardware such as laptops and iPads.
Have a sequence of learning which allows children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills.
Build upon the learning from prior year groups therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skills within the strands of Digital Literacy, Information Technology and Computer Science.
Can explore and respond to key issues such as digital communications, cyber-bullying, online safety, security, and appropriate social media use.
Learn about how to keep safe online and the responsible use of technology which are topics covered in our E-Safety curriculum, PSHE lessons, assemblies and during events such as Safer Internet Day.
At the start of each Unit of Work children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know.

Impact

Our Computing curriculum focusses on progression of knowledge and skills in the form of a spiralised curriculum. We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.
Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
Half termly formative assessment opportunities which measures knowledge and skills.
Opportunity for assessment opportunities weekly via Carousel Quizzes.
Opportunity to apply skills across other areas of the curriculum E.g. Data Handling and Digital Writing.
Effective modelling by teachers ensures that children are able to achieve their learning intention, with misconceptions addressed within it.
An adaptive curriculum ensures that all pupils can access the computing curriculum.
Children are given clear success criteria to achieve the learning intention with differing elements of independence.
Opportunities for the students to apply their knowledge and understanding to increasingly complex concepts and their successes are celebrated and shared #HLCComputing

By the time children leave KS1:

Be able to understand how algorithms work and how they turn into programs on digital devices.
Be able to create simple programs and fix them when they don’t work quite right.
Be able to use logical thinking, like a detective, to predict how programs will behave before they run.
Be able to use technology to create, organize, and share work while keeping it safe and easy to find.
Be able to recognise all the wonderful ways technology is used in the world around them, even beyond the classroom.
Be able to use technology safely and kindly—keeping personal information private and knowing where to get help if something online makes them feel unsure or upset.

By the end of KS2 children will:

Be able to design, write, and fix programs that can solve problems, control gadgets, or even mimic real-world systems. Break big challenges into smaller steps and tackle them one at a time!
Be able to use loops, if-else choices, and variables to make programs come to life. Play with inputs and outputs to create fun, interactive projects!
Be able to explore how simple algorithms (like step-by-step instructions for computers) work. Learn how to spot and fix mistakes in codes like a true detective!
Be able to dive into the world of computer networks and the internet! See how websites, apps, and online tools connect us all, and uncover the amazing ways they let us share, chat, and collaborate.
Be able to use search engines wisely to find what they need online. Peek behind the curtain to understand how results are chosen and ranked—and become a digital explorer!
Be able to experiment with different software, tools, and gadgets to design programs, build systems, and craft content. Turn ideas into projects that collect, analyse, and present data in amazing ways.
Be able to learn how to use technology responsibly and kindly. Know what’s okay and not okay to do online and discover all the ways they can report anything that doesn’t feel right.