Principles and purpose – the intent of your curriculum
Computing Intent:
At Hill View, our aim is to provide our children with an engaging, exciting and empowering curriculum for Computing that equips them for today and the future, giving each of child the opportunity to develop their digital skills, with a focus on developing children’s computational thinking, digital literacy, IT skills, programming and ability to act safely online, as set out in the National Curriculum.. Our ASCENT values are embedded throughout our approach to computing to build an aspirational approach to new technology and skills so that all feel included as part of a successful community that are safe, digitally resilient and able to understand their responsibilities as a digital citizen to be respectful and tolerant.
We use the National Curriculum as the basis for what is taught and learnt and we use the Purple Mash resources as the main medium for pupils to engage with this. This has been adapted to meet the needs of the pupils at Hill View and is supplemented by materials that link to other aspects of the National Curriculum and further adapted to respond to emerging online safety issues should they arise. It is our underlying belief that every child should feel safe, valued, and resilient to experience the feeling of learning and empowerment through our computing curriculum.
Our computing curriculum meets the needs of all children within our school regardless of their starting point and/or academic ability and is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, provide first hand experiences, allow the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and independence and enable them to become creative, critical thinkers. It teaches skills, knowledge and values and recognises that every child is an individual with a unique potential for learning.
We recognise and take a proactive approach to promote diversity of life, celebrating difference, encouraging questioning and promoting respect for all through learning in computing. Through our teaching and learning, we give children key knowledge and understanding around discrimination and prejudice including the prevention of bullying and Safeguarding specifically within the context of ensuring that they develop digital resilience and are able to keep themselves safe online.
Our Purple Mash resourced delivery of the National Curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all children and meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. Please see to our SEND Information, SEND Policy and Equality Information and Objectives on the relevant pages on this site.
At Hill View, we see Computing as both a discrete subject domain with specific Programmes of Study for the teaching and learning of computing and computer science. We also recognise its contribution to computational and logical thinking both within its subject and to subjects like maths, science, technology, and the wider field of engineering. We aim to develop stronger links that underpin our integrated curriculum and the wider subjects and projects that we have planned and developed and also to develop the digital literacy of all of our pupils so that they can use technology to communicate, support learning and express themselves. Finally, we want to innovate and provide inspirational and creative opportunities to use new digital technologies to further explore and deepen learning.
Computing Progression-of-Skills
Subject vocabulary and key knowledge COMPUTING
Entitlement and Enrichment.
All pupils will be enabled to have access to the best quality IT equipment, resources, Apps and programmes. All pupils, regardless of background, gender, individual or additional need will be included and make good progress with respect to learning about computing and the use of digital tools to support learning across the curriculum.*
Breadth and Balance– Our approach to deliver the knowledge and skills within the relevant Programmes of Study (Link to NC attainment targets.)
Teaching narrative and resources–
Computing is a popular aspect of the provision at the school and currently forms a discrete curriculum subject delivered to all pupils from EYFS to Y6 each week as part of the regular cycle of PPA provision by a specialist computing teacher. Children regularly access the dedicated computer suite that comprises of 31 networked computers and a plasma board. In addition, we have:
- 2 sets of 60 iPad stored in two trolleys.
- 15 additional iPad in a trolley,
- 30 pupil laptops stored in a trolley.*
Pupils can be taught in the Computer Suite, or remotely in the classroom utilising the trolleys of iPads or laptops. Each classroom has a networked computer and interactive plasma screen with one hue camera per year group. There are 18 BeeBots.
Lessons comprise a mixture of unplugged teaching, online research and use of websites that sit behind filtered access to the Internet.
Online Safety is a key theme that is taught explicitly and also runs through all lessons.
Assessment and outcomes?
Expectations are high for pupil outcomes and use of Computing knowledge both discretely and in support of learning across the curriculum.
Review and evaluate – what works well and where there is room for improvement
- After a period where this aspect of the curriculum was taught by an external provider (Primary PPA), we are currently in the process of recruiting a permanent member of staff to lead this area forward and to develop the curriculum to ensure that there is greater linkage to the integrated curriculum.
- Make greater use of the Purple Mash resources as a spine to the teaching of computing.
- Invest in additional resources such as digital video, microphones, robotics including programmable construction kits, AR and VR technology.