Computing

Curriculum Intent Statement for Computing

 

At Appletree our aim is for all pupils to become safe and proficient users of technology.  We believe that computing has the potential to bring topics to life, extend our knowledge beyond the realms of textbooks and enables us to develop ideas and make things happen. We aim to equip children with transferable skills to support our pupils to be independent lifelong learners with ambition to achieve in any chosen direction.

 

At Appletree we: 

  • Model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. 

  • Help pupils to understand that there is always a choice with using technology and as a school we utilise technology to model positive use as we strive to be thoughtful citizens who recognise the impact we can have on our friends, community and the wider world. 

  • Give pupils the Digital Literacy skills and knowledge needed in order to share their learning in creative ways. 

  • Actively encourage children to develop their knowledge and understanding of how computers work (Computer Science), while giving them practical experience of coding, programming and debugging.

  • Encourage staff to try and embed computing across the whole curriculum to make learning creative and accessible.

 

Implementation 

 

Our computing curriculum is divided into two parts: Digital Literacy and Computer Science.  Children are actively encouraged to develop their knowledge and understanding of how computers work, while giving them practical experience of coding, programming and debugging.   Our planned curriculum for Digital Literacy also includes a strong emphasis on internet and e- safety.  From Nursery through to Year 4 staff address a range of issues related to e-safety with a view to maximising children's awareness of personal safety online and the ways in which they conduct themselves while navigating the ever changing online world.  

 

On site we have a dedicated computer suite of 31 computers.  Our ICT suite allows every pupil to have planned lessons which enhance pupils leaning using up to date technology. Every class has a weekly morning or afternoon slot in the suite to learn discrete ICT skills. The suite is also used additionally in all other subjects to enhance the children’s enjoyment of leaning by using ICT.   ICT is also used across the curriculum to enhance and support learning in other subject areas e.g. creating weather report videos, research skills, animating stories etc.    

 

Every classroom is equipped with computers, Apple TV and Interactive Whiteboards. In addition to this we have 70 iPads for use across the school.  iPads are used throughout the school, for a multitude of purposes, to record, share, celebrate and distribute different work. The use of iPads allows children to creatively and purposefully record work in different ways.  Movable touch screen boards allow us to use technology in all areas of the school.  

 

We invest well in the services offered by North Tyneside Learning Trust and North Tyneside CLC to provide: practical sessions and workshops for children, staff training, information for parents meetings and access to alternative Computing opportunities both inside and outside of our school.  We follow a Computing Scheme of Work created by the North Tyneside CLC that is in line with the 2014 National Curriculum alongside a subscription to Purple Mash. The scheme is continuously reviewed and updated by experts to reflect progression of skills and to include ever changing technologies.

 

Targets for 2021/2022

 

  • Provide teachers with high quality resources and guidance to help them to deliver a digitally rich curriculum.
  • Continue to develop the Computing Curriculum to evidence impact and provide more opportunities for pupils to reflect on their learning.
  • Share learning opportunities with parents and the wider community
AGFS Computing Progression
 

Year 1

In computing most of our Year 1 children

While some children 

Computer Science

  • use the word algorithm correctly, explaining that it is a list of clear instructions

  • can follow a simple algorithm (like a recipe, or rules for a game)

  • can put a sequence in the correct order

  • know that if one part of the algorithm changes then the end result will be different

  • can name devices in school and at home that use an algorithm to work (a washing machine, alexa, BeeBot)

  • can construct their own algorithm (pictures, symbols, emergent writing or verbally) to complete an action (draw a face, move a BeeBot, make a sandwich)

  • identify when instructions are not clear enough and are beginning to make suggestions to improve them

  • make suggestions about how a wide range of devices might work

IT and Digital Literacy

  • can open a program and create work for a given task (e.g. open 2paint and produce a digital image, open 2publish+ and input text and images)

  • name different types of computer produced work (e.g. words, pictures, music, films)

  • talk about their work and suggest ways to improve it

  • are beginning to save their work in the correct folders as directed by staff

  • share their use of technology outside of school, naming common devices and their functions (computer/laptop, tablet devices, smart home devices)

  • login and off the school network with increasing speed and accuracy using appropriate scaffolding

  • list what personal information to keep private

  • name at least one action to follow if they have concerns about their online safety

  • describe the difference between some digital forms of media (music, images, film, ebooks etc.) and can make attempts at explaining the different ways that they communicate information

  • know that computers have no intelligence and that computers can do nothing unless a program is run

Year 2

In computing most of our Year 2 children

While some children 

Computer Science

  • explain what the word algorithm means using the words ‘unambiguous’ and ‘precise’ correctly in their definition

  • create their own simple (linear) algorithms

  • explain what the endpoint of an algorithm will be (e.g. predict where a BeeBot will travel to by reading a program of arrows arrows)

  • identify mistakes/errors in algorithms and make suggestions about how to make improvements (debug)

  • produce longer algorithms ensuring precision and accuracy

  • are beginning to use the word ‘if’ to suggest that there could be a choice made between two instructions

IT and Digital Literacy

  • can select or name software/app that would be appropriate for a simple given task

  • use a wider range of programs to accomplish more complex tasks (e.g. produce graphs, access age appropriate databases)

  • can open a saved piece of work, edit the project and resave with increasing accuracy

  • can find relevant content for a topic from the world wide web using a web browser

  • login without support

  • explain how to use technology safely

  • can explain the importance of keeping passwords secret and protecting other personal information

  • compares different media types and can accurately discuss these using appropriate vocabulary and in terms of the corresponding software or applications

  • know that all software executed on digital devices is programmed

Year 3

In computing most of our Year 3 children

While some children

Computer Science

  • can read simple linear algorithms in a familiar programming language (e.g. Scratch, Lego WeDo)

  • are able to predict what the outcome of a program will be, run the program and check their results

  • plan and design a program for a specific task

  • find and correct errors i.e. debugging in an algorithm written in a familiar programming language

  • show the use of sequence and repetition in programs

  • are beginning to identify errors in programs before the program is executed

  • are beginning to explore new code blocks and ask ‘what happens if?’, making changes to the code to produce new results

IT and Digital Literacy

  • refine projects that include text, sound and graphics that produce a digital artefact with a given purpose

  • collect images from devices or the internet and use simple editing tools

  • collect information from a range of sources and use this to find answers to questions

  • discuss how to improve their work and knows that by using technology any editing can be made more quickly

  • use the internet to carry out simple web searches to collect digital content

  • show an awareness of copyright and understand that digital work belongs to the author

  • know a range of ways to report unacceptable content they might encounter online

  • discuss what is appropriate contact when online

  • show increasing awareness of the quality of their digital work

  • begin to experiment with more complex editing features to produce different effects (e.g. using tables, different types of image, visual effects, layering of sound)

Year 4

In computing most of our Year 4 children

while some children

Computer Science

  • read increasing complex programs in a familiar programming language and can suggest plausible meanings for new blocks of code

  • can produce diagrams to show how the code could look before creating blocks of code on screen

  • know that programs can work with different types of data (text, numbers, sound)

  • are able to use a range of input and output devices (sensors, motors etc.)

  • are increasingly accurate when predicting outcomes that include inputs and outputs

  • produce code that is increasingly fluent (avoids unnecessary repetition, includes fewer errors, has been tested) and can read this explaining exactly what will happen

IT and Digital Literacy

  • capture good quality still and moving images considering the purpose and the audience

  • plan, produce and edit a media project (presentation, animation, film) taking into account the audience and the copyright of resources

  • can explain the difference between data and information

  • can organise data in a table to make it useful

  • use a spreadsheet to produce simple graphs

  • explain how and when to use range on online services responsibly, identifying possible risks and how they can be reduced

  • give examples of other media choices that could have been used

  • compare graphs and charts and explains what they show