As computing scientists, our INTENT is:

Computing at St Alban’s CE Primary School aims to give our pupils the life skills that will enable them to embrace and utilise all technology in a socially responsible and safe way. We want children to become autonomous, independent users of computing technologies, gaining confidence and enjoyment from their activities. We teach them to be digitally literate and competent end-users of technology and to develop creativity, resilience, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The use of technology should be purposeful by supporting learning across the entire curriculum.

Our aim is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum while ensuring that pupils become digitally literate and resilient. Technology is ever-evolving, and we aim to develop pupils who can use their digital skills to express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology at a suitable level for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

And we IMPLEMENT this by:

At St Alban’s, we follow the Teach Computing Curriculum by the National Centre for Computing Education, which is structured in units. For these units to be coherent, the lessons within a unit must be taught in order. However, across a year group, the units themselves do not need to be taught in order, except for ‘Programming’ units, where concepts and skills rely on prior learning and experiences.

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in computing, we implement a progressive curriculum throughout the whole school. Implementing the computing curriculum aligns with the 2014 Primary National Curriculum requirements for KS1, KS2 and the Foundation Stage Curriculum in England. This provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each key stage.

Our Computing curriculum is divided into four strands: Computer Systems and Networks, Data and Information, Programming, and Creating Media. The Computer Systems and Networks strand is taught once a year, building progressively from one year group to the next, with subject specific knowledge introduced at age-appropriate points. The Data and Information strand is again taught once a year, progressing in both skills and software. Key Stage 1 uses simplified age-appropriate software platforms, progressing to more industry focused software in upper Key Stage 2. The Programming stand is taught twice a year, with the same concept revisited and covered in more depth. The following year incorporates the previous skills, whilst progressing onto a new concept. The Creating Media strand hosts a wide range of different media types, and therefore different skills. To support progression, this can be best categorised into four different key areas: text, graphics (the use of pictures and text), photo and video, and audio. The spiral curriculum covers each of these four areas over a phase (KS1, LKS2 and UKS2), rather than in every year group, with links across these areas made where possible.

Computing is taught using NCCE Computing Curriculum. The curriculum is delivered through half-termly units, with a progression of skills and knowledge from year to year. Units can be taught in any order, with the exception of programming, where concepts and skills rely on prior knowledge and experiences. It is recommended that the two programming units are taught in separate terms and not back-to-back.

Where possible, the units are linked to the Learning Quests for the term, in line with our intent to embed meaningful computing use across the curriculum. Where appropriate and necessary, computing is also used beyond the units to enhance and support curriculum work for all subjects using our wide range of interactive ICT resources.

A wide range of resources are used to support our computing teaching, including but not limited to iPads, laptops, Chromebook, Bee-Bots, Lego Wedo, Crumbles, video recorders and cameras. Pupils may use equipment independently, in pairs, alongside a TA or in a group with the teacher.

The IMPACT of this is: