Intent:

The computing curriculum at Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School is designed to progressively develop children’s skills in computing. Our aim is to instil a sense of enjoyment around using technology and to develop children’s appreciation of its capabilities and the opportunities technology offers to create, manage, organise and collaborate. We aim to develop children’s computational thinking skills, knowledge of computer science concepts and application of digital literacy skills. Through our curriculum, we intend for children not only to be digitally competent and have a range of transferable skills at a suitable level for the future workplace, but also to be responsible online citizens.
This is underpinned by our commitment to the teaching of how to use technology safely and respectfully.
Our computing curriculum enables children to meet the end of Key Stage attainment targets outlined in the National Curriculum and our aims align with those found in the National Curriculum and also satisfies all the objectives of the DfE’s ‘Education for a Connected World framework’.

Implementation:

We have designed a computing curriculum that creates opportunities for skills to be applied across a wider range of subjects such as science, art and music, giving children the opportunities to practise and refine their skills. Learning takes place through discretely taught lessons and by providing the opportunity to practise learned skills in different areas of the curriculum. Children are given the time to ‘tinker’ to help develop confidence.
Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as unplugged and digital activities. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.
To ensure that all children have equal access to our computing curriculum, there is a class set of portable laptops for use in classrooms, and timetables are arranged by teaching staff to facilitate this.
Online safety is always at the forefront of our computing curriculum, with a termly online safety lesson delivered in each class, and an online safety week taking place in February each year. All current guidelines and advice are shared with parents promptly.

Impact:

The impact of our computing curriculum can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each unit of work ends with a quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and/or end of the unit to assess progress.
The high expectations and enthusiasm of all staff at Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School both inspire and motivate the children. As a result, pupils demonstrate excellent understanding of important concepts in all three strands of the computing curriculum and are able to make connections within the subject.
They have highly transferable knowledge, skills and understanding. Children across the school show high levels of originality, imagination, creativity and innovation in their understanding and application of skills in computing and across the curriculum.
Children leave Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be active-participants in the ever-increasing digital world.

Enrichment:

The children’s computing curriculum is complimented and enriched through the use of our outdoor environment, opportunities for photography in Fletchers Field, blogging on walks, the creation of presentations during and after a school visit, Beebot workshops in key stage 1, and the running of extra-curricular clubs both after-school and during lunchtimes, are provided where children are encouraged to work both independently and collaboratively to practise the skills learned during their discrete computing lessons.

Computing  Progression Map

Computing  Policy

Computing Long Term Plan