Computing

We believe that all pupils at Great Rollright should have a broad and balanced experience of technology. With technology playing such a significant role in society today, we believe ‘Computational thinking’ is a skill children must be taught if they are to be able to participate effectively and safely in this digital world.  Online safety is paramount, and embedded in the Computing curriculum to ensure our pupils are adept at making safe choices. Through the well sequenced curriculum we aim to ensure children are digitally literate, are confident, flexible users of a range of software, apply computational thinking to solve problems, and can understand, create and adapt algorithms and programs. This computing curriculum enables us to forge cross-curricular links where appropriate both as a context for learning, and providing a set of tools for children to enrich other learning opportunities.

At Great Rollright, we use a carefully selected blend of Barefoot Computing and Teach Computing to give us a cohesive scheme of work addressing the statutory aspects of the National Curriculum, as well as ensuring that we deliver units which challenge recent changes and attitudes to technology. Units have been selected to complement and enhance wider curriculum learning wherever appropriate. Pupils use digital technologies to research, create, communicate and present their understanding, while also developing the substantive knowledge and technical skills required by the computing curriculum. Programming, digital literacy, data handling and digital creativity are taught progressively across the school, with opportunities for pupils to apply these skills in meaningful contexts linked to their wider studies. This ensures that pupils develop both technological competence and an understanding of how digital tools can be used to explore, interpret and communicate knowledge.

In the EYFS, we have deliver a screen free curriculum using Barefoot Computing to develop computational thinking skills.  We believe that ensuring that our pupils develop the right skills as a thinker before handling technology gives them a fantastic foundation to build on.

In KS1, Computing is taught in single year groups, whereas in KS2, it is taught in mixed-age classes. The Teach Computing and Barefoot Computing units have been arranged so that links can be made to topics where appropriate. Internet Safety teaching is of paramount importance as ensuring that our pupils are safe and knowledgeable users of devices and critical thinkers of what they are accessing.  Teaching around this is thought throughout the scheme, but also within our PSHRE curriculum.

Whilst our discrete Computing lessons use Teach Computing and Barefoot Computing as a foundation for teaching, we also enjoy the flexibility of using computing to enhance our curriculum lessons and further engage the pupils in leading their own learning.

We have two class sets of Chromebooks and some iPads so children can have a device each during computing lessons, and more than one class can be using them at a time.

Teachers at Great Rollright continuously monitor the impact of the Computing curriculum, and whether the work pupils do over time matches the intended curriculum. We use the benchmark of our clearly sequenced curriculum to evaluate whether what we want our pupils to know and do well at are evident in their outcomes in daily lessons and end of unit assessments. Outcomes of this continuous process are used as evidence  by Teachers to evaluate the implementation of the curriculum and adjust sequences of work accordingly.
As a church school, we also evaluate whether pupils are demonstrating our core spiritual and moral values by their attitudes and behaviour in Computing lessons.  We triangulate evidence to ensure are pupils have a love for learning by demonstrating curiosity and enthusiasm when exploring coding, algorithms, and new technologies.  That they exhibit a culture of respect, knowing the importance to treat others kindly online (e-safety, respectful communication, cyberbullying awareness), as well as understanding the ethical, cultural, and wider societal impacts of technology.  That they are able to demonstrate courage by taking risks, embrace mistakes, persisting when things get difficult, and have rehearsed routines to help them develop the the bravery to speak up about unsafe or unkind online behaviour.  That they understand the complexity of truth in an online world including developing the skills to question the reliability of online information, and identify fake news or bias.

Long Term Planning

Whole School Long Term Plan for Computing