Computing Statement

INTENT 

• Our computing curriculum enables children to develop their ability to think and solve problems and develops creativity and resilience. 

• Our computing curriculum allows children to be able to express themselves using technology. 

• Our computing curriculum gives children the skills to utilise new technology in a socially responsible way and to understand their role in the community and the wider global community as responsible digital citizens. 

• Our computing curriculum enables children to be able to keep themselves and their information safe and secure online. 

• The curriculum enables children to become autonomous and independent users of computing technologies. 

• Our computing curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced for all our children. It is taught as a discrete subject, enabling children to be immersed in the subject and encouraging them to use appropriate computing vocabulary. 

• Our computing curriculum is ambitious for all our children, including those with SEND, enabling every child to work to their full potential. 

• Where meaningful, our computing curriculum has links with other subjects so that our children broaden their understanding and apply their learning to different contexts (for example, skills that are used in coding work such as resilience to solve problem, trial and error are translated into problem solving skills in maths).  

• As children’s reading and writing skills are essential in becoming life-long learners, we incorporate purposeful reading within our computing curriculum. 

IMPLEMENTATION  

• Our computing curriculum is purposeful and engaging. 

• Computing is taught in discrete lessons allowing children to be able to develop depth in their knowledge and skills over the duration of each computing topic. 

• To ensure a broad range of skills and understanding, computing is taught across three main strands: digital literacy, computer science and information technology. 

• The key concepts within our computing lessons are regularly revisited through our spiral curriculum, this enables our children to know more and remember more about computing. 

• There is a strong focus on children using computing vocabulary in all lessons. 

• All computing lessons build upon prior learning and have clearly defined end points. 

• In computing lessons, teachers check pupils’ understanding effectively, identifying and correcting misunderstandings. 

IMPACT 

• Our curriculum ensures that when children leave William Ford, they are competent and safe users of ICT with an understanding of how technology works. 

• They will have developed skills to express themselves and be creative in using digital media and be equipped to apply their skills in computing to different challenges. 

• We evaluate the knowledge, skills and understanding that children have gained in their computing lessons against carefully planned end points to measure progression. 

• Our computing curriculum ensures children have the knowledge and cultural capital to succeed in the next steps of their education. 

• In the monitoring of the computing curriculum, we constantly strive for improvement through review and evaluation.