Intent
At Village Infants School we aim to harness our pupil’s natural curiosity and wonder at the world through a broad and balanced Computing curriculum. Within an ever changing and technological world Village Infants understands and values the importance of teaching Computing from a young age.
At Village we intend to support our pupils to access and understand the core principles of this subject (Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy). The children will use these skills to inform and enhance life-long learning and equip them for the future. We aim for pupils to have a foundational understanding of Computing to include algorithms, simple programs, and prediction. We also aim for pupils to purposefully and creatively store, manipulate and retrieve digital content as well as being able to recognise how technology is used across the wider world. We believe that young children need a strong, but age-appropriate, understanding of how to keep safe when using modern Computing technology and the internet. This will then allow pupils to feel protected, well-informed and able to self-regulate when using technology and the internet and all it has to offer.
Implementation
At Village Infants our Computing curriculum recognises that Computing is taught as a discrete subject as well as making links through other subjects when appropriate.
In Key Stage One, Computing is taught discretely using select units from the ‘Teach Computing’ and ‘Purple Mash’ curriculums and covers all aspects of the National Curriculum including; Digital Literacy, Information Technology and Computer Science. Knowledge and skills are mapped out across each curriculum theme and year group to ensure a systematic progression across topics, allowing the children to embed their learning over time. The children have access to iPads, laptops, desktop computers and Beebots to help support their learning. In addition to this, each classroom has a Clevertouch Whiteboard, to further enable and enhance learning and each child has an individual login for Purple Mash which they can access from home as well. The children develop the core values of Village Infants, such as resilience, and have opportunities to develop and demonstrate a growth mindset when tackling increasingly challenging areas of the Computing curriculum. They will learn how to undo their mistakes and persevere to improve their work. The children show curiosity in new experiences, such as programming Beebots.
Key vocabulary is mapped for each year group and teachers ensure inclusive learning by adapting lessons and activities to meet the needs of all learners and ensuring appropriate challenge.
Although not present in the EYFS curriculum, Computing is present in the Early years and we encourage the children to become ‘computational thinkers’. We use technology to support learning in other areas of Early Years and to offer foundations of Computing in preparation for the transition to year 1. The children in Early Years learn how to follow instructions, explore programmable toys (Beebots) and use Purple Mash to support learning across other areas of the Curriculum. They begin to understand how we can use the internet for information that will help us in our learning and explore a range of different technologies.
We teach e-safety as an explicit part of our curriculum through Computing and PSHE across the whole school. We discuss issues such as; keeping personal information private, trusting people and sources online, treating others online as we would in real life and what to do if anything makes children feel uncomfortable online. Every class has a list of our ‘Smart Hand’ displayed in their classroom which highlight the importance of staying safe online. Annually, Safer Internet Day is recognised in school through assemblies and focused activities.
Impact
Children enjoy Computing sessions and evidence is presented in a variety of forms, e.g. digitally, children’s books and class floor books. Children begin to use digital and technological vocabulary accurately, alongside a progression in their technical skills. They are confident using a range of hardware and software and will produce high-quality purposeful work. Children see the digital world as part of their world, extending beyond school and they are aware of how to stay safe online and are confident and respectful digital citizens.
Pupils are assessed during lessons and towards the end of each unit of work. This assessment is used to address misconceptions, review the effectiveness of the curriculum, and inform future planning.
