At Parkhead Community Primary School, we want our children to be enthused and engaged in computing lessons. We aim to provide them with a range of technology that will ensure every child is taught all strands of the computing curriculum. By linking the technology to the wider curriculum, we endeavour to highlight the importance of technology in everyday life and the careers involving technology that the pupils could go on to choose, in order to raise their aspirations. Through STEM workshops, enrichment activities and hands-on experience we provide pupils with access to a range of experiences that will expand their knowledge of technology.

Safety is also a key focus of our computing curriculum and, by working alongside the National Online Safety, we strive to instil a profound respect and understanding of the online world.

We ensure all pupils secure a deep understanding of all aspects of the computing curriculum and become digitally literate, resilient learners, ready to play their part in the ever-changing digital world around us.  

Intent – what does the Computing curriculum intend to do?

At Parkhead Community Primary School, we aim to:

• Encourage our children to be confident, creative and independent learners and give our children opportunities to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information digitally.
• Develop children’s knowledge of computing so that our children can go on to have careers within computing, and make use of computing effectively in their everyday lives.
• Teach our children to use technology responsibly and carefully, being mindful of how their behaviour, words and actions can affect others.
• Ensure that the children are taught computing in a way that leads to a progression of skills, and follows a sequence to build on previous learning.
• Give our children experience and skills of a wide range of technology in a way that will enhance their learning opportunities, enabling them to use technology across a range of subjects, to be creative and solve problems, ensuring they make good progress.

Implementation – how is the curriculum implemented?

At Parkhead Community Primary School, we plan and teach computing lessons using the Kapow programme of study which is based on the expectations of the national curriculum. We provide the children with a broad and balanced computing curriculum that aims to engage, enthuse and excite pupils and build on previous learning to provide both support and challenge for all learners.

In our school, recognise the need to continually maintain, update and develop the resources that are available to both children and members of staff. We are therefore committed to investing in resources that will effectively deliver all strands of the national curriculum and support the use of computing across the school.

Keeping our children safe online is a priority in all year groups, throughout the year. All children are taught to use technology safely and respectfully, keep personal information private and where to seek help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies. We also endeavour to keep all members of staff up to date on the latest online safety training to meet statutory duties outlined in the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) document. It is also a priority to provide our parents and carers with the knowledge they need to understand online dangers and how best to react should an incident arise. 

We have identified three stands which run throughout our scheme of work: computer science, information technology and digital literacy. Skills within these strands are built upon in each year group and are taught either in a cross curricular way or in discrete lessons to maximise the successes of the pupils.

Each unit of work is planned to build upon the prior knowledge of the children in order to develop the three strands of the curriculum. Lessons are then tailored to ensure that they meet the needs of the children in the class, enabling teachers to introduce new skills and challenges.

Emphasis is placed on the accurate use digital and technological vocabulary in every computing lesson to enable pupils to understand and communicate effectively in lessons.

Impact – what progress will children make?

Our children enjoy and value computing and know why they are doing things, not just how. They understand and appreciate the value of computing in the context of their personal wellbeing and the technological, creative and cultural industries and their many career opportunities in order to raise and broaden their aspirations.

Progress in computing is demonstrated through regularly reviewing and children’s work to ensure that progression of skills is taking place. Namely through:

• Looking at pupils’ work, especially over time as they gain skills and knowledge
• Observing how they perform in lessons
• Talking to them about what they know.

The computing curriculum will contribute to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. This is seen in them being able to talk confidently about their work, sharing their work with others and developing a ‘have-a-go’ attitude, leading to them becoming resilient and independent learners.