Computing curriculum information
Curriculum overview
intent
At Lakefield, we aim to provide every young person with the skills and knowledge to become active participants in a digital world. As well as scaffolded activities, embedded within the lessons are a range of pedagogical strategies which support making computing topics more accessible. Each lesson is in a series so it builds what has been learnt in the previous lesson, and where appropriate, activities are scaffolded so that all pupils can succeed and thrive. Activities are scaffolded so that they provide pupils (including children with SEN) with extra resources, such as visual prompts, to reach the same learning goals as the rest of the class.
implementation
The Teach Computing scheme of work uses a spiral curriculum. The units for key stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. The spiral curriculum is intended to reduce the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made even if different teachers are teaching the units within a theme in consecutive years.
The impact of the Computing curriculum is that it allows children to enjoy their lessons which are relevant to them, engaging and allow them to use and access different technology. The children have access to laptops, Beebots, Pro Bots, Crumble sets, Micro-bit sets, 3D printer, individual headphones and interactive white-boards in their learning. The children record their work and save it in their personal Office 35 account, end of unit assessments are saved in their Digital Computing Workbook.
With the extensive online safety program – Education For A Connected World: Project Evolve, Children learn how to stay safe online, both while they are in our school and beyond. It sets the basis for a culture of remaining safe and knowing what to do and who to contact when the feel uncomfortable about what they may have seen online, that they take into their homes, on to secondary school and beyond
impact
The intent is that by the end of Year 6, Lakefield Primary pupils will feel experienced in using different technology. They will be digitally literate, understand how to use and interpret data, create and debug programmes and be good digital citizens. They will be able to apply what they know to other areas.
The curriculum drivers of Preparing For The Future and Wider World Impact can be seen through the Computing curriculum by:
- use of technology;
- aspirations for the future;
- roles and responsibilities;
- promoting enterprise
- Online safety
The curriculum stretches the children and enables them to build on increasing sophistication, independence, and fluency in approaching problems hands-on, and cultivate effective habits of systematic creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.
KNOWLEDGE ORGANISERS
What is a ‘Knowledge Organiser’?
A Knowledge Organiser is a go-to document for a Unit of work: each one identifies the key information that children can refer to in lessons for a particular Unit of work, and it also acts as a tool to support children in retaining and retrieving knowledge for life-long learning.
How do they help children?
They provide the essential knowledge that children need to cover in the Unit, shared at the beginning so children know what they are going to be learning.
Knowledge Organisers help them to remember key dates, key people, key events, vocabulary and definitions and key concepts.
They can be used as a fun assessment tool to help remember the Units.
They improve their ability to remember.
Knowledge Organisers help them to develop other skills - e.g. when writing a nonfiction report, if they already have the knowledge they can focus on the writing skills.
How do they help parents?
Parents will have a better understanding of what the children are learning. They will allow parents to build on their knowledge at home and provide an easy tool for parents to quiz children at home (and children to quiz parents!)
The Knowledge Organisers are used to support the delivery of the curriculum and contain a list of technical vocabulary with definitions. Each organiser also has an accompanying quiz, which is regularly taken by the children in school to help children recall the key knowledge from each Unit of work.
Examples of the Knowledge Organisers can be seen to the right.