Computing
Intent Statement
At Sutton Green, it is our intention that all children develop digital curiosity and are inspired to ask and answer questions about the world around them. In order to achieve this, our teachers follow the Kapow Computing scheme of work and resources. By following this scheme, we aim to provide all children with opportunities to undertake a full range of enquiries in order to become skilled users of technology. Children will learn new concepts and begin to consider how Computing has contributed to everyday life. We aim to teach methods of enquiry and investigation to stimulate creative thought. Children learn to ask questions and begin to appreciate the way Computing will affect their future on a personal, national, and global level. We strive to embed computing skills and internet safety across the curriculum, and these skills are particularly developed during our computing lessons. Children develop and apply their computing skills in topical situations.
We aim to instil a sense of enjoyment around using technology and to develop pupils’ appreciation of its capabilities and the opportunities technology offers to, create, manage, organise, and collaborate. Tinkering with software and programs forms a part of the ethos of our scheme as we want to develop pupils’ confidence when encountering new technology, which is a vital skill in the ever-evolving and changing landscape of technology. Through our curriculum, we intend for pupils not only to be digitally competent and have a range of transferable skills at a suitable level for the future workplace but also to be responsible online citizens.
We aim to embed E-Safety into all Computing lessons and our expectations of acceptable usage are reinforced at every opportunity. E-Safety is also taught through PSHE lessons, ensuring that children are aware of the risks and benefits of using IT, and how to manage those risks with adult support.
Implementation Statement
Children are taught the three strands of Computing through our Kapow scheme and our PSHE lessons. We ensure that the children are provided with a broad and balanced coverage of the National curriculum requirements, and additionally the skills showcase’ units provide pupils with the opportunity to learn and apply transferable skills. Where meaningful, units have been created to link to other subjects such as science, art, and music to enable the development of further transferable skills and genuine cross-curricular learning.
Computing lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work. Children take part in both unplugged and digital activities. This variety ensures that lessons are engaging and appealing to all children. Lessons are accessible and challenging for all pupils, and our pupils use knowledge organisers to support the recall of key facts and vocabulary. Computing lessons are timetabled once per week.
We ensure that safety of our children is paramount. We take online safety very seriously and we aim to give children the necessary skills to keep themselves safe online. Children have a right to enjoy childhood online, to access safe online spaces and to benefit from all the opportunities that a connected world can bring them, appropriate to their age and stage. E-Safety is taught through our Computing lessons and also in our PSHE lessons. We also celebrate National Online Safety Day each year.
We offer a variety of after school clubs and universities to improve children’s opportunities to use and develop their Computing skills, such as Stop Motion Animation club, Coding club and Photography club. Children are also provided access to technology at clubs such as
Our staff regularly access professional development from the National Centre for Computing Education, through our membership to STEM Learning. Miss Cope, our Computing leader, also regularly attends Cheshire & Wirral Computing Hubs to remain up to date with recent developments.
We continue to ensure we have up-to-date technology for the children to use in school. Recently, we have acquired a class set of Chromebooks. We also have at least two Chromebooks per class. We have purchased two class sets of Android tablets, which have the Learning by Questions app to support learning across the curriculum. Teachers also have a class tablet and a state of the art Promethean interactive whiteboard.
Impact Statement
The impact of Computing at Sutton Green is constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. In every lesson, teachers assess pupils against the learning objectives and each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher is used at the end of the unit.
Pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be active participants in the ever-increasing digital world.
Children taught Computing at Sutton Green can:
- Enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver. Children regularly discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact that Computing has on their learning, development and wellbeing.
- Be critical thinkers and able to understand how to make informed and appropriate digital choices in the future.
- Understand the importance that computing will have going forward in both their educational and working life and in their social and personal futures.
- Understand how to balance time spent on technology and time spent away from it in a healthy and appropriate manner.
- Understand that technology helps to showcase their ideas and creativity. They will know that different types of software and hardware can help them achieve a broad variety of artistic and practical aims.
- Show a clear progression of technical skills across all areas of the National curriculum - computer science, information technology and digital literacy.
- Be able to use technology both individually and as part of a collaborative team.
- Be aware of online safety issues and protocols and be able to deal with any problems in a responsible and appropriate manner.
- Have an awareness of developments in technology and have an idea of how current technologies work and relate to one another.
- Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Computing
- Find a balance between technology and a healthy lifestyle.
Our children showcase, share, celebrate and publish their work through Google Drive and their floor books. Teachers regularly review children's digital knowledge and skills through tools such as Google Drive, as well as observing learning regularly. Progress of our computing curriculum is demonstrated through outcomes and the record of coverage in the process of achieving these outcomes.