Computing

Computing at Maple Court Academy 

Intent:

At Maple Court Academy, we strive to equip children with the right skills, knowledge and critical thinking patterns to enable them to become effective and engaged citizens in an increasingly digitised world.

We provide a quality, enjoyable and varied curriculum for all children in our care, which is carefully mapped out and progresses in line with the current government objectives set out in the National Curriculum. Throughout their time here, children will learn, revisit and build upon existing skills. This approach ensures that children leave our school with the correct skillset, and they are ready to apply their learning to the new challenges that they will encounter within the secondary computing curriculum.

Underpinning our use of technology within our school, we have a keen focus on internet safety and the issues that children and adults alike can encounter when navigating a world in which digital technology is increasingly widely used within our everyday lives. We regularly discuss these potentially problematic aspects of our technology use and engage children and parents alike in our discussions.

The Subject Leader:

I am Mrs Stanyer, and I am a Year 6 class teacher, the subject leader for computing and a Digital Leader here at Maple Academy. As the computing leader, my role is to support staff with their continued professional development, map out the curriculum objectives progressively and to monitor the delivery of the subject throughout the school. I do this through lesson observations, regular conversations with the teaching team and through talking to the pupils to get their perspectives on what is working well within our school, and what we would like to change moving forward. We want children at Maple Court Academy to become independent users of computing technologies, gaining confidence and enjoyment from their activities. To help ensure that we deliver the very best for our children, I also work closely with other members of the Alpha Academies Trust and with mentors from the National Centre for Computing Education, who give excellent advice on supporting our learners, to ensure a smooth transition from primary to secondary.

There is now an embedded approach on how technology can further improve learning and prepare children for later life, not only within the computing curriculum, but also how technology can be used and connects to the wider curriculum as well. This will be developed with further close collaboration across the other Alpha Academies Trust and the Trust’s Digital Leadership teams.

Here at Maple Court Academy, the computing curriculum is split into three main areas: Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy. Online safety is a key element of Digital

Literacy and here at Maple Court Academy we have an online safety calendar with regular events to ensure that it is always at the forefront of our minds.

The Curriculum:

Early Years Foundation Stage:

Within our Nursery and Reception classrooms, the children have regular access to computers with appropriate games and apps to support their learning, such as drawing with shapes. A range of technology is readily available to enhance their learning experience through computing, such as: programmable toys, an interactive whiteboard, computers and CD players. The use of computing throughout EYFS makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s understanding of the world especially their understanding of technology.

The objectives for Computing in KS1 and KS2 are clearly set out for each year group in the National Curriculum:

Key stage 1 Pupils should be taught to:

· understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions

· create and debug simple programs

· use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs

· use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content

· recognise common uses of information technology beyond school

· use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

Key stage 2 Pupils should be taught to:

· design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts

· use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output

· use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs

· understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration

· use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content

· select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information

· use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

Assessment for learning:

Children are continuously assessed through teacher assessments during each computing lesson as well as in their ability to use technology during other lessons. Children are assessed as to whether they are Emerging, Securing and Exceeding within these areas. This is used to provide accurate information to all teachers, the computing subject leader termly and during times of transition.

E-safety:

A key component to our computing curriculum here at Maple Court Academy is E-safety. As a school we know that whilst the internet has a great deal to offer our children in terms of learning, experiencing the wider world and allowing for communication, it also comes with an element of risk. It is our job to help children and their families to navigate the online world in a safe way. This is why, alongside the digital literacy and PSHE aspects of our curriculum, we also have a digital online safety calendar, full of events that we feel encourage children and their families to discuss e-safety, access relevant websites such as internetmatters.org and share tips with other parents via our whole school Dojo app. Furthermore, every year, we take part in special activities linked to Safer Internet Day with activities tailored to match the age and understanding of the children in each year band. To reinforce the importance of keeping ourselves safe online, and our school website has dedicated buttons to help children who feel that they are being bullied online under our Safeguarding section.

Digital Leaders:

Our digital leaders are children from across our academy, who have shown an interest in computing and have been elected by their peers to take on the role. They have many responsibilities within school from promoting the safe and respectful use of the computing equipment that we have in class, to being able to have sensible conversations about internet safety with others. As they move through the school and their confidence in using technology increases, these children will be able to become more involved in supporting other children during lesson time.