Computing

Computing at St Louis Catholic Infant School

Intent (the knowledge and skills that pupils will gain at each stage through the curriculum)

At St Louis Catholic Primary School, it is our intent for our children to confidently and independently use and apply information technology skills to support and extend their learning.  We embed a culture where the use of ICT (information, communication and technology) is applied across all subjects. This ensures that they are ready and able to embrace the technological advances of the future.

In line with the National Curriculum ‘A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.’  Computing is a cross curricular subject that links to maths, science and D&T. By teaching the different areas of the computing curriculum children are given the opportunity to become digitally literate.

Children engage with the 4 key aspects of computing:

1. Online Safety/Digital Literacy.

EYFS: Building Good Habits

As young children take part in a variety of tasks with digital devices, such as moving a Bee Bot around a classroom, they will already be familiar with the device before being asked to undertake tasks related to the key stage one (KS1 - ages 5 - 7 years) computing curriculum, such as writing and testing a simple program.

KS1: Journey of Discovery

KS1 children will be taught to understand algorithms and how they are used in different programmes. Children will gain an understanding of how to create simple programmes but also identify and remove errors.

Children will participate in practical activities that encourage them to think and visualise solutions. By allowing children to predict behaviour of simple programmes they are being given the opportunity to develop their problem- solving skills. Within lessons children will be taught technical vocabulary which will allow common misconceptions to be address in their early computing education.

Children are also taught that technology is part of our everyday life and in this they are taught how to use technology safely and respectfully and the importance of keeping ourselves safe online.

KS2: Broadening Horizons

Children will now begin to apply and build upon the skills they have learned in KS1. They will now work to design and write programs. Children will be able to detect and correct errors that they face in algorithms. They will build upon their skills of problem solving and build on being resilient and not giving up.  Children will work on using search engines to collect, analyse and evaluate data and information on a range of devices such as Ipads and Chromebooks.

As with the younger years children will be shown how to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly. Children will need to be able to identify how to be safe online including what to do in situations that they don’t feel safe with an emphasis on the SMART mnemonic.

Implementation (how the curriculum is taught and assessed)

As a school we follow ‘Purple Mash’ to deliver our Computing lessons. Lessons begin with a recap on the prior knowledge. Teachers will explain to the children what part of the MKAAC (Meet, Know, Apply, Assess and Celebrate) learning cycle the lessons is. Aims and success criteria are displayed in the teaching PowerPoint. Children can assess Purple Mash via their own personal log ins and the teachers can set up the 2Do’s prior to the lesson which will alert the children in the lesson. Teacher monitors and assess children’s knowledge and understanding throughout the independent activity. When work is completed children ‘hand in’ and the teacher can further assess understanding of the children.

Teacher display in their classroom the specific vocabulary for their current unit.

Each year group has a planned overview of the year for teachers to follow. There is interactive video to show how to deliver the lesson.

Quizzes are built into lessons where appropriate.

Computing also links into other subjects across the school. With the use of laptops, iPads and Chrome Books the children are able to apply what they have learnt during their computing lessons to other subjects. For example, children might research a topic they are learning about or produce their work on a Word document or PowerPoint.

There is a key emphasis on learning skills for computing; these will include programming, debugging and exchanging information. Our children are taught how to access information, evaluate its suitability, store it, share it with others and tailor it to meet their own needs. This scheme follows the National Curriculum and enables non-specialist teachers to understand and teach the curriculum step by step. 

Although Online Safety education is an integral part of our computing curriculum and our daily practice, we also celebrate Safer Internet Day annually. On this enrichment day, all classes work to further develop their understanding of key risks and safe practices through assemblies.

Impact (the outcomes pupils achieve as a result of the education they have received)

Pupils will be able to talk confidently to an adult about what they have learnt in their computing lessons and what programmes/apps they have used. They will begin to use accurate vocabulary related to their topics. Children will apply the learning from their online safety lessons to help keep them safe when using technology in and out of school.

Lesson visits will show regular teaching of the curriculum using Purple Mash. Children will be able to demonstrate their skills in a range of ways during these lessons: verbally and physically.

Children will feel proud of their achievements by contributing to the class ‘floor book’ and teachers will use this to help with their assessments. This will contain a topic page and knowledge organiser that the children can refer to throughout their lessons. They will then be able to build on this knowledge year on year as they progress through the school.