Computing

Intent

The aim of our Computing curriculum at Birchfields Primary school is to provide the children with a modern, creative Computing curriculum which equips them to participate in a rapidly changing world in the 21st century, where daily life is transformed by technology. We want our children to find, explore, analyse and present information in a safe, responsible and respectful manner where E-Safety is a priority.

The four aspects of our Computing curriculum; Digital Literacy, Coding, Digital Media and Online Safety will enable our children to become confident, creative and independent learners. It is our intention that children have every opportunity available to allow them to achieve this. By the time our children leave Birchfields we want them all to be digitally literate.

At the forefront of our curriculum is E-Safety. The ever changing world of technology can expose children to more risks. E-Safety is a vital part of our curriculum and every lesson will be underpinned by E-Safety, ensuring each child has an understanding of procedures they can follow to be as safe as possible when using technology.

Implementation

At Birchfields, we implement a Computing curriculum which builds upon prior skills and knowledge year on year. All children are thoroughly taught E-Safety at the beginning of each academic year and is recapped throughout the year. Computing is taught weekly for every year group in the school by a specialist teacher and is linked where possible to our projects. For example, the Year 5 children used Publisher to make information leaflets about Chile. The children then used their skills to publish their English work on Queen Victoria. 

Assessment of their Computing knowledge and skills is formed by conducting pupil voice, observing children at work, giving children independent tasks and by looking at children’s work saved on the computer. This assessment then forms planning to ensure that any gaps are plugged so that they can become confident, creative and independent learners.