COMPUTING
COMPUTING AT MAYFIELD
Our Curriculum Intent
At Mayfield CE Primary School, we aim to prepare our learners for their future by giving them the opportunities to gain knowledge and develop skills that will equip them for an ever changing digital world. Knowledge and understanding of ICT is of increasing importance for our children’s future both at home and for employment. In line with our Christian values, we teach our children to use technology in a responsible and respectful manner and to persevere with skills that they may find challenging. Our Computing curriculum focuses on a progression of skills in digital literacy, computer science, information technology and online safety to ensure that children become competent in safely using, as well as understanding, technology. These strands are revisited repeatedly through a range of themes during children’s time in school to ensure the learning is embedded and skills are successfully developed. Our intention is that Computing also supports children’s creativity and cross curricular learning to engage children and enrich their experiences in school.
Our Curriculum Implementation
Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. To ensure a broad range of skills and understanding, Computing is taught across three main strands: digital literacy, computer science and information technology. As part of information technology, children learn to use and express themselves and develop their ideas through ICT for example writing and presenting as well as exploring art and design using multimedia. Within digital literacy, children develop practical skills in the safe use of ICT and the ability to apply these skills to solving relevant problems for example understanding safe use of internet, networks and email. We teach children to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including logic, algorithms and data representation. Also to analyse problems to computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems. Embedded within our curriculum is a progression of specific Computing vocabulary to support children in their understanding and communication. At Mayfield C E Primary School, we give children access to a wide range of good quality resources and provide cross curricular opportunities for children to apply their Computing knowledge and skills. Online safety is taught through a specific unit early in the year but is also reinforced regularly throughout the rest of the computing curriculum. In addition to this online safety has further discrete teaching through our RSHE curriculum. All of our online safety procedures are communicated with all staff and parents via the school website.
An overview of our computing curriculum for each year group can be found below:
Our Curriculum Impact
The implementation of this curriculum ensures that when children leave Mayfield C E Primary School, they are competent, respectful and responsible users of ICT with an understanding of how technology works. They will have developed skills to express themselves through digital media and are confident problem solvers, equipped with knowledge, strategies and perseverance that will enable them to tackle any challenges that they face and apply their skills in new situations.
We will regularly review, reflect and evaluate our computing curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of all the children in our school.