Computing
Welcome to computing!
Our computing team consists of two enthusiastic members - Mr N Dempster and Mrs N Fessey.
Mrs N Fessey (Year 5) is an accreditated Apple teacher. She loves computing because the possibilities are infinite. She believes that it promotes creativity and challenges our thought processes.
Mr N Dempster (Year 6) is an Apple Distinguished Educator and Level 2 Google Educator. He has a passion for enhancing learning across the curriculum, through the use of technology. He believes that all children can be creative and successful when working with computers and he is keen to share his knowledge and enthusiasm of the subject to all the children in the school.
Intent
In line with the National Curriculum (2014) for Computing, our aim is to provide a high-quality computing education which equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. The curriculum will teach children key knowledge about how computers and computer systems work, and how they are designed and programmed. Learners will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of computational systems of all kinds, whether or not they include computers.
By the time they leave Norwood, children will have gained key knowledge and skills in the three main areas of the computing curriculum: computer science (programming and understanding how digital systems work), information technology (using computer systems to store, retrieve and send information) and digital English (evaluating digital content and using technology safely and respectfully). The objectives within each strand support the development of learning across the key stages, ensuring a solid grounding for future learning and beyond. At Norwood, our children gain a great understanding of E-Safety and we are constantly reviewing this in light of current events. We are always looking at further opportunities to teach Computing across the curriculum.
Implementation
Each session, pupils evaluate personal achievement in relation to lesson objectives. Previously learned skills and knowledge are revised during ‘REWIND’ activities completed in subsequent lessons. At Norwood, computing planning supports learning across subjects and provides opportunities for students to develop and apply skills in context. It is our intention that, in addition to discrete computing lessons, all year groups have the opportunity to use a range of hardware and software throughout the wider curriculum. This approach improves pupils’ motivation and engagement and offers purpose for learning whilst embedding new skills.
The implementation of the curriculum promotes balanced coverage of all three strands of computing: computer science; information technology and digital literacy. During each year group pupils gain experience in each strand, with the complexity of skills increasing as they progress through school, thus advancing knowledge. For example, pupils in Key Stage 1 learn what an algorithm is, this leads to the design stage of programming in Key Stage 2: pupils design, write and debug programs and develop skills to explain the thinking behind their algorithm.
Internet Safety is taught regularly, at least once every half term. We deliver this using picture books, which are accessible to all and cover a wide range of issues such as cyber-bullying, protecting passwords, catfishing and digital footprints. Internet Safety is evident throughout the Curriculum in our RHE (previously PSHE) work - which we deliver through 1Decision on a weekly basis.
Impact
Our approach to the curriculum results in a fun, engaging, and high-quality Computing education. Evidence such as this is used to feed into teachers’ future planning, and as a topic-based approach continues to be developed, teachers are able to revisit misconceptions and knowledge gaps in computing when teaching other curriculum areas. This supports varied paces of learning and ensures all pupils make good progress.
Much of the subject-specific knowledge developed in our Computing lessons equip pupils with experiences which will benefit them in secondary school, further education and future workplaces.
From research methods, use of presentation and creative tools and critical thinking, Computing at Norwood gives children the building blocks that enable them to pursue a wide range of interests and vocations in the next stage of their lives.
By the end of a pupil’s time in Norwood, we want our children in Computing to:
- Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling physical systems and simulating physical systems (e.g. robots, motors, sensors or animation of the water cycle or a simulation of how the moon orbits the Earth).
- More efficiently write programs that include repetition, sequence and selection.
- Use variables in programs (e.g. timer, score, health bar).
- Work with a wider range of inputs and outputs (e.g. motors, motion sensors, noise sensors).
- Use logical reasoning to enhance algorithms in some way (e.g. to make a game more or less challenging).
- Solve increasingly complex problems by decomposing them into smaller parts (e.g. if creating a maze game, break the task up into a number of steps: design and create the maze, design and then program the main sprite or character, program other characters or features of the game).
- Be discerning in evaluating digital content with an understanding of how search engines select and rank results.
- Create digital content and programs by combining different software and different digital devices (e.g. combining images and text on a word processing document, combining video, audio and images in a movie or presentation, creating an animation on Scratch with music, sound effects, text).
- Use digital devices to collect data and then use it to answer questions or solve problems (e.g. using data loggers or sensors).
- Know that computer simulations are used to model a real-world or imaginary situation (e.g. NASA simulating take-offs and landings; responses to natural disasters).
- Understand that computer networks, like the internet, provide lots of services and offer opportunities for communication and collaboration.
These are some of the online safety books that we will be studying throughout the year.
