Computing Overview

Vision

At Greasbrough we want our children to love computing. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be software engineers, video game designers, web developers or IT consultants. We want them to embody our core values of ‘Passion, Positivity, Aspiration, Commitment and Tenacity’. The computing curriculum has been carefully designed so that our children develop their digital capital. We want our children to remember their computing lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the opportunities they are presented with! At our school we firmly believe that to make the most of the internet, children need to make smart decisions when online. We work with an Internet Safety Officer called Tim Pinto, who helps ensure that our children can remain safe whilst online. Our curriculum is also tailored so that our children are taught throughout the year about making safe choices whilst using the internet. This is also taught within our PSHE curriculum.

The computing curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our children to become independent and resilient – like all curriculum areas. Through units such as Digital Literacy children are able to use their skills to produce films for our Willow Tree Film Festival.

We want to equip them with not only the minimum statutory requirements of the computing National Curriculum but to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. 

Computing subject specific characteristics, which we expect the children to demonstrate, have been developed and shared with all stakeholders. These characteristics underpin all work in computing and form a focal point for display areas and provide a common subject specific vocabulary for staff and pupils. These characteristics are:  

• Competence in coding for a variety of practical and inventive purposes, including the application of ideas within other subjects.  
• The ability to connect with others safely and respectfully, understanding the need to act within the law and with moral and ethical integrity. An understanding of the connected nature of devices.  
• The ability to communicate ideas well by using applications and devices throughout the curriculum.  
• The ability to collect, organise and manipulate data effectively. 

We have worked with our staff to upskill their subject knowledge by using staff within school and across the academy. Teachers are then best placed to make any adaptations in their planning and lessons. Staff develop year group specific long-term curriculum maps which identify when the different subjects and topics will be taught across the academic year. The vast majority of subjects are taught discretely but staff make meaningful links across subjects. They link prior knowledge to new learning to deepen children’s learning. 

We encourage staff to teach a weekly computing lesson. This helps to ensure sufficient time is allocated to computing and that computing subject matter can be revisited frequently. We believe that by crafting our curriculum this way, we improve the potential for our children to retain what they have been taught, to alter their long-term memory and thus improve the rates of progress they make.

Alongside the computing curriculum children have daily access to devices such as chromebooks and iPads to further support their learning in other curricular areas. The ICT suite is available for classes to use for children to practise their skills within other subjects on a regular basis.