Intent

In an ever-changing digital world, there now exists a whole range of technologies, software and tools that can be used to communicate, collaborate, express ideas, and create digital content. At Model Village, we want our children to understand the potential of technology and begin to build computing skills for the future. Our intent is to support their creativity, through cross-curricular experiences, giving them the skills to become digital creators, with an understanding of how technology works and how to be a responsible digital citizen. Our computing provision from Early Years and across both key stages builds on prior knowledge, allowing children to develop skills across the three main strands of Computing: computer science, digital literacy and information technology.

At Model Village, we use the i-vengers programme, alongside our computing curriculum, to encourage our children to think about how to use the internet safely and responsibly. Children from Key Stage 2 become ambassadors for online safety, promoting the importance of online safety in school.

The computing curriculum at Model Village Primary School aims to ensure that all children are:

• Provided with an engaging, relevant, and challenging computing curriculum for all pupils.
• Enthused and equipped with skills to use technology throughout their lives.
• Given access to a variety of high-quality hardware, software, and unplugged resources.
• Critical thinkers, reflective learners and develop a ‘can do’ attitude, particularly when engaging with technology and its associated resources.
• Responsible, respectful, and competent users of data, information, and communication technology.
• Aware of the importance of governance and legislation regarding how information is used, stored, created, retrieved, shared, and manipulated.
• Equipped with skills, strategies and knowledge that will enable them to engage with the online world, whilst being able to minimise risk to themselves or others.
• Provided with technology solutions for forging better home and school links.
• Able to utilise computational thinking beyond the computing curriculum and in other areas of the curriculum.

Implementation

Computing at Model Village is taught during a timetabled weekly session. For the Early Years Foundation Stage, Computing is taught through adult directed activities and within continuous provision activities. Children are taught to use a range of different software and hardware, including laptops and iPads. Being responsible online citizens is at the heart of our computing curriculum. Children are taught about the advantages and disadvantages of technology and the importance of online safety, including where to go if they have any concerns about content or contact online. The computing curriculum at Model Village utilises resources from Teach Computing to ensure National Curriculum coverage. Resources are adapted to support the needs and interests of our children and, where possible, technology is used to support and develop understanding in other areas of the curriculum.

We recognise that our children have differing levels of ability and employ a range of teaching strategies to enable all children to access learning and reach their full potential. Strategies include peer teaching, adult support, small group support and scaffolding. Our long-term plan maps out units covered in each year group and ensures not only progression, but a balance of skills are taught across the three main strands of computing (Computer Science, Digital Literacy and Information Technology).

Impact

At Model Village we use a range of techniques to assess pupil attainment and progress in computing:

• Progress made by children is monitored through the use of formative assessments at the point of learning and verbal feedback is given to ensure that all children are able to achieve the learning objective for that lesson and are given an appropriate degree of challenge and support.
• Pupil attainment is assessed against the National Curriculum Objectives for each year group and against the Birth to Five Matters guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Children are encouraged to self, peer and group assess work in a positive way through presenting their work to the class.
• We encourage children to take an active role in their own learning, to identify their own next steps and to challenge themselves.
• Formative assessment is used within each Computing session, with children involved in this process, through the learning objective and success criteria, both teachers and children can evaluate progress.