Computing

Intent

Computing at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery intends to develop ‘thinkers of the future’ through an engaging, modern, ambitious and relevant education in computing. We want to equip children to use Computational Thinking and creativity that will enable them to become active participants in the digital world. It is important to us that the children understand how to use the ever-changing technology to express themselves, as tools for learning and as a means to drive their generation forward into the future. We believe that “what happens early, matters for a lifetime.” We believe that children are born computer scientists and they demonstrate a natural curiosity and inquisitiveness about the world around them. A high-quality computing education provides the foundations for understanding the world. During computing teaching, lessons and provision, we provide opportunities for children to:

Continue to develop awe and wonder about the world around them.
Develop computing knowledge and conceptual understanding.
Develop understanding of the processes and methods of computing.
Make connections within their learning and understanding about computing.
Be equipped with the computing knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of technology, today and for the future.

We ensure that children develop enquiry skills through computational thinking. We provide opportunities within computing lessons for:

https://www.starfireed.com/computational-thinking

At Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery, we recognise the importance of an ambitious and engaging curriculum which develops children’s computing knowledge and skills. We have carefully sequenced computing learning from Nursery to Year 2 to ensure that children can build on their prior knowledge. This will ensure that children know more and remember more over time. For example, in Reception, the children explore use of technology and tinkering through observations, in year 1 the children learn to code and in year 2 the children learn about debugging.

Implementation

Our bespoke knowledge and skill progression documents are guided by the statutory National Curriculum 2014; however, as a school we have adapted our computing curriculum to make it bespoke for our children and the community in which they live in. Our computing learning is linked to year group themed topic questions so that children can make meaningful links between their computing learning and learning in other subjects.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, computing is taught through the area of learning ‘Understanding the World.’ Children in Nursery and Reception learn and make sense about the world around them. They work with a range of practical resources both inside and outside of the classroom. Children begin to predict, wonder, show curiosity for how things work and show their understanding through speech and drawings. EYFS teachers teach Computational Thinking Skills through the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning: ‘playing and exploring,’ ‘active learning’ and ‘creating and thinking critically.’ The poster below shows ways that children can demonstrate these enquiry skills throughout Computing provision and teaching opportunities:

Below, you will find our Computing curriculum overview. This shares our vision for computing at our school, what the children will learn about in computing lessons, the end of year expectations for EYFS and Key Stage 1 and the enrichment opportunities that we provide in computing.

In Key Stage 1, children begin to refine their computing knowledge and computing is taught in blocks which are carefully planned out over the year. Teachers build on children’s prior computing knowledge and skills by re-capping previously taught topics and linking themes e.g. re-capping what the children learnt and remember about programmable toys and Beebots in Reception when they re-visit the topic again in Year 1. All children have the opportunity to problem solve and learn through real life opportunities. They are encouraged to ask their own questions and use their computing skills to research and discover. Teachers plan practical and engaging lessons which are progressive and build on children’s knowledge and skills.

Computational Thinking Skills are embedded throughout computing lessons and provision. These are:

Decomposition- Larger problems or systems, broken down into smaller, more manageable parts.
Abstraction- Focussing on the important information.
Patterns- Looking for similarities among and within problems and data
Algorithms- Developing a step by step solution

We plan for problem solving and real-life opportunities that enable children to find out for themselves. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and are given opportunities to use their computing skills to research to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. Planning involves teachers creating practical, engaging lessons with opportunities for precise questioning in class to evaluate conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning.

Our curriculum is progressive. We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years, which is assessed through pupil voice and formative assessment where teachers can identify misconceptions that need addressing. Computational Thinking Skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career, and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in keeping with the topics. Teachers demonstrate how to use computing software and equipment, and Computational Thinking Skills in order to embed computing understanding. Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts.

Through enrichment days, such as Coding Days and eSafety Day, we promote the profile of computing and allow time for the children to freely explore computing topics. Wherever possible, we incorporate outdoor learning into our computing teaching e.g. giving and following instructions within the school grounds and we are passionate about bringing children’s learning to life with first-hand experiences.

Impact

By the end of their time at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery children will have gained a coherent understanding of computing which will provide them with the foundations for future computing learning which will help shape our world.

By the end of Key Stage One, children will be able to:

understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
create and debug simple programs
use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
recognise common uses of information technology beyond school
use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

As teachers we formatively assess the children by taking the opportunity to ‘recap’ prior learning at the start of sessions. This could be done through quizzes, questioning etc. As computing is a practical subject, we will also make great us of ‘pupil voice’ as a way of children demonstrating understanding and we ensure that ‘significant’ quotes from individuals are captured and put into their Topic Book or on Class Dojo.