Computing
Intent
Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in the way we do?
At Carr Lodge Academy, we follow the National Curriculum for Computing in KS1 and KS2. We have developed our Computing Scheme of Learning, based around the Teaching Computing Curriculum and their pedagogy for teaching Computing. This has been sequenced into key substantive and disciplinary knowledge for each year group from Nursery –Year 6.
Our Computing Overview outlines when, and for how long, each topic should be taught in each year group. It also makes clear links to prior and future knowledge, including for EYFS, as well as key knowledge and vocabulary that children should know. Knowledge builds from prior learning, with topics studied more than once through school. Sequencing within a topic will build on prior learning and introduce the pupils to new contexts and links with other areas of learning.
Computing is taught weekly as a distinct subject.
Implementation
What do we teach? What does this look like?
Coherence and flexibility
The Computing Curriculum is structured in units. For these units to be coherent, the lessons within a unit must be taught in order. However, across a year group, the units themselves do not need to be taught in order, with the exception of ‘Programming’ units, where concepts and skills rely on prior learning and experiences.
Spiral Curriculum
The units for key stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. This style of curriculum design reduces the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made even if different teachers are teaching the units within a theme in consecutive years.
Inclusive and Ambitious
The Computing Curriculum has been written to support all pupils. Each lesson is sequenced so that it builds on the learning from the previous lesson, and where appropriate, activities are scaffolded so that all pupils can succeed and thrive. Scaffolded activities provide pupils with extra resources, such as visual prompts, to reach the same learning goals as the rest of the class. Exploratory tasks foster a deeper understanding of a concept, encouraging pupils to apply their learning in different contexts and make connections with other learning experiences. As well as scaffolded activities, embedded within the lessons are a range of pedagogical strategies (defined in the ‘Pedagogy’ section of this document), which support making computing topics more accessible.