The Woodland Federation of Peak District Schools
Computing
Intent
At The Woodland Federation of Peak District Schools, we believe that every child should have the right to a curriculum that champions excellence, supporting pupils in achieving this to the very best of their abilities. We understand that immense value technology plays not only in supporting the Computing curriculum and the wider school curriculum but also in our day to day lives. We believe that technology can provide:
- enhanced collaborative learning opportunities
- better engagement of pupils; easier access to rich content
- support conceptual understanding of new concepts and support the needs of all our pupils.
We want to ensure that our children are prepared for the modern world and develop values that will help them be responsible citizens of the future. With this in mind, we have developed our computing curriculum to not only develop their computing skills but educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly, and safely.
We aim to educate SMILERS, nurturing children who are healthy, happy and hungry to learn.
Implementation
Every child benefits from a discrete, weekly computing lesson and teachers also provide opportunities for children to access technology in other areas of the curriculum. Our computing curriculum is based on the NCCE Computing units. Our use of the scheme was developed in conjunction with support from a STEM ambassador to ensure that our rolling programme is coherently planned. The programme fully covers the requirements of the National Curriculum and is sequenced to allow children to build upon their computing knowledge as they progress through each year of school. The lesson plans created by the NCCE have been chosen because they offer fun, creative hands-on activities which challenge misconceptions and break the National Curriculum down into small steps. We find the NCCE scheme to be clear, systematic, and easy to teach so it is ideal for all members of staff to follow. It has been designed for teachers from all backgrounds who want to improve their knowledge and teaching practice. The NCCE scheme has also been chosen because it has a clear structure, detailed planning, and a well-thought-out journey through learning.
Safety in a digital world is extremely important and we have supplemented our programme with Online safety sessions from Common Sense Education, which is aligned to the Education for a Connected World. Pupils will also learn how to protect themselves online during PSHE sessions using PSHE Matters. To further support the safety of our pupils, we regularly send parents National Online Safety guides and make these available via our website.
Impact
Children will be confident users of technology, able to use it to accomplish a wide variety of goals linked to information technology, computer science and digital literacy both at home and in school.
Children will have a secure and comprehensive knowledge of the implications of technology and digital systems. This is important in a society where technologies and trends are rapidly evolving.
Children will know how to behave online, considering their digital footprint and how their actions can have impacts beyond their school or locality. The children also investigate and develop key ideas regarding current issues in school or society.
Pupils will learn to showcase, share, celebrate and publish their work to best show the impact of our curriculum. This will be cross-referenced with our long-term plan and progression of skills document.
Children will be able to apply the British values of democracy, tolerance, mutual respect, rule of law and liberty when using digital systems.