What does a good Computing curriculum look like? “A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world... Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate — able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology — at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.” National Curriculum Purpose of Study
What should you teach in primary Computing? The national curriculum has six objectives for KS1 and seven objectives for KS2. Although not explicitly defined in the curriculum, these objectives can be split into three distinct strands; computer science, information technology and digital literacy: Computer Science (CS) is the ‘foundation’ of the subject (i.e. the underlying principles that make up the subject). Information Technology (IT) is how you “apply this knowledge” and understanding to purposefully create and make things. Digital Literacy (DL) is about considering the ‘implications’ of how you are going about doing this.
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successful computing curriculum will ensure a broad and balanced coverage of all of the above strands. It is important that your staff have adequate subject knowledge in all three strands of the curriculum to be able to effectively deliver this to your pupils. Staff audits, in-house CPD and Kapow Primary’s in-built teacher CPD videos can all support this. You can also get help from Kapow Primary’s Computing subject leader toolkit.
Computer Science
Information Technology
Digital Literacy
Computer Science covers the ‘how’. How computers and computer systems work and how they are designed and programmed. Computer Science units cover programming units alongside units such as understanding how a school network and the internet works.
Information Technology is the application of Computing. Ensuring your pupils can use a wide range of products and software to enable them to plan, develop and create. These units should cover a variety of media such as video, audio, art, photography or music.
Digital Literacy is about the understanding and implications; why you are choosing to use something for a particular purpose. This strand also covers online safety, knowing how to use things safely, respectfully and responsibly.
How much curriculum time should be spent on Computing? In an ideal situation, you would have both discrete Computing lessons to teach the skills, and then cross-curricular opportunities to transfer these to enhance learning in other subject lessons. For example, after learning about Stop Motion Animation in Year 2 or Year 5 the pupils could use these skills to show the life cycle of an animal or explain how the digestive system works in science. However, it is not always possible to fit everything into your timetable, so some Computing units can easily be taught in a cross-curricular way. For example, Kapow Primary’s Year 4 ‘Investigating Weather’ unit may link nicely to your Geography unit or their Year 5 ‘Programming: Music’ unit could be used to support your music lessons for a half term.
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