Throckley Primary School Computing Curriculum: Intent, Implementation and Impact Intent At Throckley Primary School, we are committed to providing a purposeful and empowering curriculum that fully prepares learners for their next steps. We believe that computing is integral to all aspects of life and with this in mind, we endeavour to ensure that children develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards computing that will stay with them beyond their time at our school. Computing has the power to make a significant contribution to teaching and learning through experience, conversations and connections, which unite us with the world around us. Woven through the three strands of computing, our key concepts of belonging, choice and influence; and the supportive study of significant people and rich stories, ensures children develop their sense of self and their aspirations for the future. Our curriculum is underpinned by three drivers. By understanding our place in the world, computing facilitates contextualised learning. Children begin to develop their sense of identity in the wider world and how technology can influence this both positively and negatively and begin to recognise and discriminate information effectively to support their development of cultural capital. With technology becoming an increasingly profound aspect of the modern world, the computing curriculum provides opportunities for children to broaden their horizons. At Throckley Primary School, we provide access to workshops delivered by people working in a range of establishments. Not only can children apply their learning beyond the school gates, but they also begin to understand the importance of computing within their future careers. We encourage children to aspire to achieve, where progression of both skill and knowledge is vitally connected throughout the school. Computing lends itself to many opportunities of enquiry and experience as children take responsibility for their own learning. We facilitate independent learning within Computer Science and Information Technology, enabling child-led study and application of skills. This supports children in mastering their own knowledge and allows a deeper level of thinking.
Implementation Throckley Primary School values the Blooms Taxonomy framework and this underpins learning sequences across the curriculum. Clear learning intentions and tasks have been considerately planned within our whole school coverage and progression of skills documents. Within Computer Science, children are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, children are equipped to use Information Technology to create programs, systems and use a range of digital equipment. Computing also enables children to safely, responsibly and respectfully access portals such as the internet through Digital Literacy. Although some concepts strongly lend themselves to a particular strand, at Throckley Primary School, we use all three to provide a balanced context for learning, where children have the opportunity to enquire, connect, experience and master within the computing curriculum. During the Early Years Foundation Stage, children are exposed to a range of technology, such as a variety of electronic toys, interactive devices such walkie-talkies, microphones, and recordable magnifying glasses as well as iPads and PCs. Through Beebots, children begin to develop a sense of instructional coding and can explore the concept input versus output and debugging at a simplistic level. This supports children’s transitions to Key Stage One, where all three strands of the computing curriculum are explicitly taught.