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Computing at Carbeile Junior school is designed to equip children with essential digital skills and knowledge, ensuring they can navigate and thrive in a technology-driven world.
At Carbeile, we have chosen to use the Kapow Primary Computing scheme. This aims to instil a sense of enjoyment around using technology and to develop pupil’s appreciation of its capabilities and the opportunities technology offers to create, manage, organise, and collaborate. Tinkering with software and programs forms a part of the ethos of the scheme as we want to develop pupils’ confidence when encountering new technology, which is a vital skill in the ever evolving and changing landscape of technology.
Through our curriculum, we intend for pupils not only to be digitally competent and have a range of transferable skills at a suitable level for the future workplace, but also to be responsible online citizens. The scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of Key Stage Two attainment targets outlined in the National curriculum and the aims align with those in the National curriculum. Our Computing scheme of work satisfies all the objectives of the DfE’s Education for a Connected World framework. This guidance was created to help equip children for life in the digital world, including developing their understanding of appropriate online behaviour, copyright issues, being discerning consumers of online information and healthy use of technology.
Take a look at how our children’s learning in computing progresses as they move from Year 3 to Year 6. All lessons have been carefully considered, planned to cater for the learning needs of all children and with careful links made wherever possible to previous year/next year learning in computing and making cross curricular links to other subjects when possible.
To help our children learn better in computing lessons, we make sure that all of our lessons have a question at the start. Carbeile children can answer the questions by the end of the lesson but also remember these answers in future lessons in that particular year of learning and in future years.
The answers to all of our ‘Big Questions’ form our Forever Facts. This is the knowledge that we think our children need to remember from their Computing lessons in future years, well beyond when they have left their year group and when they have left Carbeile Junior School. We have ‘Total Recall’ in all lessons, quizzing the children about past weeks, past topics and even past years learning.
The National curriculum purpose of study states: ‘The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils 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, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems, and a range of content. 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’. Therefore, the Kapow Primary scheme of work is designed with three strands which run throughout:
Our Progression of skills shows the skills that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop year on year to ensure attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. 3 The Kapow Primary scheme is organised into five key areas, creating a cyclical route through which pupils can develop their computing knowledge and skills by revisiting and building on previous learning:
The implementation of Kapow Primary Computing ensures a broad and balanced coverage of the National curriculum requirements, and our ‘Skills showcase’ units provide pupils with the opportunity to learn and apply transferable skills.
Where meaningful, units have been created to link to other subjects such as science, art, and music to enable the development of further transferable skills and genuine cross-curricular learning. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as unplugged and digital activities. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required.
Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary. The computing curriculum has been created to ensure teaching staff deliver lessons that are of a high standard and ensure pupil progression.
Integrating oracy and speaking and listening opportunities into computing lessons in primary schools can significantly enhance students’ communication skills and deepen their understanding of technology. SOme of the ways this can be achieved include:
At Carbeile, we also have digital leaders from every class who take on the role of IT experts! They help with the laptops and ensure they are well looked after as well as helping other children with being able to log in and use the different programmes effectively. Once a year, there is a special trip to the Plymouth Apple Store where they get to work on iPads and learn about coding.
As part of our half termly home learning sheets, there might be an element of Computing linked to one of the tasks. Please help encourage your child’s enthusiasm and enjoyment in Computing by supporting them with this home learning.
The impact of Kapow Primary’s scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives and each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and/ or end of the unit. After the implementation of Kapow Primary Computing, pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be active participants in the ever-increasing digital world. The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Computing scheme of work is that children will:
Assessment in Computing at Carbeile Juniors is ongoing and purposeful, ensuring pupils develop the knowledge and skills outlined in the curriculum. A range of formative assessment strategies are used during lessons, including observation, questioning and review of pupils’ digital work, to check understanding and inform future planning. At the end of each taught unit, pupils take part in an interactive assessment using a system called ‘Plickers’, which provides a fun and engaging way for them to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. The teacher presents questions based on topics previously covered, ensuring that pupils retain and recall prior learning. For example, while Year 6 may be studying units such as Programming and Networks, they are still expected to remember key ideas from earlier topics like Online Safety, Algorithms, and Digital Media. How this works is that teachers use their class tablet to scan unique, printable, QR-like paper cards held up by students to indicate answers (A, B, C, or D) to end of unit questions. The Plickers app instantly records responses, allowing for immediate feedback and data tracking. The immediate results from Plickers allow teachers to clearly identify pupils’ strengths, gaps and any misconceptions. This information is then used to inform future planning, adapt lessons and provide targeted support or challenge, ensuring that learning builds effectively and that children continue to develop a secure and progressive understanding of computing concepts.