Computing
Our Computing Curriculum aims to enable our pupils to become responsible, creative and adaptable users of technology, allowing them to benefit from all the opportunities that living in a connected world brings. We want our children to leave Ash Grove prepared for an ever-changing digital future, knowing and applying the skills of computer science, information technology and digital literacy. We want them to become confident and competent users of a range of technology for both work and pleasure, and to have a critical awareness of their own and other’s online behaviour, using effective strategies for staying safe and making a positive contribution online.
At Ash Grove we mostly follow the Purple Mash Computing Scheme of Work from Year 1 to Year 6. The lessons are designed to be fun and engaging, and meet all requirements of the National Curriculum for Computing. However, we are now in the process of further refining our curriculum to include some units of work from the Teach Computing curriculum as a way of allowing our pupils to be exposed to a wider range of software and hardware within their computing lessons. Both schemes have clear planning documents and excellent supporting materials for teachers, as well as plentiful opportunities for children to apply their new knowledge and skills in bespoke, creative tasks.
The units of work fall into three broad categories: Computer Science (coding and computational thinking); Information Technology (spreadsheets; art, design and music; databases and graphing; writing and presenting); and Digital Literacy (communications and networks; internet and email). Where possible, we have organised the units into a spiral curriculum across each year group, building on prior learning year-on-year in order to secure children’s knowledge and understanding of key concepts and skills in each area. This structured, spaced learning supports teachers’ planning and delivery of skills and knowledge, as well as the children’s retrieval of prior learning, helping them to know more and remember more.
This repetition of key themes inherently lends itself to progression in skills and outcomes, including in the level of challenge and complexity of tasks set. Details can be found in the attached Skills Progression by Year Group document. Learning outcomes are shared with the children, and teachers make reference to prior learning, supporting the children to forge links between what they already know and the new knowledge they acquire. As a result of our carefully constructed spiral curriculum, children are expected to make good progress in their understanding and application of computing, including applying what they have learnt beyond the classroom.
