At Stenson Fields Primary Community school, children learn how computers and computer systems work, and will build their own programs. They will create a range of content, which may be linked to the cross curricular themes they are studying. In addition, the children will learn about the importance of online safety, and life skills which will ensure they use computers in a safe and appropriate manner. The computing curriculum will ensure that all children have the skills and knowledge they need to use technology creatively, safely and in the wider world. Children will be taught to apply computing terminology and vocabulary (debugging, evaluation, tinkering, persevering, decomposition, patterns, creating, logic, algorithms, abstraction and collaborating) to their everyday learning. Teaching will ensure that opportunities are provided for pupils to solve problems within the computing curriculum and transfer these skills into other areas.
All year groups will follow the Teach Computing Curriculum. The Teach Computing Curriculum uses the National Centre for Computing Education’s computing taxonomy to ensure comprehensive coverage of the subject. All learning outcomes can be described through a high-level taxonomy of ten strands, ordered alphabetically as follows:
■ Algorithms — Be able to comprehend, design, create, and evaluate algorithms
■ Computer networks — Understand how networks can be used to retrieve and share information, and how they come with associated risks
■ Computer systems — Understand what a computer is, and how its constituent parts function together as a whole
■ Creating media — Select and create a range of media including text, images, sounds, and video
■ Data and information — Understand how data is stored, organised, and used to represent real-world artefacts and scenarios
■ Design and development — Understand the activities involved in planning, creating, and evaluating computing artefacts
■ Effective use of tools — Use software tools to support computing work
■ Impact of technology — Understand how individuals, systems, and society as a whole interact with computer systems
■ Programming — Create software to allow computers to solve problems
■ Safety and security — Understand risks when using technology, and how to protect individuals and systems
In addition to this, all areas of online safety are continually revisited throughout the year and across year groups. This is supported by Project Evolve (KS1 and 2).