Kings Hill School Primary & Nursery

Computing

Intent

At Kings Hill School  and Nursery the curriculum intent in computing is that children:

• Acquire knowledge of the fundamental aspects of computer science and information technology.
• Are able to apply this knowledge to become digitally literate and use analytical problem solving skills and computational thinking.
• Become responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

Implementation

At Kings Hill School Primary and Nursery, our computing curriculum is taught using a blocked approach. This ensures pupils are able to develop depth in their knowledge and skills over the duration of each of their computing topics. Where relevant, some modules are taught in specific terms to compliment other cross-curricular units of learning. Content is selected carefully to allow richer and deeper learning experiences. Lessons are learned for a specific purpose and real life applications are emphasised to make learning relevant. Opportunities to build upon this learning is offered throughout the children’s time at Kings Hill School.

Our children in Early Years will be exposed to handling data, programming, multimedia and technology in their lives as they explore the world around them and how technology is an everyday part of their learning and understanding of the world. We aim to provide our pupils with a broad, play-based experience of Computing in a range of contexts. We believe that pupils can gain confidence, control and language skills through an assortment of computing opportunities. Teachers facilitate ICT scenarios based on experience in the real world, such as in role play. We believe that it is fundamental for our pupils in early years to carry this learning on in the outdoor environment by using toys such as walkie talkies or remote controlled toys. Both plugged and unplugged activities are embedded through continuous provision.

In Key Stage 1 the children will learn to understand what information technology is, identify a range of devices which are computers and consider how technology can help us both at school and at home. Online safety is embedded through each topic, allowing children to consider how they use different forms of information technology safely, in a range of different environments. Our pupils will be shown how to use a range of technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content as well as recognise common uses of information technology beyond school. Children will be taught what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions. They will be taught to create and debug simple programs and use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs. Children will be taught to use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies. Each of these skills will be taught through half termly units.

In Key Stage 2 the children will design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts.  They will use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs, use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and correct errors in algorithms and programs. Children will be taught to understand computer networks, including the internet, and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration. They will use search technologies effectively, learn to appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content. Children will be taught to select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals. They will use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

Impact

Our Computing curriculum is high quality and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children demonstrate understanding of the required knowledge and skills within the Kings Hill School and Nursery computing progression model for their year group they are meeting age related expectations; some children will show that they have exceeded age related expectations.

In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• Children can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
• Children can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
• Children can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
• Children are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
• A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school.

Computing News

• Friday 29 September 2023 National Coding Week 2023 Last week was National Coding Week and the whole school took part in a range of exciting activities to celebrate. It was a fantastic opportunity for our children to engage with coding and learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Each year group actively participated in coding activities that were designed to enhance their computational thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Monday 18 September 2023 National Coding Week 2023 Last week was National Coding Week and the whole school took part in a range of exciting activities to celebrate. It was a fantastic opportunity for our children to engage with coding and learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Each year group actively participated in coding activities that were designed to enhance their computational thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Tuesday 15 November 2022 Childnet Workshops Online Safety We were very pleased to be able to welcome Childnet to our school last week to discuss online safety with our children in Key Stage 2, staff and parents.
• Friday 23 September 2022 National Coding Week 2022 During National Coding Week the children enjoyed participating in a range of coding activities.
• Tuesday 21 June 2022 Year 2 Computing Year 2 enjoyed being introduced to their ‘Programming Quizzes’ unit in Scratch Jr. They began to understand sequencing in everyday life and how this can be applied to programming software. They were able to use their prior learning of algorithms to create their own sequence and test this in scratch. The children enjoyed running their codes and testing them out with their partners. The children also really impressed us with their debugging skills. Well done Year 2!
• Friday 13 May 2022 Year 5 Crumble Project This term in computing, Year 5 have started a programming unit of work. We have been experimenting with connecting circuits and using a software called ‘crumble’ to create codes by using command blocks. With this, the children have then been able to control and change the colour of the LED light attached to the ‘sparkle’.
• Thursday 10 February 2022 Safer Internet Day On Tuesday 8thFebruary, we celebrated 'Safer Internet Day' as a whole school. Children from nursery to Year 6 were able to explore this year’s theme:’ All Fun and Games: Exploring Respect and Relationships Online’. The children considered how usernames, passwords and gaming avatars protect their identity and the importance of this. They thought about the importance of gaming ages and knowing what to do if they are ever unsure when using a gaming app or website. Children in nursery, EYFS and KS1 enjoyed an interactive assembly by Mrs Buck, thinking about the games they play online and how to be safe. They then enjoyed listening to the story of Digiduck, learning about the importance of not purchasing extras on an app without permission, learning about what the purchase signs look like and knowing that we should always ask an adult if we are ever unsure. The children had a great day and demonstrated an excellent understanding of online safety.Why not ask your child abou
• Monday 20 September 2021 National Coding Week Last week was National Coding Week and the children enjoyed participating in a range of coding activities. Year 2 had fundeveloping their creative skills when designing their own unique town for the Bee-Bots to explore. They used theircodingskills to navigate the Bee-Bots around the town, avoiding any obstacles in their way! Year 5 enjoyed coding their own dance party. They were able to program characters to move in time with the beat and create different dance sequences. What a great week of coding Kings Hill School had!