Computing at The Pines

“Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event.” – Heidi-Hayes Jacobs

Vision and Intent

At The Pines, our vision for the teaching of Computing is to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world – in other words, to think like computing experts. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, measure and record necessary data in a variety of ways and analyse and present their findings. We want children to leave us with an awareness of how Computing shapes lives at multiple scales and over time. The hope is to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.

Technology is everywhere so we want to prepare our pupils by modelling and educating them in how to use technology positively, creatively and safely throughout our curriculum whilst also being able to critically when it is advantageous, or not to use technology.

We aim to:

• Provide a balanced, stimulating and creative curriculum which will equip them with the skills and knowledge they need for the future
• Provide opportunities for children to use their computational skills to understand and solve problems
• Educate children on how to keep themselves safe online
• Educate children on the current advances in technology and the positives and risks associated with these. This includes appropriate use of AI.
• Provide opportunities for children to apply the knowledge and skills they have learnt to other areas of the curriculum in creative ways

The Pines Computing Curriculum ensures coverage of the three strands of the National Curriculum:

• Computer Science
• Information Technology
• Digital Literacy

The Computing curriculum is organised into five key areas, which are revisited in each year group. This structure helps identify prior and future learning, allowing pupils to build on their existing knowledge. 

These key areas are designed to group learning into meaningful and purposeful domains, reflecting how technology is experienced and used in the real world. They help ensure that both declarative knowledge (knowing what) and procedural knowledge (knowing how) are developed in parallel.

These Key areas are:

• Computing Systems
• Programming
• Creating Media
• Data Handling
• Online Safety

Our Curriculum Drivers are reflected through our Computing curriculum as it:

Helps children understand THEIR PLACE IN OUR WORLD, by recognising common uses of information technology beyond school and being able to learn about and link with people from different countries.

Gives children opportunities through LANGUAGE and ORACY to communicate with other people in a variety of ways.

Enables children to LEARN the SKILLS of computational thinking which is a transferable skill and can be used in other subjects as well as computing.

Promotes a HEALTHY MIND as the children are being taught how to keep safe on the internet, how to use it positivity and learning to use it in moderation.

Implementation

At The Pines, the Computing curriculum is delivered through a scheme of work called ‘Kapow’.

Kapow Primary’s Computing scheme incorporates a spiral curriculum model, ensuring that children revisit and develop their understanding of key themes and concepts as they progress. This approach allows them to make meaningful connections, reinforce their learning and achieve mastery over time.

• Revisiting key concepts – pupils encounter the same ideas multiple times throughout their education, with each revisit adding more complexity.
• Progressive depth – concepts are not just repeated but expanded upon, helping pupils to make connections and develop a richer understanding over time.
• Knowledge retention – regular exposure to key ideas strengthens memory and prevents knowledge from being forgotten.
• Skill development – pupils refine and apply their skills in different contexts, improving their ability to think critically and solve problems.
• Adaptive learning – by building on prior knowledge, the curriculum meets pupils at their current level and supports all learners, including those who need extra reinforcement and those who are ready for greater challenges.

The Kapow curriculum is structured into units for each year group, and each unit is broken down into lessons. These lessons and units ensure there is a progression of skills, knowledge and vocabulary. They also activate and build on prior learning with a short activity linked to this at the start of each lesson. This helps reinforce key knowledge, activate long term memory and create connections between past and new learning. This scheme of work is also fully adaptable for pupils with SEND with adaptive teaching & learning activities which can be modified to meet the needs of all learners.

Where possible, the units are linked to the topic that is being taught.  

 Internet/E-safety is threaded throughout the Computing curriculum and the wider curriculum. There are specific lessons linked to a unit, but it can also be used to teach a stand-alone lesson if an e-safety issue arises and needs to be addressed. The Pines also partakes in Safer Internet Day (SID). This usually takes place in February with a different focus each year.  At the Pines, we complete activities across the week linked to SID.

Children have weekly computing lessons delivered in the classrooms on laptops.  Children have access to iPads and laptops to deliver other areas of the curriculum where they can practise their skills they have been taught.  

Impact

The impact of our teaching in Computing is evidenced through:

• Formative assessment:  ongoing teacher assessment, such as questioning, retrieval practice and interactive activities within lessons.
• Summative Assessment: Each unit provides and Assessment Quiz and Knowledge Catcher which allows teachers to measure pupils' understanding at key points.
• Children will be able to use Computing vocabulary confidently
• Children will demonstrate their learning often through tangible evidence such as structure written work, electronically saved projects/work, code structures and creative responses.
• By Year 5 and 6 will be able to independently choose to present their work in Computing and other curriculum areas in different ways using technology when it is appropriate to do so.

The above assessments combine to help teachers to gauge how well pupils have retained key knowledge and skills over time.  Teachers use all of this information, linked to the National Curriculum, to give each pupil a 'grade' at the end of each term.  These will be Working Towards Year Group Standard (WTS), Meeting Expected Year Group Standard (EXS), or Exceeding Year Group Standard (GDS).

Aims of our Computing curriculum:

• Children at The Pines will have developed skills to express themselves, be creative and be equipped so they can apply their skills in Computing to different challenges as they progress in their education.
• Children at The Pines will be able to demonstrate their computational skills to solve complex problems by understanding what the problem is and developing possible solutions. They can present these solutions in a way that a computer, a human, or both, can understand.
• Children at The Pines will be safe users of technology and use it in a positive and socially responsible way.
• Children at The Pines will be aware of and understand how technology can help society but also the risks involved. 
• Children at The Pines will be aware of current advances in technology and computing including the validity and risks of these. This include understanding and use of AI.
• Children at The Pines will be able to transfer their Computing knowledge and skills to other areas of the curriculum