Computing

Our school vision

To create a school that enables all pupils (no matter what background or starting point) to achieve their full potential and promotes the school as a beacon within the community, where aspirations are achieved and dreams are a reality for all pupils, staff and families.

Our computing vision

Our vision for computing is for pupils to leave model digital citizens; prepared for their online future.  Across their St. Helen's journey, pupils will develop their expertise in information technology and become young computer scientists, whilst securing their understanding of online safety and the impact of their digital footprint. 

Intent:

At St. Helen’s Primary school, we believe children should be masters of technology; prepared for the ever-changing technological world.

We understand that technology is everywhere and will play a significant part in our students’ future lives. Our aim is to prepare and educate children on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely to become skilful, digitally-literate computer scientists.

As a team, staff will model the effective use of technology and social media to educate students and promote the positive and creative use of technology. Children will develop their confidence and independence to use a range of tools effectively -  to make a positive contribution in the world.

“We’re changing the world with technology.” – Bill Gates

Implementation:

At St. Helen’s, the curriculum is themed around three main strands: Digital Literacy, Information Technology and Computer Science. Our bespoke curriculum is designed to promote broad experiences, which build on skills learned each year and apply them in a variety of different contexts.

Our computing curriculum is taught discretely and as part of cross-curricular sessions to expose children to a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experiences. We ensure quality first teaching of content to promote a broad and balanced curriculum and progression of skills - linked directly to the national curriculum.

To promote a love of learning and immerse children into the technological world, we encourage WOW starters and FAB Finishers within computing topics. Across their time at St. Helen's, children can look forward to coding and playing invasion-themed games (UKS2), developing a fairy-tale themed animation experience (LKS2) and creating stop-motion animations to depict the Great Fire of London (KS1).

Impact:

It is our vision that by the time they leave school, children will be responsible digital citizens; confidently and competently using computers and technology for a range of purposes. Children will know how to act in a manner that promotes our school rules: ready, respectful and safe – prepared for their future technological lives.

SEND:

Our computing curriculum is aspirational for all; removing barriers with adaptive, high-quality teaching. We believe that all learners deserve to experience equal opportunities in computing, regardless of their: age, gender, ethnicity, impairment, attainment and background. 

Lesson structure:

Computing lessons at St. Helen’s Primary School follow a set structure to support all learners:

Retrieve – Pupils will participate in a retrieval-style starter task, which allows them to access prior curriculum learning from a previous year group.

Recap – Pupils will discuss previous lessons and make connections between their existing knowledge and new concepts (from teacher-led input).

Unplugged – Pupils will engage in a practical exploration of a new concept without technology e.g. matching activities, designing final products visually, problem solving and responding to thought-provoking scenarios.

Plugged – Pupils will use technology to express their ideas, share their thinking, represent their findings, create final products and debug problems.

Reading Lists:

WOW STARTER - ProBots

In Year 3, we have started our new programming topic with a WOW STARTER. In the lesson, we all worked together to make a Probot move. We used our knowledge of algorithms to sequence set instructions and supported one another to create different shapes and patterns. What a fun afternoon!

 Safer Internet Day 2022

Today, we had a collapsed curriculum 'spotlight' day for computing across all year groups (EYFS - Year 6).  Throughout the day, we revisited previous eSafety learning to secure our knowledge, created an eSafety promotion resource and competed in a whole school game design competition. We're very excited for our next Safer Internet Day in 2023! 

FAB FINISHER - Minecraft Day:

Today, we completed a FAB FINISHER Minecraft Day to cover lost learning from Spring 1 lockdown.  Our Spring 1 topic was to create a Roman Minecraft empire, using our cross-curricular learning from History.  To create our final outcome, we looked at different computing aspects to create a 3D environments, such as simulators and algorithms.  We carried out research into Roman architecture to plan the design of our buildings and then used the app ‘Minecraft Education’ to build our empire, using a range of materials and textures - similar to those used during the Roman period.