Intent

The National Curriculum is at the core of our Computing Curriculum. Computing is a highly valued subject and has equal status with all other foundation subjects.

We believe that computing skills should be taught as a separate subject.  We also believe computing should be taught, developed and reinforced through other subject areas.  Our children are growing up in an increasingly technological world. The ability to understand all aspects of computing is an essential life skill in the 21st century. This combined approach allows children the opportunity to practice and refine skills throughout their years at Lawnside.  We aim to show computing relevance to our children everyday lives through planned access to all areas of computing, including a range of software, the internet, e-mail and digital cameras.  We take the safety of children using the Internet seriously and all computers are monitored in order that only sites are accessed. 

We believe that high quality computing lessons will inspire children to think innovatively and develop creative procedural understanding. Computing is a subject that provides children with the means of accessing the modern world and to express themselves creatively and practically. We want children to acquire the skills and knowledge of computing in a systematic way so that each child is able to produce results that demonstrate their achievements and be enabled to access the digital world.

Implementation

Our school curriculum is built upon the National Curriculum and our chosen scheme is Purple Mash. This was selected because it provides a clear progression of all the skills and knowledge that we are required to teach.

Many of our staff are non-specialist and it enables them to access the subject knowledge needed to be highly effective in their teaching of Computing. All staff are supported by the subject leader in developing their knowledge and understanding of the Purple Mash scheme through a planned series of CPD opportunities.

We are confident that the design of Purple Mash provides clear progression as it is a comprehensive suite of online learning tools and content, designed to be used by primary aged children in the classroom and at home.

We endeavour to ensure that Computing is not seen as a stand-alone subject, but is incorporated into may other areas of our curriculum.

Impact

The impact of our computing curriculum is that when children leave Lawnside, they will have a love of computing.

The impact of our curriculum will also be measured by how effectively it helps our pupils develop into well rounded individuals who embody our values and carry with them the knowledge and skills in the different computational components; and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens.