Computing At Cawthorne

Computing Curriculum Overview

EYFS Progression

Key Stage 1 Progression

Key Stage 2 Progression

A high-quality computing education equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems.

The core of computing is computer science, in which our children are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, our children are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that our children become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world. Further to this, our children need to develop their knowledge and understanding of E-Safety, how to identify risks and take appropriate action in order to stay safe when using technology.

Through Teach Computing, our children will participate in a rapidly-changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology. Computing is no longer the acquisition of knowledge and skills; it is something that should be facilitating and enhancing children’s learning in the widest possible sense. We feel sure that computing competence will be a major factor in enabling children to be confident, creative and independent learners and employable adults of the future.

Computing Aims
The national curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all children:

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer
  science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
• are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

By the end of Key stage 1 our children will:

• understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
• create and debug simple programs
• use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
• use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
• recognise common uses of information technology beyond school
• 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.

By the end of Key stage 2 our 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
• use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output
• use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
• understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration
• use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
• select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
• use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.