At Ordsall Primary School the Computing curriculum is in line with the national curriculum. In order to meet its requirements we ensure staff follow the Switched On scheme of work to meet the various objectives of the National Curriculum.

The intent of our curriculum is to give children the opportunity to access an exciting, engaging and broad learning experience to build upon skills and knowledge. We aspire for children to take part in experiences that they will commit to their long term memory so that it reaches beyond their education at Ordsall Primary School. Computing at School (CAS) outlined, in their guide to the National Curriculum, that children will gain an understanding of computational systems through teaching – whether it involves a computer or not. Furthermore, they also state that the teaching will provide children with an experience that they can use in other sciences: ‘it provides motivation and context within which ideas are brought to life.’

At Ordsall Primary we follow the ethos of teaching the skills for jobs which have yet to be created. This is at the heart of our teaching in computing and reflected in the overall intent of the schools’ curriculum provision that references research by both the Creative Industries Federation and the Department For Education. This research indicates that, by 2024 and beyond, there will be an increase in creative and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) occupations. To achieve this we use experiences and visitors to inspire the children to achieve their very best. Paul Porter the Chief Operating Officer of SUMO digital, a worldwide and successful Gaming Company provided one such opportunity for the children to see how their lives and learning at school links into jobs currently in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) occupations.

Our Computing curriculum and assessment is split into three strands; Computer Science, Information Technology and E-Safety. Through the Switched On scheme we follow, we are able to identify the skills in Computer Science and Information Technology. Computer Science links to the coding aspect and has links to algorithms, debugging and creating. The coding importance links to the STEM jobs highlighted in society and we are continuing to stress the importance of these skills to the children so they understand why they are learning these skills. As with every learning experience, they must be an importance as to why the children are learning this knowledge. Information Technology relates to word processing, creating powerpoints and using programs for different purposes.

All lessons are built upon through systematic sequencing of lessons across the year groups. All units followed in the curriculum lead to the achievement of milestones and a final end point which allows children to use the skills they have acquired. Our work in Computing is collated and evidenced using the children’s folders on the server and the Computing flipbooks. The books involve class discussions, photos, evidence of work, children’s comments that link to the lesson. Our Computing flip books allow us to see whether staff are promoting discussion in the lessons and to what extent and how much of the key terminology is being used.

The Switched On scheme provides opportunities for the children to cover many other curriculum objectives and this aligns closely to the whole school intent for the curriculum. This is illustrated in Year 5 where the scheme links to the history curriculum through messages throughout time and to the art curriculum via geometry which are both delivered using the computing curriculum. Similarly in Year 3 the curriculum has units based around times table practice using a computer coding program. This is something are continuing to develop as we look to ensure children have the experiences of Computing in different lessons. 

The children develop their awareness of the issues that they face using technology when we explicitly teach them about E-safety as we prepare them for life in modern Britain and beyond.  We teach E-safety throughout our curriculum using assemblies, themed weeks (Anti-bullying/Internet Safety Day), the RSHE curriculum as well responding to those issues that arise as technology evolves. Our school works in partnership with external organisations such as Safer Schools and the NSPCC. Through these partnerships, we not only teach Fundamental British Values but we strive to teach children of the benefits and the importance of staying vigilant online. We do not want children to be afraid of using the internet and social media: we aim for them to be informed when making decisions online, something that will be useful beyond their education at Ordsall Primary School.

It is our intention that the Computing curriculum at Ordsall Primary School will be both stimulating and motivating in order to capture the children’s curiosity and fuel their motivation to learn. Learning, Playing and Growing Together in Computing provides the children at Ordsall Primary School with exciting learning opportunities so that they can enjoy acquiring and developing their skills, understanding and key knowledge so that they can commit it to long-term memory and apply it fluently in a range of contexts now and in the future.

The curriculum is tied together with the records of achievement targets. The objectives from the contextualised curriculum plans and the year group assessment trackers are used to assess the children against milestones, which show the skills and knowledge they are expected to have in each year group. This means that our objectives for computing are triangulated so that they all fit together for a clear purpose.

How do we measure the impact of our work in Computing?

At Ordsall Primary School we measure the impact of our work in Computing in a variety of ways. The school uses its knowledge and vocabulary progression map for Computing to compare the work that the children are doing with key points on the map. This allows the staff to assess where the children are, and check which elements are evident from the progression on the maps. In Computing this is done by observing the children completing or starting their work, through pupil discussion (when the children are asked about their work)  the record of children's work and their work on display and a scrutiny of social media posts about Computing. The assessment process, used within Computing, enables the school to evaluate the progress that the children are making, inform future work, measure the impact of what we teach and monitor specific groups. The process is tied together through the records of achievement at the end of the year that are shared with parents and carers.

If you would like to see some of the work that we do in Computing please see our Twitter feed @Ordsallschool or our website, which are both used to share the work that we do with parents and carers, the local community and the wider community of Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, the region and the United Kingdom.

If you would like to know more about the Computing curriculum at Ordsall Primary School please see the documents below. If you have any questions about the work we do in Computing please contact the Computing Subject Leader at the school.