Computing at Ordsall Primary School

At Ordsall Primary School, Computing is taught from Nursery through to Year 6. Our aim is for pupils to become confident, capable and responsible users of technology, with secure foundations in computational thinking, digital creativity and online safety that prepare them for the next stage of their education and for life in a digital world.

Our Computing Curriculum

Computing at Ordsall is built around two forms of knowledge that work together to develop pupils' understanding over time.

Substantive knowledge is the knowledge pupils are taught and expected to remember in Computing, including computers and digital devices, networks and the internet, algorithms, programs, variables and loops, digital media, copyright, and online safety.

Disciplinary knowledge develops how pupils think and work as computer scientists. This includes understanding how digital systems work, designing and debugging programs, using logical reasoning, creating and evaluating digital content, and applying safe, responsible and ethical behaviours when using technology.

Clear progression maps set out what pupils should know, do and understand at each stage of learning. Knowledge is carefully sequenced so that learning builds cumulatively from the Early Years through to the end of Key Stage 2, enabling pupils to develop secure understanding, confidence and independence over time.

How Computing Is Taught

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Computing is embedded through play-based learning and adult-guided activities, primarily within the areas of Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. Children explore technology, create simple digital content, give and follow instructions, and begin to understand how technology can be used safely and purposefully, providing strong foundations for future learning.

From Years 1 to 6, Computing is taught as a discrete subject using the Teach Computing curriculum, developed by the National Centre for Computing Education.

At Ordsall Primary School, we carefully select and sequence three Teach Computing components for each year group. Pupils study one component each term, with every year group covering:

• Computing Systems and Networks
• Creating Media
• Programming

This carefully planned approach provides full coverage of the National Curriculum whilst allowing pupils sufficient time to develop secure knowledge and understanding before progressing to increasingly complex concepts.

Curriculum Threads

Computing learning at Ordsall is organised around three core curriculum threads that run throughout the curriculum.

Computing Systems and Networks

Pupils develop an understanding of digital devices, computer systems, networks and the internet. They learn how computers work together, how information is transferred and shared, and how technology enables people to communicate and collaborate safely.

Creating Media

Pupils use a range of digital tools to create, edit and evaluate digital content, including text, photographs, animation, audio, video and webpages. As pupils progress through school, they make increasingly purposeful choices for different audiences and purposes.

Programming

Pupils design, create, test and debug programs using algorithms, sequence, repetition, selection and variables. Programming develops logical thinking, creativity and resilience while encouraging pupils to evaluate and improve their own solutions.

These curriculum threads help pupils make connections between different areas of learning, revisit prior knowledge and deepen their understanding as they move through school

Progression Through Teach Computing

Computing at Ordsall follows the Teach Computing progression model, ensuring increasing challenge, independence and abstraction as pupils move through school.

Early Years – exploring technology through play, curiosity and real-world experiences.

Key Stage 1 – developing foundational understanding of technology, algorithms, programming and digital creativity.

Lower Key Stage 2 – building structured programming, understanding computer networks and creating increasingly sophisticated digital media.

Upper Key Stage 2 – applying computing concepts independently through variables, physical computing, web technologies and collaborative systems.

Key knowledge, vocabulary and disciplinary approaches are deliberately revisited throughout the curriculum so that pupils strengthen their understanding and make meaningful connections between new and previous learning.

Thinking and Working Like Computer Scientists

Throughout the curriculum, pupils are taught to think and work like computer scientists by developing increasingly sophisticated disciplinary knowledge. Pupils learn to:

• understand how hardware, software and networks work together as digital systems
• break problems into logical steps and create algorithms
• design, write, test and debug computer programs
• use logical reasoning to predict, explain and improve outcomes
• create, edit and evaluate digital content for different audiences and purposes
• evaluate digital systems and online content critically
• apply safe, responsible and ethical behaviours whenever using technology

Key substantive and disciplinary vocabulary is taught explicitly and revisited regularly to support secure learning and enable pupils to communicate confidently using appropriate technical language.

Inclusion and Impact

We are committed to ensuring that every pupil can access and succeed in Computing. Lessons include clear modelling, practical exploration, scaffolding, repetition and adaptive teaching to support all learners whilst maintaining high expectations for everyone.

The impact of our Computing curriculum is seen in pupils' confidence with technology, their understanding of how digital systems work, their ability to think logically and solve problems, and their increasingly sophisticated programming and digital creativity. Pupils learn to evaluate information critically, communicate responsibly online and use technology safely, ethically and purposefully.

By the time they leave Ordsall Primary School, our pupils are well prepared for secondary education and equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to participate confidently and responsibly in an increasingly digital world.