At Enquire Learning Trust, we believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about Computing and Technology, so that they can understand the world around them. Through teaching our computing curriculum, we aim to equip our children to participate in a rapidly changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology. It is our intention to enable children to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information as well as having the skills to manipulate, develop and interpret different forms of technology in an ever-changing world.
In such a fast-moving curriculum, we are constantly looking at new ways of delivering relevant and exciting activities, while still delivering the fundamental skills needed for computing. Using technology safely and responsibly is a main priority and ensuring all pupils are able to use the internet and equipment appropriately is of paramount importance. We encourage our pupils to make links across the curriculum, the world and our local community, to reflect on their own experiences, which are designed in our curriculum, allowing horizontal and vertical links with previous year groups.
The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils 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, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils 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.
Our ambitious computing curriculum is now structured in 3 areas that allow all pupils from EY to year 6 to progress through different categories of knowledge. These are:
Computing Overview
At the Laceby Acres we believe that our students should have the opportunity to follow an IT and Computing curriculum that prepares them for life in modern Britain and take advantage of opportunity this can offer them in both Britain and the wider world. Good quality IT skills enable student to engage positively within the modern work place, while Computer Science skills enable students to take an active part in the design, development and creation of new technologies to be used in the world in which they live.
In line with the 2014 National Curriculum for Computing, our aim is to provide a high-quality computing education, which equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. The curriculum will teach children key knowledge about how computers and computer systems work, and how they are designed and programmed. Learners will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of computational systems of all kinds, whether or not they include computers.
It is our intention to enable children to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information in a safe, responsible and respectful manner. We also focus on developing the skills necessary for children to be able to use information in a discriminating and effective way. Our computing curriculum enables children to develop their problem solving and reasoning abilities. It enables children to understand and apply the essential principles and concepts of Computer Science, including logic, algorithms and data representation, analyse problems in computational term, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
Computing at Laceby Acres
At Laceby Acres, we understand that in an ever growing world in which children are using the internet via numerous sources i.e. their computers, their phones, their tablets etc, the need for children to understand and appreciate the importance of being safe and responsible when accessing the internet is more important than ever.
A core component of our computing curriculum involves teaching a wide array of subjects on the subject of Online Safety. As per our Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) Policy, the 4 Cs that we teach pupils about are:
Content
Content refers anything that you see online that has been posted by another individual. This can include: videos, images, news articles, social media posts. Children are at risk of seeing content that is illegal, inappropriate and/or harmful. This can include: pornography, fake news, discrimination, suicide, radicalisation.
Contact
Contact refers to any interaction that one has online with another individual; be it with friends, family, or strangers. Children are at risk of things like peer-to-peer pressure, cyber-bullying, targeted advertising. Sometimes children may encounter people online that they believe to be the same age as themselves, but in fact the other person is an adult posing as a child with the intention of grooming or exploiting children for sexual, criminal, and/or financial purposes.
Conduct
Conduct refers to how people interact and behave online with each other. Whilst most interactions can be positive/neutral, due to the anonymity of these interactions, there is an increased likeliness in behaviour that can be harmful such as cyberbullying, sexting, sharing inappropriate content, and/or sharing nudes and pornographic material.
Commerce
Commerce refers to anything that may be of a monetary/transactional nature. Indirectly, this can include inappropriate advertising and phishing attempts for i.e. personal information, card details etc. More directly, this can involve online gambling, microtransactions in video games, and financial scams i.e. falsely advertised products.
Parents also have a responsibility to teach their children the importance of online safety as well; adults can be just as susceptible to these things as children are. To that end, we kindly ask that parents please read and watch the material that is available for them below, so that you yourself are not just informed on these various matters of Online Safety, but also so that you can communicate with your children more effectively about Online Safety.
Online Safety Documents
The Enquire Learning Trust bespoke computing curriculum offers a cross curricular scheme of work for EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 which matches the expectations of the National Curriculum. The curriculum looks at the progression needed for all pupils to develop and embed skills and knowledge within the strands of: computer science, information technology and digital literacy. The curriculum is designed to support teaching and learning and the acquisition of subject knowledge in all areas. Children will have the opportunity to explore and respond to key issues such as digital communication, cyber-bullying, online safety, security and social media.
Aims
The curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:
- 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.
Key Stage 1
Pupils should be taught to:
- Understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and those programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions (Computer Science)
- Create and debug simple programs (Computer Science)
- Use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs (Computer Science)
- Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content (Information Technology)
- Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school (Information Technology)
- 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. (Digital Literacy)
Key Stage 2
Pupils should be taught to:
- Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts. (Computer Science)
- Use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs, work with variables and various forms of input and output. (Computer Science)
- 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. (Computer Science)
- 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. (Information Technology)
- Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact. (Digital Literacy)