A new scheme of work has now been fully implemented at Hollington in line with the National Curriculum for Computing. Computing is concerned with how computers and computer systems work, and how they are designed and programmed.

At Hollington Computing is taught by a specialist teacher who has planned a range of exciting activites for the children. 

There will be an oportunity for children to join several clubs throughout the academic year.

The school is now in the process of identifying 2 -4 children from each class who will become Digital Leaders.  These pupils will be computing champions across the school who will have the important role of supporting both pupils and staff.

The national curriculum for computing has four main 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.

Computing at Hollington

‘The new national curriculum for computing has been developed to equip young people in England with the foundational skills, knowledge and understanding of computing they will need for the rest of their lives. Through the new programme of study for computing, they will learn how computers and computer systems work, they will design and build programs, develop their ideas using technology and create a range of content.’ 

This is underpinned by the key aim of producing learners who are confident and effective users of a wide range of both software and hardware. 

At Hollington, curriculum coverage and progression are planned through a series of different units which build upon each other year on year.  Lessons follow the ‘Rising Stars Switched on Computing’ scheme of work which provides six units per year group and are then broken down into weekly differentiated sessions.  Children are able to apply and enhance their skills during their weekly Computing sessions. 

As children work through the scheme of work their progress is recorded against short-focused tasks where appropriate assessments are made.  By the end of each unit pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes outlined in the relevant programme of study.  These assessments aim to support teaching and learning.  We will keep children’s work in a Computing folder which will follow the children through the school.  The folders for each year group can be accessed on the shared network and will be readily available for monitoring by the subject leader and staff to ensure differentiation, progression of skills and achievement at individual levels.

Key stage 1

By the end of Key Stage 1 children should be able to:

• 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.
• Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; know where to go for help and support when they have concerns about material on the internet.
• Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school.

Key stage 2

By the end of Key Stage 2 children should be able to:

• 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 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.
• Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; know a range of ways to report concerns and inappropriate behaviour.
• Select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.

E-safety

The development of the ‘E’ Safety policy ensures a robust approach to safeguarding children and staff in using the Internet safely and responsibly. The detailed policy is in line with Government Guidance and provides an aide memoire to all stakeholders about the use of e-mail, dangers of cyber bullying and the robust permissions required to safeguard children.