Computing

Our aims and intent

At St Anne's, our Computing curriculum aims to inspire and equip pupils with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to navigate and contribute to an increasingly digital world. We follow the Kapow Primary Computing scheme, ensuring a progressive, engaging, and inclusive approach to digital literacy, computer science, and information technology.

Our intent is to develop confident, responsible, and creative digital learners. Through a carefully structured curriculum, pupils will build computational thinking skills, learn to code, and explore how technology is used in the real world. Online safety is a key component, ensuring that children understand how to use technology responsibly and stay safe in an ever-evolving digital landscape. By the time they leave primary school, our pupils will be equipped with the foundations to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing technological environment.

 

What is Computational Thinking?

This is a technical term for the set of problem solving skills that were pinpointed by a number of computer scientists when they looked at how they solved problems. Often, but not always, the solutions they came up with involved building some kind of technology to help them solve the problem, but always they involved these problem solving skills - Computational Thinking skills

The key elements of Computational Thinking are:

Collaboration - Playing and working together

Creating - Making things. Checking and fixing things.

Tinkering - Playing and exploring

Persevering - Learning from mistakes and not giving up.

Pattern - Includes comparing, grouping, spotting similarities an differences and working out rules. 

Logical Reasoning - Anticipating, predicting and explaining.

Abstraction - Working out what is important and ignoring what is not. Naming, labelling and sticking to a main theme and summarising

Algorithms - Instructions and sequencing

Decomposition - Breaking problems down into steps.

Implementation

Our pupils develop the computational-thinking skills associated with programming, such as decomposing processes/problems into a sequence (algorithm). They will gain experience of turning algorithms into code for programmable toys such as Bee-Bots. Programming languages such as block (or visual) and text based coding are also used to create simple animations or interactive scenes. In doing so, pupils will learn the important skill of debugging, as programs rarely function as intended first time around! They begin to use three key concepts within code – sequence, selection and repetition and introduce variables to the programs they produce.

Our pupils also explore the workings of computer networks. This includes local networks within school and the worldwide network we call the internet. Our pupils will consider which services are made possible through networking computers, and the computer science behind how such services work.

Impact for children

Computational thinking provide children with opportunities to develop other skills such as collaboration and teamwork as well as problem solving. Key areas of our Computing Curriculum also have positive impacts on other areas of the curriculum including English and maths.  

By providing children with a firm foundation in Computing skills and knowledge and helping them understand how to use technology safely, they will prepared for the next stage of their education and ultimately for the jobs and professions of the future.