In our school, our computing curriculum enables children to become safe, independent and creative users of technology so that they are prepared for the future in a digital world.

The National Curriculum states:

"A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. 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.

Aims

The national 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."
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Every child has access to an online software programme called 'Purple Mash'. The children use this in school to create animation, stories, posters, leaflets, 3D nets for objects, environments and much more! Children's log in details have been sent home for Key Stage One. The link to Purple Mash is on our home page.

Safer Internet Day 2022

Children in KS1 regularly cover online safety as part of their PSHE and computing curriculum. To mark Safer Internet Day 2022, the children were asked to show what they know about e-safety and give some advice to their families at home. Ismail in Class 9 made a fantastic poster at home that inspired us to create some more in our classes. At Whitefield, the children learn about e-safety through stories, games and discussions. We collected all of the amazing work that children produced to remind us about the importance of staying safe online and proudly displayed it in the hall.

Year 1

 In the Autumn term, Year 1 learnt the basic skills needed to operate a computer efficiently. Key vocabulary was introduced and the children applied their skills to create pictures using paint software.

So far in the Spring Term, the children have developed their skills and are learning to log onto computers and apps using their own usernames and passwords. They have begun using word processing software to create book sleeves for traditional tales.

For Internet Safety Day, the children talked about the different ways that the internet is used and how they can be responsible users of technology. 

Year 2

In the Autumn term, Year 2 recapped the digital literacy skills they learnt in Year 1. They were quickly able to progress onto developing more advanced paint skills including filling objects and switching between paint effects. They also began developing their word processing skills. To make cross-curricular links, the children applied all of these skills to create a digital version of the stories that they wrote in English using iPads.

In the Spring term, the children researched and produced an eBook about the Loch Ness Monster to help them understand that not everything that they see online is true. They added backgrounds, pictures, animation and sound as well as stored and retrieved their work.

They played logical reasoning games to help them develop their thinking skills. This helped to prepare them for their programming unit of learning in the Summer term. 

For Internet Safety Day, the children talked about the different ways that we use the internet and the scenarios that can occur. They also learnt about e-safety through stories and games.

Now, in the Summer term, the children have started their programming unit, which will develop their computer science understanding and coding skills. They have started off by programming a 'robot' to make butterfly cupcakes, thinking carefully about the sequencing of their instructions.