At Bishop’s Waltham Junior School the health, safety and well-being of every child is our top priority.

National Curriculum Aims for Computing

• 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 can 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.
• 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.
• Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

Computing at Bishop's Waltham Junior School

Intent

• Introduce children to a range of software and hardware, and open children’s eyes to the possibilities that these allow for.
• Develop children’s awareness of the internet as a resource, alongside an understanding of how to navigate the risks of being online.
• Prepare children for their future use of technology both as programmers and software users at secondary school and beyond.
• Allow children the chance to experiment with technology both independently and in collaborative contexts.

Implementation

• The subject leader plans the curriculum units, ensuring that the curriculum stays relevant and up to date through contact with other professionals. The curriculum ensures that a variety of skills and topics are covered, including online safety, which is a high priority.
• Usually, one teacher in each year group teaches computing as a stand-alone weekly lesson to both classes. The subject leader liaises with teachers across each year group to offer technical support and monitor how planning is implemented.
• When appropriate and relevant, the computing curriculum is linked to other curriculum areas to provide context for tasks.
• The curriculum is delivered using banks of laptops. These laptops are installed with software that has been matched to the curriculum, but is often available for free.  Our online platform, bwjsapps, allows children to access a variety of online tools (including Times Table Rockstars and Gooseberry Planet) which can be used in school or at home.
• The curriculum units allow children the flexibility to extend their learning through open ended software application. All children are taught the key skills for each unit and some are able to develop their skills further by experimentation and testing of ideas.
• Using the MTP front-sheet, teachers assess their children’s learning each unit, and these assessments are passed up to the next teacher who then has a realistic view of the children’s starting points when the skills are re-taught.

Impact

As a result of our whole school computing curriculum, pupils of Bishop’s Waltham Junior School will:

• Have an understanding of how computer systems work, including networks and the internet.
• Be able to create algorithmic programs through creative design and problem solving to achieve a desired outcome.
• Be familiar with and able to use a range of everyday and specialist software and hardware.
• Be able to manage online accounts safely and productively.
• Be able to conduct themselves safely online, being aware of the risks they might encounter.
• Be able to search for information carefully with an awareness of reliability and accuracy.
• Be able to use IT for a range of purposes, making good decisions about software choice and application.
• Enjoy the opportunities which technology makes available to them. 

Success will be monitored through:

• Summative assessment at the end of each unit which identifies children working below or above expected levels in the key objectives.
• Discussion with staff about their successes in computing.
• Discussion with children to explore their own self-perceived strengths and areas for improvement in computing.

Curriculum by Year Group

Each year group also has six Gooseberry Planet units to work through – one for each half term.

Year Three

Year Four

Year Five

Year Six

If you're a teacher of computing and these files are of any use to you, feel free to download them and play around with them as much as you want.  I'm happy to send word documents if they're of any use - just get in touch.  If you have any comments or suggestions to make, I'd be delighted to hear them either by e-mail or via twitter.

The National Curriculum for Computing

National Curriculum - Computing