"Computers themselves, and software yet to be developed, will revolutionise the way we learn."
Steve Jobs.
Here at Burscough Village Primary School, we believe that every aspect of the curriculum is as important as the other. We take pride in our computing curriculum and the rich learning experience it provides our children. We aim to prepare our children with the computational thinking skills that they will need within an ever-changing technological world. We have planned a purposeful and personal curriculum to teach all of our pupils the necessary skills, which they will use throughout their life, allowing them the opportunity to thrive and succeed confidently and creatively in to British society.
At Burscough Village Primary School, computing is blocked each term so that children are given greater opportunities to explore different technological experiences using a variety of tools. Our curriculum has deep links with other subjects, especially our humanities topics and design technology, to ensure that children understand how computing links to many other areas of learning.
We recognise that information technology (IT) and the internet are excellent tools for learning, communication and collaboration. These are accessible within the school for enhancing the curriculum, to challenge pupils, and to support creativity and independence. Using IT to interact socially and share ideas can benefit everyone in the school community but it is important that the use of IT and the internet is understood and used appropriately. An important part of computing learning is how to be safe whilst using the internet. We teach online safety throughout the year in each computing lesson alongside PSHE lessons. We follow the Purple Mash Curriculum and progression however, teachers adapt and extend activities to suit the needs and interests of each class. Each term we focus on a mix of computer science, digital systems and programming.
All classes have access to our computing suite which is equipped with 30 computers, high quality software and hardware. The children even recently had the opportunity to use a 3D printer. All children have access to iPads, which are available in class at all times.
All teachers assess against the National Curriculum learning objectives with regards to key skills, but we also ensure we have open-ended conversations with our children to discuss their own evaluations and reasons for their work. Emphasis is placed on analytical thinking and deeper questioning which helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of computing in the wider world and are curious to know more about the subject. Through this, children learn to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. We have computing clubs throughout the year to help encourage further exploration within different computing programmes or to support children with skills they may find difficult.
Computing Progression and Long-Term Plan Documents
To find out more about our computing curriculum click here...