Computing – St Anne Stanley School

Profile

I have always had an interest in computer science and the relevance and necessity of learning how to use and understand technology has never been more important. Throughout my career both teaching and non-teaching I have witnessed the development and rapid growth of technology in every day life. At the beginning of my working life there were no mobile phones, laptops or iPads. Even access to the internet was sketchy in the early days! Technology has changed the way we live our lives and it is important that we equip our children with the skills needed for the future.

Vision:

Enable our children to reach their full potential and recognise their strengths and talent through a progressive, inclusive creative curriculum
To further develop the skills learnt in the computing lesson so that they can be used across all subjects. Cross curricular computing throughout the curriculum should be encouraged.
Access to learning platforms from home will help raise standards and enhance learning (Education City, Reading Plus, TT Rock Stars).

Intent

I believe that teaching children to think computationally is essential learning and should start as young as possible. Children in nursery can understand the importance of sequencing and pattern making. Computational thinking doesn’t require lots of resources or even constant access to a computer. We can grow problem solvers, careful sequence checkers, creative thinkers and logical predictors long before the word “algorithm” is ever mentioned. I believe we must provide an equality of opportunity across both gender and background; computational thinking is not the province of any one type of person – it is fundamental to the shared experience of us all.

Through teaching computing we equip children to participate in a world of rapidly-changing technology. 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.

Implementation

We have an ICT suite that is used for lost of cross curricular activities. The majority of computing lessons take place there. Children also do unplugged activities in the classroom and use the outdoor space to engage technology with the environment. In addition, each classroom has a class computer and an interactive board for use in all lessons. Each class has timetabled lessons in the ICT suite and access to iPads in class. Lots of software is available and the school subscribes to the Education City website.

We have a bespoke curriculum that is ever evolving to suit the needs of the children at school. We will continue to adapted the plans to accommodate the increasing challenges our children need. An update of the scheme of work is being produced to go live for September 2020 which will include – A skills progression, new unit overview & updated assessment framework.

Impact

To guarantee that progress is made for all children in Computing, the staff at St Anne’s ensure that we follow the teaching sequence for Computing supported by MGL. We are able to embed the knowledge required through the teaching sequence and provide relevant and interesting lessons and experiences. We consistently build on the children’s prior learning to deepen their understanding and build confidence in their own ability to be resourceful, innovative and enterprising individuals. Every child is given the opportunity to consolidate their skills and understanding by creating their final piece of work for each topic.

At St Anne (Stanley) the purpose of monitoring and evaluation activities is to raise the overall quality of teaching and levels of pupil attainment. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is consistently monitored through lesson observations, learning walks and pupil voice. Evidence of activities is published on this page and each teacher submits an assessment of learning at the end of each unit of work. All staff tweet with the #StAnneStanleyComputing when they deliver a lesson so it is centralised.