Computing: Future Ready!

At Monkhouse, we provide a broad, balanced and progressive Computing and Digital Literacy curriculum, which is integrated into other areas of the curriculum where appropriate. We aim to ignite a passion for learning and exploring computing as it teaches and fosters creativity, allowing students to be practical and collaborative, equipping them to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.

Having our own bespoke curriculum, we ensure that computing is taught progressively across school by explicitly modelling and using links between prior and current learning. Our curriculum is split into three core areas: computer science, digital literacy and online safety. Children at Monkhouse are equipped with 1:1 iPads throughout KS2, shared devices in KS1 and class sets in EYFS. The use of Apple technology technology in our school is fundamental in supporting curriculum links and accessing content through the development of digital literacy skills: providing the ability to open new doors and redefine children’s learning.

Digital Literacy

We believe that learning should be engaging and meet the needs of the children’s interests. Being a 1:1 iPad school, we strive to redefine learning opportunities for all and seek out moments when children can create, collaborate and change the way they think and work. By integrating a bespoke digital literacy curriculum throughout all phases, we aim to provide a platform for our children to showcase creativity, whilst documenting their learning experiences. The skills we teach are developed from key strands and applications used daily in our school life: drawing and photography, video, music, presentation and publication, and animation. The skills identified complement the learning undertaken in Apple Education’s Everyone Can Create guides as well as the use of the iWork apps: Keynote and Pages in particular.

As pupils are directed towards completing outcomes that fall within three key areas: animation, explanation and presentation. This is to ensure that there is both a purposeful use of skills being taught and used and that the content being created is also of purpose.

Computer Science

Children’s experiences with computing and early programming in EYFS sees them explore hands on with machines that they can control, such as remotes and interactive light and music equipment as well as being introduced to directional language. Throughout KS1, children are taught to understand what algorithms are and how to create and debug simple programs. Computational thinking is introduced and children are steered towards being able to use built-on knowledge to logically explain reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs. As our children progress into KS2 they design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals. They learn about computer networks including the internet and how to use search technologies effectively. 

Our children have access to a rich collection of resources and robotics: Lego WeDo 2.0, LEGO SPIKE Prime, Sphero SPRK+, Spehro Indi, Parrot Drones as well as other supporting resource.

Online Safety

Pupils receive frequent, planned teaching in Online Safety both as part of their Computing curriculum and in line with statutory Life Skills (PSHE) classes, where they are taught how to take a responsible approach to their own digital world.

Through the use of materials provided by National Online Safety, all teaching and learning falls in line with the latest statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education. This includes ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE)’, ‘Teaching Online Safety in Schools’,’Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education’ and the ‘Education for a Connected World’ framework.

Aspirations

We hope to inspire each child to have the courage to follow their heart and intuition and we aim to provide them with the skills and confidence to innovate their knowledge of Computing to add meaning to their learning. In Computing, our curriculum is designed to allow the children to learn about being ‘future ready’. This mantra is an underlying feature of lessons, and is planned for in order to allow curriculum links to be made and to promote critical thinking about how current learning fits within people’s lives. This helps children to develop an awareness of the ever changing technological world and their position in developing their role within this.