Computing at Brightwell
"We are Digital Learners"
Curriculum Intent
At Brightwell Primary School, we have chosen to use the Kapow curriculum Computing units to form the core basis of our curriculum and it is our intent that this subject is taught in all year groups through one topic every half term.
We encourage the children to experience computing and ICT through a variety of different topics and allow them the opportunity to share and develop their understanding. We have a strong emphasis on e-safety which is included in Computing lessons and in our PSHE lessons. This helps equip pupils for life in the digital world, including developing their understanding of appropriate online behaviour, copyright issues, being discerning consumers of online information and the healthy use of technology. As well as teaching e-safety at school, we also encourage good practice at home and advice is shared on our website.
We use laptops and iPads across the classes in a variety of ways, in addition to our interactive Alpha boards. Coding is taught through either apps (in KS1) or by using Scratch and other websites in KS2.
In all year groups, we aim to develop ICT skills, building upon previous experiences and developing them further. We also aim to introduce new experiences to help further pupils' enjoyment of ICT, such as using animation, photography and programming.
Curriculum Implementation
The implementation of the Kapow Primary Computing ensures a broad and balanced coverage of the National curriculum requirements, and our ‘Skills Showcase’ units provide pupils with the opportunity to learn and apply transferable skills. Where meaningful, units have been created to link to other subjects such as science, art and music to enable the development of further transferable skills and genuine cross-curricular learning.
Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as unplugged and digital activities. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.
Curriculum Impact
The impact of Kapow Primary’s scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives and each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and /or end of the unit. After the implementation of Kapow, children should leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be active participants in the ever-increasing digital world. Some of the expected impacts is that children will: be critical thinkers and able to understand how to make informed and appropriate digital choices in the future; understand the importance that computing will have going forward in both their educational and working life in their social and personal futures.
Please see our curriculum overviews on the class pages for further details of what the children are learning.
