Why do we teach Computing? Why do we teach Computing in the way we do?	How do we teach Computing? What does this look like?
By the time children leave our school what will they be able to do?	Web links

At Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, we are committed to providing our children with learning opportunities to engage in Computing. Computing is a subject that not only stands alone but is woven into the curriculum more widely so it is an integral part of learning. Computing, in general, is a significant part of daily life and children at Holy Cross are exposed to the wide and varied computing technology. Computing within school can provide a wealth of learning opportunities and transferrable skills explicitly within the Computing lesson and across other curriculum subjects.


Rather than a scheme with set lessons, the early years resources are designed to integrate into the day-today routine and set-up of an early years setting with opportunities for using Mini Mash or Purple Mash as part of the Early Years curriculum to support children in working towards early learning goals.

To ensure that our learners gain a wide variety of skills and experience with different technologies, we have invested in iPads for the school. E-Safety is taught at the beginning of each unit to give a broader understanding of e-safety issues. Computing progress is measured for each learner through age related expectations that are linked to the learning for each year group using the Purple Mash assessment tool.

In Key Stage 1 our children learn to understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices and that programs execute by following precise instructions. They will be taught to create and debug simple programs and use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs, specifically using physical systems as well as apps. They will be shown how to use a range of technology purposefully to create, organise, manipulate and retrieve digital content as well as recognise common uses of information technology beyond school. They will be taught to use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

In Key Stage 2 the children will design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals and solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts. They will use sequence, selection, and repetition (including loops and procedures) in programs, use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and correct errors in algorithms and programs. Children will be taught to understand computer networks, including the internet, and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration. They will use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour and identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

To ensure maximum progression and repeated coverage of knowledge and skills, we are using the Purple Mash platform. We have ensured that a balance of the three strands of Computing (Digital Literacy, Information Technology & Computer Science) are covered in each class. This ensures areas of knowledge are repeated regularly to embed this knowledge into the long-term memory. We have organised the units of work to fit in with other areas of the curriculum as much as possible.


Our Computing Curriculum aims to ensure children: The effective teaching of Computing will impact Holy Cross learners in these ways:

• They will be digitally literate and able to select from a range of tools and skills to create a digital outcome for a given task.
  
  
• They will understand that technology needs to be used with, and treated with, respect.
  
  
• They will understand how the internet works.
  
  
• They will understand the benefits and potential dangers of using the internet.
  
  
• They will help themselves and others to minimise the risks of being online and know how to manage any potentially dangerous incidents.
  
  
• They will understand the power of algorithms and how they impact our daily lives.
  
  
• They will be able to take creative approaches towards problem solving and use logical thinking to support their solutions

E-Safety game

Hour of code play lots of games to learn about coding.

Coding game

Beebot online Can you programme the Beebot to go to different places?

Blocky games See if you can use the blocks to move objects in the games

Scratch Play games and create your own using scratch

BeeBot app for iPads Download this app for free on iPads

Purple mash 2 code

Practise a range of computing skills

Dance mat typing Practise your typing skills with this fun game

BBC bitesize computing BBC bitesize has lots of good videos and games.

Purple mash Click on the computing link to find lots of computing games

Storyboardthat Create your own storyboard and comic strip. You cannot save your work so you need to do a screenshot of the page to save it.