Computing
Intent
At Woodchurch Road Academy, the teaching of Computing aligns with our core school values.
• Individuality – our children are respected as individuals and understand how to offer the same respect to others when using the internet and technology
• Respect for each other (be ready, be respectful, be responsible) - Using the internet respectfully is one of the most important skills we can teach our children to aid both their education and life outside of school
• Community and Collaboration
-Communicating with parents and carers to create a community that cares about the safety of our children
- Children collaborate in class to support each other as they learn to use technology safely and creatively
The teaching of Computing at Woodchurch Road Academy is based on the skills-progressed programme offered by ‘Kapow’. It provides teachers and children with the most up-to-date learning to equip them to succeed in the computer-based society in which we live. ‘Kapow’ is a central hub which branches out to an array of computer programs and pieces of software, most of which are online, including ‘Scratch’ and ‘Python’, allowing children to continue learning outside of school to further develop their knowledge and skills. Kapow Primary’s Computing scheme aims to instil a sense of enjoyment around using technology and to develop pupils’ appreciation of its capabilities and the opportunities technology offers to create, manage, organise, and collaborate. Tinkering’ with software and programs forms a part of the scheme's ethos as we want to develop pupils’ confidence when encountering new technology, which is a vital skill in the ever-evolving and changing landscape of technology. Through our curriculum, we intend for pupils to be digitally competent and have a range of transferable skills at a suitable level for the future workplace and to be responsible online citizens. The scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of Key Stage Attainment targets outlined in the National Curriculum, and the aims align with those in the National Curriculum. This guidance was created to help equip children for life in the digital world, including developing their understanding of appropriate online behaviour, copyright issues, being discerning consumers of online information and healthy use of technology.
Implementation
The National curriculum purpose of the study states: ‘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’. Therefore, the Kapow Primary scheme of work is designed with three strands which run throughout:
• Computer science
• Information technology
• Digital literacy
The Kapow National curriculum mapping document shows which of our units cover each of the national curriculum attainment targets as well as each of these three strands.
The Kapow Progression of skills shows the skills that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop year on year to ensure attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage.
The Kapow Primary scheme is organised into five key areas, creating a cyclical route through which pupils can develop their computing knowledge and skills by revisiting and building on previous learning:
• Computer systems and networks
• Programming
• Creating media
• Data handling
• Online Safety
The implementation of Kapow Primary Computing ensures a broad and balanced coverage of the National Curriculum requirements, and our ‘Skills showcase’ units allow pupils 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. This program offers a diverse range of teaching strategies—independent tasks, group work, unplugged and digital activities—to engage various learning styles. Differentiated guidance ensures accessibility and challenge for all pupils, with knowledge organisers supporting key fact recall. Teacher support includes videos to boost subject knowledge, ongoing CPD, and webinars with specialists, addressing the confidence gap in teaching computing. Kapow is designed to empower teachers to deliver highquality lessons and support pupil progression.
Computing is timetabled as a weekly lesson, so children have the opportunity to recall previous learning from previous sessions and build upon it, allowing for misconceptions to not become embedded. The profile of Computing is raised by skills being utilised across the curriculum, and parents/ carers have information relating to Online Safety shared on our school’s Facebook page at various intervals throughout the school year. Online safety in school is taught with one lesson added at the end of each taught unit of work to spread the learning across the school year and ensure pupils don’t forget the importance of the curriculum area and life skills. The link to the teaching of RSE comes with the teaching of a unit titled ‘Safety and The Changing Body’, which begins with teaching children how to use the internet safely before teaching how to spot fake emails, cyberbullying and what consent means in terms of sharing photos or videos online.
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 Primary Computing, pupils 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.
The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Computing scheme of work 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 and in their social and personal futures.
✓ Understand how to balance time spent on technology and away from it healthily and appropriately.
✓ Understand that technology helps to showcase their ideas and creativity. They will know that different types of software and hardware can help them achieve a wide variety of artistic and practical aims.
✓ Show a clear progression of technical skills across all areas of the National curriculum - computer science, information technology and digital literacy.
✓ Be able to use technology both individually and as part of a collaborative team.
✓ Be aware of online safety issues and protocols and be able to deal with any problems responsibly and appropriately.
✓ Have an awareness of developments in technology and have an idea of how current technologies work and relate to one another.
✓ Meet the end-of-key stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for Computing.