Computing

Our Dream for Computing

We dream of teaching a contemporary and ambitious computing curriculum that is underpinned by the latest research on effective teaching strategies and approaches (pedagogy).

We believe in leading with concepts, supporting pupils in the acquisition of knowledge, through the use of key concepts, terms, and vocabulary, providing opportunities to build a shared and consistent understanding.

We believe in working together, encourage collaboration, specifically using paired programming and peer instruction, and structured group tasks. We believe that working together stimulates classroom dialogue, the articulation of concepts, and the development of shared understanding.

We believe in getting hands-on, using physical computing and making activities that offer tactile and sensory experiences to enhance learning.

We believe in unplugging, unpacking, and repacking, teaching new concepts by first unpacking complex terms and ideas, exploring these ideas in unplugged and familiar contexts, then repacking this new understanding into the original concept.

We believe in modelling processes or practices — everything from debugging code to binary number conversions — using techniques such as worked examples and live coding.

We believe in fostering program comprehension, using a variety of activities to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the function and structure of programs, including debugging, tracing, and Parson's Problems.

We believe in creating projects, using project-based learning activities to provide pupils with the opportunity to apply and consolidate their knowledge and understanding.

We believe in adding variety, providing activities with different levels of direction, scaffolding, and support that promote learning, ranging from highly structured to more exploratory tasks.

We believe in challenging misconceptions, using formative questioning to uncover misconceptions and adapt teaching to address them as they occur.

We believe in turning the abstract into the concrete, bringing abstract concepts to life with real-world, contextual examples and a focus on interdependencies with other curriculum subjects.

We believe in delivering structured lessons, using supportive frameworks when planning lessons, such as PRIMM (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make) and Use-Modify-Create.

We believe in reading and exploring code first, focusing first on code 'reading' activities, before code writing.

We dream of teaching children to be critical, self-aware and confident when navigating an on-line world in which opportunities, excitement and creativity coexist with levels of risk and potential for harm. We believe in teaching children to interact with others online respectfully and safely, knowing when to ask for help and seek advice while understanding that every action has consequences both in the offline and online worlds. We believe in teaching children how to integrate technology into their lives in healthy and safe ways, both for their own physical and mental health, happy and confident to both connect and disconnect to and from technology. 

Implementation

At Redhill, pupils learn how to use and design digital systems while also learning more about how to be responsible, respectful and safe users of information technology in an online, inter-connected world. 

The ICT and Computer Science curriculum at Redhill provides a progressive framework within which children learn about how computer systems are physically designed and built as well as how to use them to produce a range of products of their own.  Whether using spreadsheets, graphic design software, coding programmes or experimenting with sounds and music, pupils at Redhill are taught to become digital designers, making creative, innovative and justified decisions about how to use applications and software skills to produce polished products of their own. 

Digital literacy has a central place in the teaching of ICT and Computer Science, making our pupils more critical of information that is presented to them on the internet as well as teaching them to think carefully about the impact their own conduct has on others and their own digital footprint.  Through carefully designed e-safety lessons, Redhill pupils not only learn about the importance of protecting themselves and respecting others in an online world, but are also taught to think about their own well-being by thinking about issues such as ‘screen-time’ and the challenges to self-esteem that can come with linking to others online.  E-safety workshops for parents help link home and school, providing parents and carers with important guidance on how to guide and protect children when using games, websites and online forms of communication

Curriculum Overview

Key Three

Pupil View

Computing Co-ordinator

If you have any questions about this area of the curriculum, please feel free to get in touch with the co-ordinator either through Class Dojo or by contacting the school office.