Computing

At HWPS we use the “Teach Computing” curriculum provided by STEM Learning. All learning objectives have been mapped to the National Centre for Computing Educations taxonomy of ten strands which ensures that units build on each other from one key stage to the next. Within the curriculum every year group learns through units with the same 4 themes: Computing Systems and Networks, Programming, Data and Information and Creating Media. These 4 themes combine the strands mentioned above. This approach allows us to ensure skills and concepts are progressed from one year to the next.

Please click on the links below to see how the computing curriculum develops as the children progress through school.

Year 1

Computing Systems and Networks: Year 1 start the year by developing their understanding of technology and how it can help them in their everyday lives. The children will start to become familiar with the different components of a computer by developing their keyboard and mouse skills. They will also consider how to use technology responsibly and who to ask for help if they see any content or comments online that make them feel uncomfortable. Children are introduced to typing on a keyboard and will find out how they can create and change text.

Creating Media: The children will explore the world of digital art and use their knowledge to create their own pieces.

Programming: Year 1 will build on their programming knowledge from EYFS, by controlling floor robots and using this knowledge to predict the outcome of programmes and are introduced to the term algorithm.

Data and Information: The children will learn how to label items and then sort them into groups and then answer simple questions.

Year 2

Computing Systems and Networks: In year 2 the children build on this knowledge by looking at how technology is used in the world around them. Children will also continue to develop their knowledge of how they can stay safe when using technology.

Creating Media: Year 2 will also start to investigate how to make music with percussion instruments and digital tools.

Programming: Children will continue developing their programming knowledge by investigating how the order of commands can affect the outcome. The children will start to create their own algorithms and learn how to debug them.

Data and Information: The children will learn how to make a pictogram and use the data to answer simple questions.

Year 3

Computing Systems and Networks: In Year 3 the children will continue to develop their knowledge of digital devices, looking at inputs, processes and outputs. The children will also start to learn about network infrastructure devices like routers and switches.

Creating Media: They will then move on to develop their knowledge of creating media by making stop-frame animations using a tablet. The children will build on their knowledge from year 1, where they will continue to develop their understanding how text and images can share information. Children will learn how to change font size, colour and type to be appealing for the reader and share the message in a clear way. The children will have ago at making their own magazine cover with this knowledge.

Programming: The children then start to relook at programming by using the programme Scratch. They will be introduced to motion, sound and event blocks which they will use to make their own programme. The children will be consolidating their knowledge of sequencing and will begin to move a sprite in 4 directions within a maze. The children will then design and make their own maze tracing programme.

Data and Information: Year 3 are introduced to branching databases and will find out how they create one.

Year 4

Computing Systems and Networks: In year 4, children will continue to build on their knowledge and understanding of networks, to appreciate the internet as a network of networks which need to be kept secure. The children will then look at how reliable the information provided on the internet can be.

Creating Media: The children will continue to develop their media knowledge by using Audacity to create a podcast, which involves them using a microphone, editing their work, adding multiple tracks and opening/ saving the audio files. Children will also look at how they can edit pictures.

Programming: The children will look at repetition and loops within programming. Pupils will create programs by planning, modifying, and testing commands to create shapes and patterns. They will use Logo, a text-based programming language. The children will then explore the concept of repetition in programming using the Scratch environment. Children will look at the difference between count-controlled and infinite loops, and use their knowledge to modify existing animations and games using repetition. They will design and create a game which uses repetition, applying stages of programming design throughout.

Data and Information: The children will consider how and why data is collected over time and are introduced to data loggers. Children will collect data as well as access data captured over long periods of time. They will look at data points, data sets, and logging intervals. They will spend time using a computer to review and analyse data and answer questions about the data set.

Year 5

Computing Systems and Networks: In year 5, children will develop their understanding of computer systems and how information is transferred between systems and devices. The children will also discover how information is found on the World Wide Web, through learning how search engines work (including how they select and rank results) and what influences searching, and through comparing different search engines.

Creating Media: The children will learn how to create short videos in groups. They will be exposed to topic-based language and develop the skills of capturing, editing, and manipulating video. They will also learn how to create vector drawings. The children will learn how to use different drawing tools to help them create images. They will recognise that images in vector drawings are created using shapes and lines, and each individual element in the drawing is called an object.

Programming: The children will build on previous knowledge by using physical computing to explore the concept of selection in programming through the use of the Crumble programming environment. They will be introduced to a microcontroller and learn how to connect and program components (including output devices- LEDs and motors) through the application of their existing programming knowledge. The children will continue to develop their knowledge of programming by revisiting how conditions can be used in programs and then learning how the If… Then… Else structure can be used to select different outcomes depending on whether a condition is true or false. They will use their knowledge of writing programs and using selection to control outcomes to design a quiz.

Data and Information: The children are introduced to a flat-file database and how it can be used to organise data in records. They will use tools within a database to order and answer questions about data. The children will then create graphs and charts from their data to help solve problems.

Year 6

Computing Systems and Networks: In year 6, children will explore how data is transferred over the internet. They will initially focus on addressing, before they move on to the makeup and structure of data packets. The children will look at how the internet facilitates online communication and collaboration. They will also learn how to communicate responsibly by considering what should and should not be shared on the internet.

Creating Media: The children will start to learn about the creation of websites for a chosen purpose. They will identify what makes a good web page and use this information to design and evaluate their own website using Google Sites. They will also develop their knowledge and understanding of using a computer to produce 3D models. They will initially familiarise themselves with working in a 3D space, moving, resizing, and duplicating objects. The children will then create hollow objects using placeholders and combine multiple objects to create a model of a desk tidy. They will then go on to plan, develop, and evaluate their own 3D model of a building.

Programming: This unit explores the concept of variables in programming through games in Scratch. First, learners find out what variables are and relate them to real-world examples of values that can be set and changed. Then they use variables to create a simulation of a scoreboard. The children will experiment with variables in an existing project, then modify them, before they create their own project.

They will then draw all of their programming knowledge together – repetition, sequence, selection and variables and applying them together alongside using a physical device — the micro:bit. The children will be given a simple program for pupils to build in and test within the new programming environment, before transferring it to their micro:bit.

Data and Information: The children will be introduced to a spreadsheets. They will be supported in organising data into columns and rows to create their own data set. They will be taught the importance of formatting data to support calculations, while also being introduced to formulas and will begin to understand how they can be used to produce calculated data. The children will learn how to apply formulas that include a range of cells, and apply formulas to multiple cell