Computing

Intent of the computing curriculum at Lakeside

At Lakeside Primary Academy we strive to create and deliver a broad and balanced computing curriculum. Recognising that skills and knowledge should be equally valued. Knowledge and skills are intertwined and are mutually beneficial. Computing is a subject where knowledge and skills combine to allow proficiency. Knowledge combined with skill allows children to build on core computing skills and become increasingly sophisticated users of technology as they move through school. Our intent is that children ...

can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

Implementation of the computing curriculum at Lakeside

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As a school we use Purple Mash to plan and deliver our computing curriculum. Purple Mash is an online computing system where children can access a wide range of applications and pre-prepared activities and lessons. We use Purple Mash both inside and outside school to promote engagement with computing - we firmly believe that making links between learning at home and in school is by far the best way to promote a subject.

For more information on the Purple Mash computing curriculum click here.

Each year the key computing knowledge builds on learning from the previous years. The long term overview, that shows which units are taught in each year group, can be found in the documents below. Alongisde this each unit we teach is accompanied with a knowledge organiser which covers all the vocabulary pupils and key concepts pupils will learn

Alongside using Purple Mash for computing, we use Gooseberry Planet to deliver our Esafety curriculum. Esafety is an integral part of the teaching of computing at Lakeside, we recognise the importance of building knowlegde of Esafety and use a curriculum that builds on skills and knowledge throughout children's time at Lakeside. The long term overview, that shows which units are taught in each year group, can be found in the documents below.

For more information on the Gooseberry Planet esafety curriculum click here.

Computing knowledge organisers

Pupils are provided with a knowledge organiser for each computing unit they study. Knowledge organisers help pupils to understand what they will study, introduce them to key terminology and give them a grounding in what they will cover over the unit.

Knowledge organisers for each year group for this academic year are available to download below.

Examples of work and progression in the computing curriculum at Lakeside

See below for examples of work across the computing curriculum. The link for each class showcases work pupils did in computing lessons during the 2022-2023 academic year and work pupils have completed so far this academic year