Intent
At Riversdale Primary School, our computing curriculum aims to equip all students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Our goal is to foster a love for learning about technology while ensuring students develop the confidence and competence to use it responsibly and safely.
We aim to provide an ambitious and inclusive curriculum that inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. By exploring the core areas of computer science, digital literacy, and information technology, we encourage students to think computationally, collaborate effectively, and adapt to a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Our intent is to prepare every learner, including those with SEND, to succeed in their next stage of education and beyond. As such, by promoting digital resilience, innovation, and ethical awareness, we aim to empower all students to navigate the digital world with integrity and confidence.
Implementation
We achieve our ambitious computing curriculum intent by delivering the Kapow Primary Condensed Computing Curriculum, which has been carefully selected to meet our cohort's needs and ensure alignment with the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. This comprehensive scheme is taught from EYFS through to Year 6, providing a structured, progressive, and engaging learning experience for all pupils.
Each year, pupils complete at least five units of learning, covering a broad range of topics that develop their technical skills and ensure they become responsible, confident, and adept users of technology. Over their time at the school pupils revisit five key areas: programming, online safety, data handling, computing systems and their networks, and creating media. The curriculum does this through a spiral approach, which incorporates cyclical learning, increasing depth of understanding by building on prior knowledge.
The concept of Online Safety is at the forefront of the Riversdale computing curriculum and with this in mind, it is the first topic covered each academic year. This is to ensure that children are reminded of how to keep themselves safe, before commencing any further computing study. In order to keep online safety at the core of computing teaching, children will revisit this at several points throughout the year, with lessons tailored to the needs of the pupils.
Each year the school hosts Safer Internet Day, where the children discuss the importance of online safety and their role within this, in an age appropriate manner. It is a very important day within the school calendar, as we believe that in the current climate, children must be armed with the skills to keep themselves and others safe.
Finally, to address the evolving technological landscape, we have incorporated a unit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) this year, ensuring our curriculum remains relevant and equips pupils with the knowledge and awareness needed for the future.
Curriculum Progression
At Riversdale Primary School we believe in the importance of all children developing a deep understanding of the various aspects of Computing, including digital literacy, information technology and computer science. We believe in embedding the substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills into their long-term memory, and as such, we have selected a well planned and carefully mapped curriculum.
You can find a copy of the 2024-25 Computing Progression Document here.
As the school understands the importance of building in time to tinker and assess the effectiveness of algorithms, we have utilised the advice and guidance of Kapow to develop a long-term timetable for the computing curriculum. You can find this here.
Lesson Delivery
All children are taught by their class teacher, in dedicated lessons that take place fortnightly (alternating with design and technology). We structure the timetable in such a way as to ensure pupils are building on knowledge and skills throughout the year, rather than in blocks, and use retrieval practices to move knowledge from pupils’ working memory to their long-term memory. Pupils are given the opportunity to explore a varied range of computing domains.
Pupils are provided with a Knowledge Organiser designed by Kapow that:
Concerned about Online Safety?
Please visit our dedicated Online Safety page where you can find a link to the ThinkUKnow website, internetmatters.org, ParentINFO and CEOP. Here you can find guidance about how you can keep your child safe online. Additionally, look out for the Online Safety Guide of the Month, in which we share with you the key information that all parents/carers need to know about the different apps and websites that are becoming popular with children across the globe. Furthermore, we have shared links to safer search engines for the pupils to use. No search engine is ever 100% safe, but examples provided are considered “safer” search engines and run ad-free.
Curriculum Policies
Please find our Computing policy below:
Here's a quick link to some useful information for parents and carers, including home learning apps and the school's communication app.
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