Computing
Purpose of Study
A high-quality computing curriculum should enable pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and influence the world around them. Computing connects closely with mathematics, science and design and technology and develops pupils’ understanding of both natural and artificial systems.
At its core is computer science, through which pupils learn about information, computation, digital systems and programming. Pupils then build on this knowledge through information technology, using technology to create programs, systems and digital content. Computing also develops digital literacy, enabling pupils to use technology confidently, creatively and effectively, preparing them both for future employment and for active participation in an increasingly digital world.
Aims
The curriculum aims for all pupils to:
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- understand and apply the fundamental ideas of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation;
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- analyse problems using computational thinking and gain repeated practical experience of programming to solve problems;
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- evaluate and use information technology, including unfamiliar and emerging technologies, to solve problems effectively;
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- become responsible, competent, confident and creative users of technology
Our approach
We teach computing through the Purple Mash Computing Scheme, chosen because it gives clear, evidence-informed coverage of all three strands of the National Curriculum and a ready-made progression framework from Year 1 to Year 6. This gives our teachers a strong, consistent foundation to plan from, while still leaving room to adapt lessons to the needs and interests of their class.
We invest in high-quality technology, including class sets of iPads and laptops, to ensure computing lessons are hands-on, engaging and accessible to every pupil. Having a range of devices readily available means pupils can move from tablet-based apps in the early years towards more sophisticated software and, eventually, industry-standard tools and text-based programming by Year 6. This investment also supports computing being embedded across the wider curriculum, giving pupils regular opportunities to apply what they have learned in other subjects and contexts.
We also believe in the power of inspiration to shape pupils' thinking. We have taken inspiration from successful and influential people who have made a significant impact in their field, including scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and activists, and have woven their values, principles and strategies into our curriculum design. By studying their stories, we aim to inspire our pupils to aim high, dream big and achieve their own goals.
The sections below set out our intent for computing at Foundry Lane, how this is implemented in practice, and the impact we expect our curriculum to have on pupils by the time they leave us.
Intent
At Foundry Lane, we want pupils to become confident, creative and responsible users of technology. Our computing curriculum is structured around the three strands of the National Curriculum: Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy. Through a carefully sequenced curriculum, pupils build secure knowledge of how technology works, develop the skills to create and solve problems using digital tools, and learn how to use technology safely and responsibly. Purple Mash explicitly maps learning and progression against these three areas.
We intend for pupils to understand both what they know and what they can do in computing. Declarative knowledge identifies the key facts, concepts and ideas pupils need to understand, while procedural knowledge focuses on the skills and processes they need to apply. This ensures that computing is more than simply learning how to use particular programs: pupils develop secure knowledge that they can transfer between different programs, devices and contexts.
Implementation
Computing is taught through the Purple Mash Computing Scheme, providing a clear and progressive journey from Year 1 to Year 6. Units are carefully sequenced so that pupils revisit important concepts and skills, building increasing knowledge, independence and sophistication as they move through the school. Each unit identifies the relevant National Curriculum objectives and sets out the essential declarative and procedural knowledge pupils should acquire.
Our curriculum is deliberately cumulative. Teachers use prior and future learning links to identify what pupils have previously learned, how new learning builds upon this and where it will lead next, supporting purposeful retrieval, connection-making and progression across year groups. By Year 6, pupils are expected to transfer their skills between different digital tools, work with increasing sophistication, and move from block-based coding towards text-based programming in Python.
Pupils experience a broad range of computing, including coding, programming, data handling, digital content creation, networks and the internet.
Digital literacy and online safety run throughout the curriculum, delivered mainly through Purple Mash's 2BeSafe programme, alongside opportunities within individual computing units. Pupils progressively learn to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; evaluate digital content; understand their digital footprint; and recognise risks such as phishing, plagiarism and fake news.
Impact
By the end of Key Stage 2, we aim for pupils to have developed a secure and increasingly sophisticated understanding of computing. Pupils should be able to apply logical and computational thinking, design and debug programs, use a range of digital tools effectively and transfer their skills between different technologies. The Purple Mash progression identifies that, by Year 6, pupils should increasingly work independently, use abstraction and decomposition to solve problems, understand networks and transfer skills across to secondary-based programmes. Pupils should also leave Foundry Lane as safe, respectful and discerning digital citizens who understand how to protect themselves online, evaluate digital information and know how to respond when something concerns them.
Ultimately, our curriculum develops pupils as knowledgeable, capable and responsible users of technology, giving them the foundations to understand how technology works, create with it, solve problems and make informed choices in an increasingly digital world.
Threshold Concepts
1. Algorithms and programming
Pupils understand that computers follow precise instructions and that algorithms can be designed, represented, tested and improved. This develops from simple sequences in Key Stage 1 to decomposition, abstraction, variables, selection, repetition and text-based programming in Key Stage 2.
2. Computational thinking and problem solving
Pupils learn to approach problems logically, break them into smaller parts, identify patterns, predict outcomes and debug errors. By Year 6, pupils use decomposition and abstraction with increasing confidence rather than relying on trial and error.
3. Data and information
Pupils understand that data can be collected, organised, represented, searched, analysed and interpreted. They progressively use digital tools to manipulate information and make increasingly sophisticated decisions from data.
4. Digital systems, hardware and networks
Pupils develop an understanding that computing involves both hardware and software and that devices can communicate through networks. This develops towards understanding the internet, the World Wide Web and different types of networks.
5. Creating with technology
Pupils understand that technology is a tool for purposeful creation. They learn to select and combine appropriate software to produce digital content, including text, images, sound, presentations, data and programs, and increasingly transfer these skills between different digital tools.
6. Digital literacy and online responsibility
Pupils understand that technology must be used safely, respectfully and responsibly. Their understanding develops from protecting personal information and seeking help to evaluating online content, recognising unreliable information and understanding issues such as digital footprints, phishing, plagiarism and fake news.
Progression on a Page
Year 1
Computer Science - Understand that an algorithm is a sequence of instructions; create simple programs, predict outcomes and begin to debug errors.The first column.
Information Technology - Create, save and retrieve purposeful digital content using text, images and sound; recognise technology in everyday life.
Digital Literacy - Begin to use technology safely and respectfully, protect personal information and know when to seek help.
Year 2
Computer Science - Turn algorithms into code; create programs with multiple objects and events and use logical reasoning to debug.
Information Technology - Use a wider range of software to create and manipulate digital content, including pictures, spreadsheets, data and presentations; understand basic uses of the internet.
Digital Literacy - Develop understanding of privacy, passwords, online communication and that not everything online is true.
Year 3
Computer Science - Plan increasingly detailed algorithms; begin to decompose problems, use sequence and repetition, read flowcharts and debug logically.
Information Technology - Select appropriate software for a task; create databases, spreadsheets and presentations and communicate using email.
Digital Literacy -Use search more effectively, distinguish fact, opinion and belief, understand online relationships and develop secure password habits.
Year 4
Computer Science - Independently design, code, test and debug programs; use sequence, selection, repetition and variables and consider efficiency.
Information Technology - Select and combine a greater range of digital tools; develop effective searching and create increasingly sophisticated digital products.
Digital Literacy - Evaluate the accuracy of online information, understand fake news, advertising, privacy and digital identity, and make responsible choices online.
Year 5
Computer Science - Use abstraction and decomposition when designing programs; apply functions, variables, sequence, selection and repetition and debug complex code.
Information Technology - Select software purposefully to create and interrogate databases, spreadsheets, documents and other digital products.
Digital Literacy - Become increasingly discerning about online information, copyright, targeted content and digital wellbeing; understand stronger privacy and security practices.
Year 6
Computer Science - Use decomposition and abstraction confidently; design from flowcharts, debug systematically and transfer learning from block coding to text-based Python.
Information Technology - Transfer skills between digital tools and increasingly use industry-standard software, combining and analysing digital content with sophistication.
Digital Literacy - Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly and make increasingly informed and discerning decisions about online content and communication.
Units of Learning
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Year Group |
Units of Learning |
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Year 1 |
Introduction to Purple Mash • Creative Computing • Data Explorers • Creating & Following Instructions • Animated Stories • Coding • Technology Around Us • Making Beats |
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Year 2 |
Creating Pictures • Making Music • Spreadsheets • Route Explorers • Questioning • Coding • Presenting Ideas • The Internet |
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Year 3 |
Touch Typing • Email • Route Planners • Spreadsheets • Coding • Presentations (Microsoft, Apple & Google) • Branching Databases |
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Year 4 |
Animation • Unpacking Hardware & Software • Sound Stories • Logo • Effective Searching • Coding • Composing Beats • Introduction to AI |
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Year 5 |
Quizzing • Databases • Game Creator • Spreadsheets • Coding • Word Processing (Microsoft, Apple & Google) • Concept Maps |
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Year 6 |
Blogging • Networks • Graphing • Data Detectives • Coding • 3D Modelling • Spreadsheets (Microsoft, Apple & Google) • Introduction to Python |
