Computing Curriculum
Mr Chambers
Computing Subject Leader
Kapow Primary’s Computing scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world – in other words, to think like computing experts. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, measure and record necessary data in a variety of ways and analyse and present their findings.
The scheme aims to build an awareness of how Computing shapes lives at multiple scales and over time. The hope is to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.
The scheme supports teachers in developing their subject knowledge and skills, enabling the delivery of engaging, well-informed lessons with confidence. The curriculum is designed to be both accessible and ambitious, ensuring all learners’ full participation and potential achievement.
The Kapow computing lessons are split in 4 parts:
Recap and recall Each Computing lesson begins with a short activity revisiting prior learning. This helps reinforce key knowledge, activate long-term memory and create connections between past and new learning. Recap and recall activities are varied to keep the start of the lesson engaging and fun while still supporting active recall.
Attention grabber
A short, engaging activity designed to hook pupils into the new learning in the lesson. This could be a thought-provoking question, a quick investigation or an interactive discussion to spark curiosity and enthusiasm for the topic. Main event The core part of the lesson, where children engage in activities that develop their understanding of the learning objective. This includes a mixture of teacher modelling, guided practice and independent or collaborative tasks tailored to support all learners. Wrapping up A final reflective activity that consolidates learning. This could involve reviewing the success criteria, discussing key learning or applying knowledge in a different context to assess understanding and encourage deeper thinking.
Formative assessment
Each lesson begins with a ‘Recap and recall’ section, which gives pupils the opportunity to practice retrieving key knowledge relevant to the forthcoming lesson. This section allows teachers to make informal judgements about whether pupils have retained prior learning and are ready to progress.
The ‘Assessing progress and understanding’ section in each lesson helps teachers to identify those pupils who are secure in their learning or working at a greater depth. These assessments can then be recorded on the Computing: Assessment spreadsheet, helping teachers identify learning gaps within the class or individual pupils.
Summative assessment
Each unit of work assesses children’s understanding and retention of key knowledge using an Assessment quiz with multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Depending on the needs of the cohort, Assessment quiz questions may be read aloud and completed in small groups or as a whole-class activity, rather than being completed independently.
Additionally, each unit includes a Knowledge catcher, which can be used at both the beginning and end of a unit to give children the opportunity to further demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts covered.
Assessment quizzes and Knowledge catchers provide teachers with a record of summative assessment – evidence of pupil progression throughout the year between key stages.
It is recommended that teachers keep all forms of assessment as pupils progress through primary school, ensuring that both the subject lead and teachers can track pupils’ learning.
Kapow Primary’s Computing scheme incorporates a spiral curriculum model, ensuring that children revisit and develop their understanding of key themes and concepts as they progress. This approach allows them to make meaningful connections, reinforce their learning and achieve mastery over time.
Revisiting key concepts – pupils encounter the same ideas multiple times throughout their education, with each revisit adding more complexity.
Progressive depth – concepts are not just repeated but expanded upon, helping pupils to make connections and develop a richer understanding over time.
Knowledge retention – regular exposure to key ideas strengthens memory and prevents knowledge from being forgotten.
Skill development – pupils refine and apply their skills in different contexts, improving their ability to think critically and solve problems.
Adaptive learning – by building on prior knowledge, the curriculum meets pupils at their current level and supports all learners, including those who need extra reinforcement and those who are ready for greater challenges.
The National Curriculum guidance is always our starting point when planning our curriculum. This guidance from the Department of Education sets out clear aims and course content for each subject.
We ensure we cover each aspect of this, then apply it to our own Curriculum approach.
For each subject, we have identified a set of Core Key Skills. These are the skills which underpin the children’s learning across the curriculum and enable them to progress and deepen their learning each year.
They show a clear progression in skills within each curriculum area and act as the building blocks for success.
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