Our vision

At Henleaze Infant and Junior Schools, we aim to give our children the skills to be confident, creative and safe digital citizens. We promote safety and kindness as well as skill and knowledge thus enabling all children to be fluent in a variety of technologies that go beyond a computer.

Our Curriculum

At Henleaze Infant School, we follow the Purple Mash curriculum, and in Henleaze Junior School, we follow the Kapow curriculum. Subject leaders have worked together to ensure that the computing curriculum is cumulative, coherent and connected. Across the Henleaze Computing sequence, what pupils will know and be able to do across the curriculum has been carefully mapped. This ensures that learning builds cumulatively and helps students to make connections between concepts that they have learned. 

The computing curriculum, whether delivered through Purple Mash or Kapow, is organised into 5 key areas: Computing systems and networks, Programming, Creating media, Data handling and Online safety.

It is designed as a spiral curriculum with the following key principles: Cyclical – return to key knowledge and skills; Increasing depth – revisited with greater complexity and Prior knowledge – builds upon previous foundations.

Three strands run through each unit: Computer science (developing an understanding of how digital systems work and how to design, write and debug programs to control them), Information technology (using technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and present digital content across a range of contests) and Digital literacy (recognising the opportunities and risks of the online world and develop the skills to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly). In our curriculum, 2 types of knowledge have been identified: 

• Declarative knowledge (facts, concepts and information that pupils need to understand; including knowledge of algorithms, how networks function, input and output devices and the vocabulary used to describe digital systems) is mapped within each discipline. It forms the theoretical foundation that helps pupils make sense of the digital world and supports their ability to explain and reason about how and why things work.
• Procedural knowledge (the practical know-how that enables pupils to apply their understanding through action. This involves tasks such as writing code, debugging programs, editing digital media, using data-handling tools and navigating software interfaces) is developed through hands-on experience and allows pupils to use technology purposefully and creatively to solve problems and complete tasks. 

Digital literacy is at the curriculum’s core, ensuring pupils learn how to use technology safely, responsibly and effectively.  The curriculum promotes awareness of environmental issues. It encourages children to explore concepts such as climate change, resource use and conservation, promoting a sense of responsibility for the planet.  Critical thinking: pupils analyse digital content, evaluate data and reflect on the effectiveness of their own and others’ digital solutions. This helps them to question assumptions, make informed decisions and form reasoned conclusions about how technology is used and its impact on the world around them.

Our computing curriculum supports SMSC development by encouraging pupils to: explore different perspectives; reflect on ethical issues; collaborate with others and appreciate cultural diversity through subject-specific content. Lessons promote British values by incorporating activities that encourage debate, respect for differing opinions and understanding of societal structures. Our curriculum broadens pupils’ experiences by introducing them to influential innovators, real-world applications of technology and the ethical and social dimensions of the digital world.

Impact

Each year group has clear cumulative end goals – these are identified for teachers. Formative assessment is embedded including: questioning, observation, discussion and peer interaction, lesson pauses, retrieval practice (quizzes), use of success criteria and short reflections (knowledge catchers) enabling pupils to consolidate learning and teachers to gauge understanding. 

Subject overview