The Computing Curriculum

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“It’s not that we use technology, we live technology” Godfrey Reggio

At Kentmere, we understand the place and value of technology in education and in the wider world. We want to prepare our pupils for the opportunities and careers that technology can bring; that may not even yet exist. Computing at Kentmere is all about developing well-rounded digital citizens, proficient programmers and confident users of information technology.  This is imperative for their education but also for their contributions to society and their own lives. Computing has the power to connect individuals and communities from all over the world, as many of our pupils have family and friends in counties across Pakistan, Portugal and Poland for example we want to show them how these connections can be nourished through the power of technology,  by making them IT literate. We know that many of our children do not have a working knowledge of the world outside of Rochdale and so we use technology through our wider curriculum to show them what the world can offer them.

One of the most important aspects of the Computing curriculum at Kentmere is the focus on Digital Literacy. We want our pupils to use technology safely and respectfully, to recognise the fantastic opportunities that the online world can bring but also to recognise the implications of this. We teach them how to balance their screen time, filter for real and ‘fake’ news, keep themselves protected in an online environment and recognise the impact of their online and offline behaviour.

We harness the skills of computer programming by teaching problem solving and computational thinking. Through a language rich environment we teach the technical vocabulary associated with programming to help the children reason and explain their ideas. We want our children to think in an analytical way which can then be applied to other areas of the curriculum. We provide them with the opportunity to design, create and evaluate programs and to apply the skills they have been taught independently.
We teach information technology through the opportunity to use a range of software and hardware. We start by teaching the basic skills of typing and navigating computers. We provide children with the opportunities to create digital imagery, games, and music to show them the variety and breadth of what they can achieve with technology.

Through a progressive curriculum we teach the knowledge and skills they need as a foundation for careers in media, administration, data, advertising, programming and all of the many other careers that being a confident user of information technology can bring. When children leave Kentmere after completing the Computing curriculum they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.