Computing

At Heber, we recognise the integral part that technology plays in our children’s lives and aim to equip children to become active and responsible participants in the ever-changing digital world. We are aware that our children’s access to technology outside of school varies widely and also of the barriers and stereotypes that exist in the world of Computing, particularly around gender and race. We therefore aim to inspire all children to consider themselves as the computational thinkers and computer scientists of the future. Furthermore, we aim to develop children’s perception of technology as a tool for learning, innovation and discovery, as well as helping them to understand the advantages and disadvantages associated with online experiences.

As such, we teach children to understand how computers work as well as what measures can be taken to keep themselves and others safe online. Our curriculum focuses on Digital Citizenship, Information Technology, Digital Literacy and Computer Science and aims to give children a deep and broad knowledge through opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts. Ultimately, all children should leave Heber as confident, able and responsible Digital Citizens who are prepared for the technological challenges they will face in the future.

Heber's New Multi-Purpose Computing Suite

Our amazing new Computing Suite is finished and its impact is already being seen across the school. Featuring a full class set of HP PC's with HD monitors, the suite is designed not only for our Computing lessons but also to benefit and enhance all subjects across our broad and varied curriculum. The room will ensure that every child in every year group is able to participate in interactive lessons, with the state-of-the-art Ultra HD smart board providing a focal point for teaching. The suite also features Classroom monitoring system which allows the teacher to view, control, lock and broadcast the teacher's screen to all children's computers in real time. This helps ensure children are using the computers and internet safely and also helps teachers to guide children to achieve their full potential in every lesson. All Computing lessons will be delivered in the suite, meaning children can look forward to exploring Computer Science, Digital Literacy, E-Safety and Information Technology lessons in new surroundings. 

Curriculum

The Primary National Curriculum for Computing can be split into 3 strands: 

Digital Literacy: Pupils learn to use technology to express themselves and develop their ideas. 

Information Technology: Pupils learn to use technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. 

Computer Science: Pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming.

At Heber, we teach each Computing strand discreetly, linking Computing lessons to our wider school curriculum wherever possible. Each half-term, every class will be learning the same strand of Computing. Below is an overview of each year group’s computing curriculum, which demonstrates the progression of Computing skills from Year 1 through to Year 6.

Furthermore, we believe that it is very important that children are taught to be good Digital Citizens. Therefore,every half term begins with at least one Digital Citizenship lesson. Digital Citizenship lessons encompass online safety, online bullying, online privacy and identity, healthy technology usage, use of passwords, copyright and managing information online.

Our curriculum map for Computing can be found here. It breaks down what each year group will be learning about during each strand of the curriculum.

Heber Goes Google!

There are also a lot of other exciting changes taking place in the development of our Computing curriculum here at Heber. As many of you may already know, Heber has 'Gone Google'! This really exciting development means that all of our staff and pupils now have their own secure G Suite for Education accounts that will be used to enhance the teaching of Computing as well as many other subjects across the curriculum. G Suite for Education, alongside Google Classroom, is used by over 60 million pupils worldwide and provides secure and safe access to Google's core apps, such as Google Docs, Google Sheets and Gmail.

Our accounts are provided through the London Grid for Learning and the children's use of all apps is restricted and monitored by their class teacher. Similarly, Digital Citizenship lessons every half term will ensure children understand how to use the internet responsibly. Each class will be introduced to the different elements of G Suite throughout the year and it has been made clear to all children that the G Suite is for learning purposes only.

If you would like to know more about G Suite for Education, please click here.

If you would like further information on Google's Privacy and Security Policy, please click here.