Giffard Park Primary School

Computing at Giffard Park Primary School

The subject leader for computing is Mrs Cronin.

At Giffard Park Primary School we want pupils to be MASTERS of technology. Technology is everywhere and will play a pivotal part in students' lives. Therefore, we want to model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. We want our pupils to be creators not consumers and our broad curriculum encompassing computer science, information technology and digital literacy reflects this.

Please view our Intent, Implementation, Impact document for an in depth look at our Computing aims.

What does the Computing Curriculum look like?

The National Curriculum for Computing aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
• are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

At Giffard Park Primary School, we achieve this through using the NCCE Computing scheme as a foundation.

Computing Highlights

There have been many exciting lessons taking place in computing across the school. Read below to find out what is happening in each year group.

Foundation / Year 1

Our young programmers have been grouping data using different features, such as colour, size and object. This term, they will be looking at animations and having a go at creating their own, using unplugged activities in the process.

Year 2

Last term, the children in Year 2 created pictograms using technology in their data and information learning.  This term, they will be exploring how music can be made using technology.  They will use music lab to explore how pitch, dynamics and different instruments can make us think and feel different things. They will even use the software to create music to sound like an animal.

If you would like to have a go, please click the following link: Chrome Music Lab

Year 3

In Year 3, they have been learning about branching databases in their data and information unit. This term, there will be a focus on desktop publishing, where children will become more familiar with typing, editing, formating and using a mousepad to create a final product.

Year 4

In Year 4, this term they will be learning about photo editing. As part of this learning, they will look at fake images, why images might be changed and edit their own images for a purpose. To edit the photos, they will use paint.net program and a range of tools: crop, resize, copy, paste and undo. 

Have a look at this photo from last year!

Year 5

Year 5 have been learning about flat-file databases in their data and information unit. They have also learnt about selection in programming, conditional statements, operators and debugging (fixing errors) by using the crumble devices. 

In Summer Term, Year 5 are developing their learning further by using selection in quizzes, using scratch.

If you would like to create a scratch account to have a go, please click here.

Year 6

Year 6 have completed their data and information unit, focussing on spreadsheets. In Summer term they will be completing a 3D modelling unit using TinkerCAD and will use Micro:Bits to write an algorithm for a step counter. They will use sensing, forever loops, debug code and make improvements to be successful. 

To have a go at programming a Micro:bit (no Micro:bit necessary), please follow this link: Make Code

To have a go at 3D modelling, please follow this link to TinkerCAD