Computers are part of everyday life for most of us and understanding how technology works is a skill children must be taught if they are to be ready for the workplace and able to participate effectively in this digital world.
The new computing curriculum for primary and secondary schools became statutory in September 2014 and has been developed to equip young people in England with the foundational skills, knowledge and understanding of computing they will need for the rest of their lives.
Through the new programme of study for computing all pupils will:
- Understand and apply fundamental principles and concepts of computer science including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
- Analyse problems in computational terms and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve them
- Critically evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, to solve problems
- Be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
There is a wealth of information and resources available to support the delivery of the computing curriculum and we have listed a few below which you might find useful in your lessons.
Computing at School
A community of over 16,000 committed education professionals who run regional hub meetings, deliver local CPD courses, contribute to forums and post their teaching resources to a community site. The community has been instrumental in the development of the new curriculum and it is committed to supporting all teachers as they engage with computing.
Quick Start Computing
A comprehensive CPD toolkit to help deliver inspiring computing lessons in primary and secondary schools. It uses videos and well-designed, user-friendly PDFs to guide staff through the content. Printed handbooks are also available and you can find your local distribution centre here.
These resources have been created by a panel of expert primary computing teachers. These free to use, creative resources illustrate how computing can be integrated across the primary curriculum and enable primary teachers to deliver the new computing curriculum with confidence. There are two different types of resources: Teach yourself concept resources and exemplar teaching activities.
Hour of Code
The Hour of Code took place in December 2014 and all of the useful and engaging resources which can be used to teach coding are still available on their website.
Barclays Code Playground
Barclays have built an online playground where children can start to discover coding. It’s a safe place where young explorers can try their hand at fun activities that are based on simple coding principles.
Barefoot Computing Workshops
Free Barefoot Primary Computing Workshops are taking place at a school near you. Designed to equip primary school teachers with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to deliver the new computing curriculum, the workshops are run by volunteers trained by Barefoot regional partners.