“People say ‘Aren’t you worried what students may do in the digital world?’ My response, ‘I’m more worried if we don’t teach them how.”   

Scott Garofola

Our vision for Computing:

At Bedford Primary we aim to deliver a relevant, engaging and high-quality computing curriculum.  To be successful and active participants workforce in the future, all of our pupils to be digitally literate and able to use a range of information and communication technology. 

We are also striving to embed computing and digital skills across the entire curriculum so that pupils have the opportunity to select the most appropriate and effective media and software to express themselves and communicate ideas and information.

Skills needed to be a great computing student:

• The ability to collaborate, communicate and express yourself effectively by choosing the right media and applications from a range of information, communication technology
• Confidence and creativity to tinker with technology and explore ideas
• Curiosity to ask questions and the perseverance to want to know more
• The ability to make connections and links between learning in maths, science and design technology
• Resilience to be able to see the challenge of overcoming errors, bugs and mistakes as important and exciting steps to learning and discovery
• Systematic thinking to break instructions, processes and systems down into small steps
• Adaptability and confidence to transfer and applying existing skills and knowledge to new situations and technologies
• Being SMART online and having fun!

Throughout the subject of computing, our pupils will also demonstrate additional traits from our Bedford Learner Profile including problem-solving, managing risks, being a responsible digital citizen and demonstrating the ability to recognise what healthy friendships and relationships look like. 

Our Computing Curriculum:

The three main aims of the computing National Curriculum are:  

• Computer Science - in which children are given the opportunity to explore how applications and software are made through programming (coding) and how things actually work “under the bonnet” of our digital devices. They will develop their creativity, computational thinking and logic, to design digital solutions for the world around them. 

• Information Technology - in which children will use applications and develop their word processing skills to present their ideas. They will work creatively, linking with many of the other subjects in the wider curriculum, using a wide range of apps to create, save and retrieve data, music, art, photography, animations and their written work (plus more!).  

• Digital Literacy - in which children will become confident, creative, respectful, responsible online users. Children will develop online skills to safely explore, safely manage their own online image and their online relationships. They will also develop their understanding of the World Wide Web and the Internet it is built on. The children will also connect to many of the other curriculum subjects via their own research.

Our Computing curriculum has been developed using a range of sources, including the Teach Computing lessons and BBC micro:bit.  At the start of each computing lesson, children will complete an online safety starter adapted from the Project Evolve resources.  The different strands have been mapped out for each year group to ensure full coverage.  

Skills and strands covered throughout the curriculum: 

Staying Safe:

Click here to visit our 'Staying Safe' information page for parents

Click here to visit our 'Staying Safe' information page for pupils

Click here to visit our 'Online Safety' page for pupils.

Useful Computing Links: