At Hillside Primary School, our computing curriculum is designed to place the needs and aspirations of our pupils at the heart of everything we do. We deliver a knowledge-rich, ambitious, and inclusive curriculum that meets the full breadth of the National Curriculum and prepares pupils for life in a digital age. By integrating the Teach Computing scheme with the Project EVOLVE toolkit (built on the Education for a Connected World framework), we empower every child to "Be the BEST they can be" – both as creators of technology and as safe, responsible digital citizens.

Our computing curriculum intent is underpinned by four key attitudes for learning:

• Believe

• Engage

• Succeed

• Try

Believe: Building confidence and belonging

We foster an environment where children believe they can master the digital world and see themselves as part of a global, connected community.

• Inclusive literacy: Following the National Curriculum's aim for all pupils to become "digitally literate," we ensure every child – regardless of starting point – builds the vocabulary and skills to express themselves.

• Self-image and identity: Using the Project EVOLVE strands, we teach children to believe in their unique online identity. We explore how they represent themselves safely and celebrate the diversity of the digital world, ensuring every learner feels valued and respected in online spaces.

• Digital capital: We ensure pupils develop the cultural capital to feel they belong in a tech-driven society. Through pre-teaching and scaffolded "unplugged" activities, we remove barriers to ensure every child believes they can achieve Age-Related Expectations (ARE) or beyond.

Engage: Curiosity and connection

We provide a stimulating curriculum that inspires children to engage deeply with how technology connects the modern world

• Purposeful programming: Our curriculum meets the National Curriculum requirement to use technology "purposefully." Using Teach Computing, all projects have a clear intent—from designing weather-logging systems to creating digital media for a specific audience.

• Education for a connected world: We engage pupils with the eight strands of the UKCIS framework, including online relationships and managing online information. This ensures they can relate their learning to their real-life experiences on social media, gaming, and the web.

• Local curiosity: We draw on our local area, such as Robinswood Hill, using data logging devices (National Curriculum KS2) to collect and analyse environmental data, ensuring children see the connection between 'code' and the 'real world'.

Succeed: Precision and mastery

Our curriculum is a precisely sequenced journey following a spiral model to ensure every pupil succeeds as a computer scientist.

• The spiral approach: We utilise 'spaced retrieval' across the core strands of the National Curriculum: Computer Science, Information Technology, and Digital Literacy. Our 'sticky knowledge' approach ensures foundations in sequencing are firm before pupils move to more complex selection and variables.

• Technical mastery: Through fidelity to the Teach Computing sequence, pupils master technical skills like using search technologies effectively and evaluating digital content (NC 2.5). They succeed because they can apply these skills in real-life contexts with precision.

• Digital health and wellbeing: Through the Project EVOLVE curriculum, children learn to succeed personally by mastering 'Health, Wellbeing and Lifestyle' online, ensuring technology supports rather than hinders their growth.

Try: Resilience and hard thinking

We cultivate a culture of resilience where children embrace 'hard thinking' and understand that navigation of the digital world requires determination.

• The power of debugging: In programming, we teach that mistakes are essential. We use 'Stretch It' challenges to test depth of understanding in algorithms, encouraging pupils to navigate misconceptions and 'debug' their code with determination.

• Online resilience: Using Project EVOLVE’s Online Bullying and Privacy and Security strands, we equip children with the strategies to handle digital challenges. They learn that they can achieve safety and excellence by being willing to 'try' different reporting tools and support strategies.

• Iterative design: Much like our writing process, computing involves a constant cycle of'"plan, create, test, and refine'. Children learn that digital excellence is the result of a willingness to try, edit, and improve their work, whether it is a Year 1 animation or a Year 6 3D model.