We are very much aware at Mount Carmel that the future of our children today will more than likely to have a job that will involve computing. As the world moves towards AI we have to equip our children with the skills, not only to compete against others, but to beat them in any interview. We do this through a very structured Scheme of Work.

We re-installed our Computer room and filled it with touch screen computers, so children have the same technology as they do at home. With our two week timetable, instead of having a quick half hour session weekly, every child has an hour every two weeks. This ensures that children can practice the new skill that they have just learnt. 

Our parents did some fundraising for us and now we have 8 Chrome Books in every class to ensure that every lesson gives some children the opportunity to learn through IT. 

BEEBOTS!

Programming and coding is a vital skill for the future. As technology becomes more and more advanced, more of the jobs of the future are going to require a knowledge of coding. As such, here at Mount Carmel, we begin to teach our children at KS1 using Beebots! Beebots are the perfect introduction to the world of coding; simple instructions are given to the Beebot using the app to make it move. We instruct the children to guide the Beebot from place to place using instructions and make this more advanced by giving the children obstacles for the Beebot to navigate around. This is the perfect foundation to be built upon for KS2 as children progress to Scratch (which we will explain more about below!) to continue developing their coding skills.

SCRATCH!

Building on from what we learn in KS1, Scratch is a great tool for all of KS2 to use in different ways due to it's differing levels of complexity. From learning how to make Scratch the Cat move from place to place in Y3 to having lots of different scripts running at once (and maybe even creating a fully functioning game!) in Y6, Scratch has all the tools to  turn your child into a master coder as well as fitting in perfectly with the National Curriculum! Scratch is completely free to use so why not have a try at home and see what Scratch has to offer!

Still learning the ropes? Then try Scratch Jr! This simplified version of Scratch still contains lots of coding elements but takes away some of the more complex tools to allow your child to master the basics first.