The Bramham and Shadwell Federation consists of two large primary schools, serving Wetherby and Shadwell in the city of Leeds. Computing Lead and Associate SENco Beth Ings explains how the programme brings coding to life while getting students ready for digital careers.
MEETING THE CURRICULUM
We’ve been using Discovery Education Coding across our two primary schools for three years and are very happy with it. When I became Computing Lead, I was keen to continue our subscription because it hits so many curriculum targets. It’s popular with students because it’s enjoyable and engaging. And with teachers, because you don’t have to be an expert to use it.
A COMPLETE RESOURCE
Discovery Education Coding is very easy for teachers to deliver, regardless of their Computing experience. It’s a complete scheme of work with step by step lesson plans. There are simple videos to guide you through each stage and the lesson objectives are set out very clearly. Before taking over as Computing Lead I lacked confidence but now I can teach Coding up to Year 6. I know that my colleagues feel well supported too.
ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE
One of the best things about Discovery Education Coding is that it gives children a concrete experience of using technology in a really positive way. It encourages teachers and students to work together and is very inclusive. So, rather than giving the children iPads and sending them away to code, we work alongside them. Each lesson is clearly planned out with teaching and talking points in every step. It’s also very accessible and meets the needs of different types of learners.
RESILIENCE AND PROBLEM SOLVING
The programme helps students with problem solving, which is a key aim of the National Computing Curriculum. We really like the debugging aspect and the way in which it encourages students to fix their code using sequencing, selection and repetition. Through logical reasoning, they learn how to unpick and correct algorithms. This builds resilience, which is such an important skill and something we try to encourage across the school.
A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING
Recently, our Local Authority did a mock deep dive into our Computing provision and they loved how we use Discovery Education Coding. They were particularly impressed that our students use the right terminology, because it’s constantly being reinforced in their lessons. They asked our students to explain variables and algorithms and they were able to reel off the answers! The programme helps us to embed the right terminology and build a deeper understanding.
LOVED BY STUDENTS
Our students absolutely love Discovery Education Coding. Parents tell us that they enjoy accessing it at home and will sometimes choose Coding over gaming! I think it appeals to children because of the work behind it, the sequencing. They enjoy learning about how games are put together and putting this into practice. It’s not just about problem solving, it’s creative too. They can showcase their learning by creating apps and games and this gives them a real sense of achievement.
FREE CODE FUN
One of our favourite activities is Burst The Bubbles, a fun game where children learn how to program bubbles to float and pop. Our students love to code their own version of the game before sharing it with their peers. They’re learning from each other all the time and as teachers, we learn from them too. If I’m not sure how to debug a piece of code, I’ll stop the class and ask the children to play teacher to help me!
STUDENT PROGRESSION
This year we’ve delivered clear whole school progression in Computing, thanks to the scaffolded learning support that Discovery Education provides. We have more students ‘meeting’ or ‘working above’ than ever before. Because each unit is broken down into bite-sized chunks, students can master skills in their own time. Each lesson plan clearly scaffolds into the next and it’s easy to revisit more challenging tasks if we need to. There’s also a handy Refresher Course, which recaps learning.
DIGITAL FUTURES
Having fun with coding is so important and because the platform is so engaging, our students can’t wait to use it. It’s helping them to build transferrable skills and has really sparked their interest in IT. When we ask our students what they want to be, they often say that they want to work in technology. Discovery Education Coding is getting them ready for digital careers and opening doorways to the future.
