At John Betts, we use bespoke assessment shields to help our children learn. The shields outline the key disciplinary knowledge needed for a given discipline and children understand what these skills are that are required for each subject area. Each lesson, they identify what disciplinary knowledge they will be using to answer the learning question and, in addition, they learn to revisit their learning by using the shields as guide. These also lead to powerful conversations about professions in each discipline. 

Children at our school learn Computing in a clear, structured and meaningful way. We don’t leave learning to chance — every lesson is carefully planned so that children don’t just understand something “in the moment”, but remember it and build on it as they progress through their learning. A key part of this is disciplinary knowledge. This means teaching children how to learn and think like a computer scientist. They learn how to collect, use, interpret and understand information, and how to reflect on their work, make sensible choices and evaluate what they have created. This helps them to use technology safely, confidently and creatively.

All our Computing learning is organised into key areas, which give structure and ensure that every child experiences all the important parts of Computing. This helps them build confidence, understanding, and a love of learning through technology.