Completing the National Centre for Computing Education's certificates: Sophie

We recently caught up with Sophie Platt, who has completed several of the National Centre for Computing Education certificates, to find out more about her experience and how achieving these has impacted her classroom teaching.

Hi, nice to meet you. Could you tell us who you are, and which certificates you chose to complete?

I’m Sophie, I currently work at Ling Moor Primary Academy in Lincoln and I have been the Computing Subject Lead for around 4 years now. I have taught in Year 4, however I currently teach Year 1 and have since completed the Teach primary computing certificate, Teach secondary certificate and the Key stage 3 and GCSE Computer Science subject knowledge certificate.

I started with the primary one and once I completed all the parts of that one, I still wanted to know more so I decided to go for the other two to build on the knowledge I had gained from the first one, even though I don’t teach key stage 3 or above.

What specific skills or knowledge did you gain from participating in our certification programmes?

Completing the Teach primary certificate led me to the Computing at School (CAS) Community who have put together some great evenings for subject leaders in computing. The CAS meetings are a great way to share ideas and ask for support or help from others who may have already faced or currently be facing similar issues to you.

Completing the Teach secondary computing certificate gave me an insight into where the children in my school are headed, and gave me the confidence to talk about computing with my wider trust in the Curriculum Learning Community meetings that I hold with the Secondary Computing Leads. This certificate gave me lots of knowledge about computer systems and programming that we don’t need to teach in primary, but helped me develop my understanding in order to feel more like an expert when helping my colleagues with our wider primary curriculum. This was then enhanced even further by enrolling on the Key stage 3 and Computer Science subject knowledge certificate.

How has completing the certificate positively impacted your teaching approach and strategies in the classroom?

The certificates have given me great ideas to use in the classroom, such as using paired programming. This was discussed in the online course that I took as part of the Teach primary certificate and it is very useful in helping learners be able to work together. I particularly like how it encourages one child not to touch the computer and to be the ‘navigator’, while the other is the ‘driver’ moving the mouse and sticking to the other’s instructions.

This has helped in class when we have had to share devices or when a child needs to whizz through something really quickly – getting them to slow down has meant they have had to have a really deep understanding of the process they are using in order to effectively give verbal instructions for someone else to follow. There have been lots of these kinds of strategies I’ve picked up through the courses I have done that I use regularly in computing in my class, and that I give as top tips to others I work with in my school and in my wider trust.

How has the certificate improved your students’ love for computer science?

It has given me much more confidence which has raised the profile of computing immensely in my school. I now run a successful Code Club at my school because of my new found knowledge after attending a programming course as part of my primary certificate. I have also delivered a lunchtime club for keyboard and mouse skills that was very popular.

I believe that my students are very enthusiastic about computing now and show a passion for it as I model that as an example for them to follow. I have led assemblies for Safer Internet Day that featured volunteers at the front, helping me spread the messages and we have had some children complete the Junior Online Safety Officer training through Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership.

How has your experience with the certificate positively impacted your professional development?

As a school, we were one of the first primary schools in the country to achieve the Computing Quality Framework accreditation and complete the certificates, helping improve my knowledge of what makes a good computing curriculum in order to enable me to complete the work required to achieve the accreditation. Due to completing these certificates, I have overseen the Primary Computing Curriculum Learning Community for my Trust, where we meet several times across the academic year to discuss how computing is going, any top tips or best practice and any changes in research or policies.

I have also recently become a Professional Development Leader and now facilitate some of the courses I was a participant in as part of these certificates. I really enjoy sharing my knowledge with others who are in similar positions to me when I first took on the role of Computing Lead and didn’t know where to turn for information. Now, I have the confidence, knowledge, and skills to help others and that is really rewarding.

As of September of this year, I will be going back to university to complete a master's degree in Learning, Education and Technology at the University of Oulu in Finland, all because of the love of computing education I have built as part of the National Centre for Computing Education's certificates and courses.

What would you tell someone considering enrolling or completing the certificate?

Definitely do it!

You will find benefits in all of the different parts of the certificate and hopefully you'll be able to engage with computing as a learner, looking at it from a student's point of view and seeing the wonder and joy available through computational thinking.

The possibilities are endless in computing, and the future is technological, so being at the forefront of computing education in our country can only be an advantage – you’ll also meet some fabulous experts who can inspire you more and more on each course you go on.

Thanks, Sophie!

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To learn more about our certificates, you can find them on our primary and secondary certificate pages.