Computing
Intent
In our ever-changing, and rapidly advancing technological society the need for our children to become computer literate is greater than ever. Throughout their Primary schooling, children should develop an in-depth understanding of what technology is, how it functions, and how it can support us in our day-to-day lives.
We aim to ensure that our children become confident, responsible and creative users of technology and help them to embed valuable skills which will benefit them throughout their schooling and in later life.
Implementation
We use the Kapow! Primary Curriculum to support children’s learning within Computing. This curriculum covers the three key aspects of Computing as outlined in the National Curriculum: computer science (CS), information technology (IT) and digital literacy (DL). This curriculum also adheres to The UK Council for Internet Safety’s 2020 guidance: Education for a Connected World.
As well as teaching weekly Computing classes, we also weave in the use of technology across other key curriculum areas. Children may create interactive storybooks in English, log data on spreadsheets in Maths, or use Google Earth for a birds-eye view of far-away countries and cities in Geography.
We have a wealth of technology available for our pupils at our school. Children in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 are taught to use iPads and programmable robots called Beebots. Higher up the school in Key Stage 2, children work on laptops to develop their word processing skills. Each classroom is fitted with an interactive board which allows children to take an active part in their learning. Additionally, have a Green Screen for creating augmented reality scenarios and to further enrich children’ story telling.
Sound buttons and speech to text features on laptops help us to support children who may find it hard to remember sentences when writing or for whom physically writing sentences may be difficult.
Impact
Children leave our school with the knowledge and skills needed to operate, and effectively utilise a wide range of technological equipment. They will have an in-depth understanding of how and when to use technology in their day-to-day lives and be able to comment on how to be a responsible and considerate digital citizen.
E-Safety
We take online safety extremely seriously; from fully managed internet access with strict web filtering to making online safety a natural part of any lesson involving the use of the internet, we take as many steps as possible to ensure students are kept safe.
The ongoing lessons within the Kapow Primary Curriculum cover age-appropriate e-safety risks and aim to provide students with strategies for dealing with unwanted communications, websites which make them feel unsafe and highlight the importance of keeping personal information private when working online.
Please take a look at the links below for more information on keeping our children safe online.
Keeping Under Fives Safe Online
Teaching Online Safety in Schools- DfE June 2019
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/digital-parenting
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
If you have any further questions or concerns please contact your child’s class teacher.
If you or your child are ever concerned about the content of a website or something makes you feel uneasy you can contact the National Crime Agency (NCA).