Through our computing curriculum at Shiplake CE Primary, we aim to provide our pupils with an exciting and engaging learning experience. We recognise the integral part technology has in our lives now and in the future.
Through our computing curriculum at Shiplake CE Primary, we aim to provide our pupils with an exciting and engaging learning experience. We recognise the integral part technology has in our lives now and in the future.
We aim to prepare our pupils for the rapidly changing world by providing them with the necessary skills to utilise and embrace this technology in a safe way, as socially responsible digital citizens. We model and teach the importance of how to use technology safely to all pupils and utilise events such as ‘Safer Internet Week’ and our shared PSHE assemblies to support this teaching further and share with our school community. We recognise the importance of a whole school community approach to keeping our pupils safe online and have a dedicated page on our website to share information with parents, as well as an online safety meeting delivered by a specialist. We have an E- Safety Policy that provides guidance for teachers and children about how to use the internet safely. Every year group participates in lessons on e-safety and children understand how to stay safe when using technology and when to recognise that they need support. Online safety is woven throughout our school, not just in dedicated units; staff recognise the importance of modelling how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely for our pupils.
The technology pupils use within school (iPads, laptops and PC’s) reflect the types of technology they have available at home. We are able to capitalise on this by using online home learning sites, for example Times Table Rockstars and Spelling Shed, to support learning in other areas of the curriculum. Further, pupil’s knowledge and ability achieved from home use is built on to allow pupils to move forward with their learning at a greater pace. Our technology is regularly maintained by an outside provider and a dedicated support desk so we can ensure a high level of performance for both staff and pupils.
Our skills and knowledge progression documents have been carefully planned to ensure our pupils cover the objectives of the National Computing curriculum, is inclusive and is delivered to reflect the needs of our pupils. At the centre of our computing curriculum is computer science, we want pupils to develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills and allow their creativity to flourish. Our computing curriculum provides learning opportunities, across other curriculum subjects too, allowing pupils to recognise their developing skills and how these relate to their role as part of our local and global community. This breadth of experience aims to give pupils increased confidence, the ability to develop their ideas and skills, reflect and evaluate on their achievements and express themselves using information and communication technology.
Our Computing Curriculum is organised around three main areas at present;
These three main areas include the following key threshold concepts.
By the end of Key Stage two we aim to ensure that pupils can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation, analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems, can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems and are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
Computing and ICT policy 2021 (Reviewed by Amy White 2021)
