COMPUTING

Computing

 

At Cambois Primary School we want pupils to be MASTERS of technology and not slaves to it. Technology is everywhere and will play a pivotal part in students' lives,. Therefore, we want to model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely.  We want our pupils to be creators not consumers and our broad curriculum encompassing computer science, information technology and digital literacy reflects this. . We want our pupils to understand that there is always a choice with using technology and as a school we utilise technology (especially social media) to model positive use. We recognise that the best prevention for a lot of issues we currently see with technology/social media is through education. We recognise that technology can allow pupils to share their learning in creative ways. We also understand the accessibility opportunities technology can provide for our pupils. Our knowledge rich curriculum has to be balanced with the opportunity for pupils to apply their knowledge creatively which will in turn help our pupils become skilful computer scientists.

We encourage staff to try and embed computing across the whole curriculum to make learning creative and accessible. We want our pupils to be fluent with a range of tools to best express their understanding and hope by Upper Key Stage 2, children have the independence and confidence to choose the best tool to fulfil the task and challenge set by teachers.

 

We have created a comprehensive progression document for staff to follow to best embed and cover every element of the computing curriculum. The knowledge/skills statements build year on year to deepen and challenge our learners.

We encourage our children to enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver. We will constantly ask the WHY behind their learning and not just the HOW. We want learners to discuss, reflect and appreciate the impact computing has on their learning, development and well being.

Finding the right balance with technology is key to an effective education and a healthy life-style. We feel the way we implement computing helps children realise the need for the right balance and one they can continue to build on in their next stage of education and beyond. We encourage regular discussions between staff and pupils to best embed and understand this.

The way pupils showcase, share, celebrate and publish their work will best show the impact of our curriculum. We also look for evidence through reviewing pupil’s knowledge and skills digitally through Seesaw and pupils saving work to their own drive. All children from y1-6 have their own book to record work and also to store QR codes which celebrate their learning.

 

Computer Policy and planning 
Online Safety
Equipping children to be responsible and safe online is an important, on-going commitment.It is important that children hear the same messages at home and at school. We encourage all pupils and parents to agree to and sign the agreement to keep our children safe. At the start of every unit children will  be taught a discreet Internet Safety lesson linked to Project Evolve and Education for a connected world 2020. They will be reminded about password safety and what to do if they discover any inappropriate material. Throughout the year , during our PSHE lessons we help the children to understand how to stay safe online. We also have special focus days such as Internet Safety Day.
 
Information Technology.
 
Learners should know that technology is everywhere, be able to identify the technology they encounter and have a growing understanding of how it works. We have broken down this part of computing into activities for word processing, spreadsheets and data handling, presentation, ebook creation, web design, animation, video creation, photography and art, sound and AR & VR. Pupils should experience a range of different apps and software.Lower down the school, the teacher will select the programs to use but as pupils get older they will be encouraged to make their own choices. Learners also need to know how to store and organise their files online and locally so that it can easily be found again.
 
Computer Science.
Computer science has been broken down into three strands: Computational Thinking, Programming and Computer Networks. Computational Thinking is all about solving problems effectively with or without a computer. Computational thinking is about looking at a problem in a way in which a computer can help us to solve it. Programming is one application of computational thinking. Learners will write algorithms and implement these as code. They also need to be able to find mistakes and fix them (debugging.) Once learners have created a program they need to learn to evaluate and look at different ways to achieve the same goal and which method is most appropriate.KS 2 pupils also require knowledge of networks, such as the Internet, work and how searches are performed.
Digital Literacy.
Today’s children and young people are growing up in a digital world. As they grow older, it is crucial that they learn to balance the benefits offered by technology with a critical awareness of their own and other’s online behaviour, and develop effective strategies for staying safe and making a positive contribution online. This framework describes the skills and understanding that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages. It highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development, and what skills they need to be able to navigate it safely.