Computing
Computing Intent
Technology is changing the lives of everyone. At Stanton Community Primary School, we intend to prepare all of our pupils for the enhanced digital world and give them the skills that will enable them to utilise technology in a safe and responsible way. Technology is rapidly altering our current society and, through teaching an in-depth computing curriculum, we are equipping our children with the skills and knowledge to operate and compete successfully in a world of digital citizens.
At Stanton Community Primary School, we are following the Kapow Computing scheme which focuses on three overarching strands; Computing Skills, Computer Science and Digital Literacy, which we deem as imperative. We believe that our clear and effective scheme of work allows us to teach computing across these strands effectively. With the expectation that the children will know more, remember more and understand more in computing so that they leave our primary school computer literate and able to participate as digital citizens in our ever changing society. Our scheme of learning allows us to teach a unit of work every six weeks which means the children are being fully immersed in their computing learning.
At Stanton Community Primary School, we recognise Digital Literacy as a key strand across the curriculum. Being digitally literate means having the ability to make and share meaning in different modes and formats; to create, collaborate and communicate effectively and to understand how and when digital technologies can best be used to support these processes. At Stanton Community Primary School, we teach children to become digital citizens through E-Safety, which simply means to use the internet safely.
According to statistics, 7 in 10 young people have experienced cyberbullying in some form, with figures rising dramatically in recent years as children are increasingly using social media on their own devices. This is something we acknowledge within our school, especially within Key Stage 2 where this is extremely relevant. The children are using a variety of sites and games such as; TikTok, Instagram, Fortnite, Snapchat and many more. As teachers we are all aware of the important responsibility to safeguard children’s wellbeing, in both the classroom and online, subsequently E-safety has become more than a one off day in February it is embedded into our practice throughout the year. Another integral part of our intent is to improve the knowledge of parents’ understanding on E-Safety so they can use the internet in a safe, secure and responsible way as role models and therefore can assist their children if any issues were to arise.
Another key concept in our computing curriculum is Computer Science which defines as the study of processes that can be represented in the form of programmes. One of the main skills we intend to teach during Computer Science lessons is computational thinking. This is an empowering skill that children need to develop to allow them to solve problems, design systems and conceptualise and develop a deeper understanding of computer-based technologies. We aim to deliver the fundamental principles of computer science, including; abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation in order to solve problems. When teaching Computer Science,. it is our intent that children’s creativity, resilience, critical thinking and problem solving flourish as they explore this topic. Computer Science has deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology and we provide opportunities for our children to experience this via school trips, computing days as well as across the curriculum.
Computing skills are a major factor in enabling children to access computer-based technologies in a confident, creative and independent manner and it is our intention that children in our school are given every opportunity to achieve this. We intend to enable children to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information on a computer independently. We recognise that the majority of our children are more familiar with using a tablet rather than a computer. Therefore, we place a huge focus on the basics of computing in Key Stage 1, with children learning to send an email, take a photograph, type on a keyboard, use a mouse, save and retrieve work and research using a search engine. We intend to ensure that children are secure in the basics of computing before they leave Key Stage 1. Fortunately, we are able teach computing sessions as a whole class due to having a well-equipped ICT suite in which the children can have a computer each, allowing them greater time to refine skills than if they were sharing a machine. The ICT suite is used regularly not just for computing lessons but throughout other areas of the curriculum too. When planning and teaching computing at Stanton Community Primary school, we believe that computing is an essential part of the curriculum and therefore should be woven through all areas of learning. Computing within our school can therefore provide a wealth of learning opportunities and transferable skills explicitly taught within computing and therefore easily adaptable for other curriculum subjects in preparation for the digital world.
At Stanton Community Primary School, we believe that our in-depth computing curriculum prepares children to compete and be successful in their digital futures.
Children 'Learning' Computing'
Useful Documents
For more information on the school's teaching and learning in Computing please do not hesitate to get in contact with Miss Ingham, the Computing lead, or click on the links below for some informative documents.
Stanton Community Primary School Progression in Computing
