Aims and Objectives (Our Intent)
At Abbots Ripton Primary School we want children to be confident, competent, creative users of technology rather than passive consumers of it. We want the children to have access to technology from a young age and understand that it should be used with purpose. We want children to understand the advantages and disadvantages of online experiences to become safe, responsible digital citizens in an ever-changing digital world.
Computing helps encourage children to develop an understanding of how technology makes a difference in all aspects of life- at home, at school and in the workplace. As they progress through the school, we strive for children to become increasingly confident in the application of their digital skills, becoming increasingly efficient and effective communicators, collaborators and analysts, showing imagination and creativity in their use of ICT.
Teaching and Learning (Implementation)
The curriculum is planned with discrete weekly lessons and is intended to be delivered using a range of devices as well as unplugged learning that shows children how technology works and how it can be utilised to express themselves creatively. Our Scheme is adapted from the ‘Teach Computing’ curriculum with online safety adapted from ‘Project Evolve’ and ‘Education for a Connected World’. The curriculum aims to equip our children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to thrive in the digital world today and the future.
Assessment (Impact)
The impact of the curriculum on the children’s learning is constantly monitored using both formative and summative assessment. Evidence of pupils’ progress and achievements are stored either in the children’s folders on the school server or through Microsoft Teams. The expected impact on the children is that they will:
- Show clear progression in the three areas of the Computing curriculum – Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy.
- Understand that technology can be used to present their ideas and create content and use a variety of software and technology to achieve this.
- Be able to use technology both independently and collaboratively.
- Understand the importance Computing will have in their lives - in their education, in their future work and in their personal and social life.
- Understand the need for balance when using technology, with strategies for managing this.
- Understand the importance of being a safe and responsible digital citizen and how to deal with problems that may arise appropriately.
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and British Values
Collaborative work in Computing develops mutual respect for the differing opinions, beliefs and abilities of others. In addition, children develop a respect for the resources used and understand the importance of looking after them. They learn to appreciate the value of similarities and differences and learn to show tolerance. A variety of experiences teaches them to appreciate that all people – and their views – are equally important. Children are encouraged to work in a democratic way, exercising the ‘give and take’ required for successful teamwork, this is particularly true of topics which require children to work in groups to research or to design and create a product. Computing also enables children to appreciate the importance of staying safe online and respecting others.