Intent:

Computers are changing the lives of everyone and we aim to offer our children a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares them to use ‘computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world’. Our intention is to provide opportunities for Pinfold Street children to go on to be creators and not just consumers of technology. This will be achieved through a variety of hands on learning opportunities which include but are not restricted to: full day workshops led by industry professionals, programmable crumble kits and digital music lessons.   Our children will use Maths, Science and Design Technology skills to understand technology. Children of Pinfold Street will be equipped to recognise and overcome challenges of the modern world. We have a Computing curriculum that is aware of and works towards addressing the barriers our children have to overcome in their learning.

 

Implementation:

Our Computing curriculum is delivered in line with our driver 'Prepared for Life' and uses our main curriculum areas: E-safety, Programming, Handling Data, Multimedia and Technology in our lives to ensure continuing access to the digital world. Throughout the year, we put computational thinking into context and make the study of computers relevant to the children. During this time, the children will consider what computers are, why they are so important and how they work. The study of Computing is ongoing throughout the year as children work at their own pace through a set program of activities which are both cross-curricular and age and ability appropriate. Online Safety is a key safeguarding issue and making sure that our children are digitally literate and understand how to use technology responsibly and safely is of paramount importance to us. A whole school focus is organised to coincide with International Internet Safety Day. Our curriculum is delivered through a wide variety of hardware and software. Many activities across the curriculum are delivered and evidenced via the use of Seesaw, our chosen online learning platform.

 

Impact

We believe children will learn to use technology more effectively if they are doing something creative. They will use a variety of hardware, software packages, apps and technologies to enhance and facilitate their learning across the whole school curriculum. This approach to our Information Technology provision means that our children learn to use technology purposefully. For example how to create a graph for a maths or a science project, or perhaps how to use green screen technology to present a weather forecast in geography. We see technology as pivotal in our school and as a result of this, opportunities to use computers and technology are not confined to any one lesson in computing, rather they are inter-woven throughout the whole curriculum to support learning across all subjects. Our children will be confident in keeping themselves safe online. They will know who to seek guidance from if something they see or hear something that makes them feel uncomfortable. They will understand the difference between a bystander and an upstander and the importance of reporting something they or a peer experience online.