At Shotley Bridge Primary School, we believe that Computing has the potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the curriculum. We recognise that society is changing and there is an increasing need for a greater level of technological knowledge and awareness amongst the population.
The effective use of ICT in the classroom will help our children feel comfortable with new technology and will provide them with access to lifelong learning opportunities through the use of IT and they will be able to adapt to the rapid changes in this field. Our vision is to provide a vibrant 21st Century learning environment where all students can excel. 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 skillful computer scientists.
Our Computing curriculum focuses on a progression of skills in digital literacy, computer science, information technology and online safety to ensure that children become competent in safely using, as well as understanding, technology. These strands are revisited repeatedly through a range of themes during children’s time in school to ensure the learning is embedded and skills are successfully developed. 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 fulfill the task and challenge set by teachers.
Throughout our curriculum design, we strive for our pupils to: –
- be creative thinkers.
- design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals.
- use sequence, selection and repetition in programs.
- use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to debug errors in algorithms and programs.
- understand computer networks including the internet and how it offers opportunity for communication and collaboration.
- use search engines effectively, recognise how results are selected and ranked and understand how to choose digital content carefully.
- select, use and combine a variety of software on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including, collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.
- use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly.
- recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
- identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.
At Shotley Bridge Primary School, we want our children to make strategic choices about how they work. It is vital that we provide opportunities for our children to explore other possibilities. Through a range of devices, programmes and apps, our children will become critical thinkers and will begin to make choices about how they work. We want our children to be responsible, safe, competent and creative users of ICT with an understanding of how technology works.
