Computing

What do we want to achieve for our children?
At Culworth Primary Academy, we firmly believe in ‘do unto others as you would have done unto you’ (Matthew: 7.12). Respect firmly underpins all that we do and combined with a belief in themselves and others as well as faith in God, children will be able to succeed and fulfil their dreams and ambitions.
Within the technology curriculum it is important to prepare our children to be confident and competent within a world that is heavily dominated by technology. We aim for all children to use technology skills to live and thrive in an evolving technological age. This will translate into them having the knowledge, understanding and courage in their computing skills to be able to apply this throughout their inevitable and increasingly regular use of technology, in school and at home.
Across all year groups, online safety is a key focus that is reiterated not only in discrete lessons throughout the year but during any time the children use technology in the school.
We aim for them to independently take and build upon these skills throughout their time in education and also in their future careers. These skills include being able to design, create and evaluate their work, use a range of different software and find, analyse and present information in a variety of different formats. In this rapidly changing digital world, it is vital the children are able to develop their ideas through information and communication technology and are able to access all aspects of the computing curriculum using computing specific vocabulary.

How will we achieve this?

Each Key Stage has access to both laptops and iPads used in isolated Computing lessons, as well as across the curriculum (design and research skills, word processing, presentations and Timestables Rockstars).
Computing scheme delivered through ??? Rising Stars / Teach Computing which cover Reception all the way through to Year Six. The individual units that get taught and developed each year are: Online Safety, Coding, Spreadsheets, Animated Stories, Effective Searching and Presenting Information. There are also year Group specific units that are taught alongside these.
Each year group covers relevant Online Safety units and will also address ad hoc concerns as they arise.
Online safety posters in classrooms, work spaces and corridors which are visible to the children at all times.
Monitoring Computing lessons is checked via lesson drop-ins, observations and pupil/staff voices to check the consistency of Computing knowledge across the school.
Regularly keep parents informed of online safety information through weekly notices and on the school website.

How will this support the children and in the future?

Our aim is that the children will build in confidence with their computing skills and are able to apply these in different contexts, in and out of school. They will be aware of potential issues around computing and will put their own and others safety first, at all times. Finally, our goal is that they will master an approach to learning in computing, that give them the confidence to be brave when continuing to learn beyond school and into adulthood.