Computing at White Rock
INTENT
At White Rock Primary School our aim is to prepare all pupils for a safe future in this constantly developing digital world. We intend that they leave our school computer literate, prepared for secondary school, and able to independently make thoughtful decisions about the technologies they encounter. Throughout their school life at White Rock all pupils will have access to a variety of hardware and software and be given the opportunities to evaluate them, leading to them becoming creative learners with the confidence to make independent decisions. We believe that our children, and their families, need to be prepared for the rapid changes in computer-based communication, social media, privacy, gaming trends and cyberbullying, and we intend to support them with this. Our online safety curriculum is planned with consideration of the 4 Cs, as grouped in Keeping Children Safe in Education, which are: Content, Contact, Conduct and Commerce.
IMPLEMENTATION
Our Computing curriculum is based upon the Computing Programmes of Study which ‘equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world’. We teach this through four strands: Online Safety, Programming, Multimedia and Data, and Technology in Our Lives. This curriculum is based upon a clear progression of knowledge and skills.
In Programming we teach children what they need to be computational thinkers and, as the children work through the Computing curriculum, they will have many opportunities to design and write their own computer programs before evaluating and improving what they have created.
As part of the Multimedia strand, the children will experience a range of Office software, keyboard skills and shortcuts. We believe that the skills gained will support them throughout their education and into the workplace.
We teach a comprehensive online safety curriculum and regularly update parents/carers on issues arising. We respond to parent/carer concerns and make immediate changes to our teaching when required.
To support this curriculum, we also teach a progression of Computing vocabulary which enhances understanding in all areas.
Curriculum Progression and Overview
Vocabulary Progression
Pupil Acceptable Use of the School's ICT Systems and The Internet 2023-24
Our New Computer Suite
This week the children from Year 1 to 6 have had their first lessons in our new Computer Suite. They have been particularly excited about the new computer chairs and the coloured lighting choices.
Online Safety Day
On Wednesday 4th May we were lucky enough to be visited by Steve Shepherd from The Safer Internet Centre.
He ran two online safety sessions for our parents where he talked about how technology affects our lives and those of our children. The topics discussed ranged from how conversations at home can support children’s safety when online, to the damage that lack of sleep can cause to their mental capabilities.
During the school day, the children in Years 5 and 6 attended age-appropriate sessions (please see the Year 5 class pages). Discussions were had about the things that children must consider to keep themselves safe. Games and social media apps were considered and some suggested rules to follow were given.
Feedback quotes from children included:
“It helped me understand what I can and cannot do online. I learnt about the different games I should and shouldn’t play online, along with how to treat friends.”
“I couldn’t believe it would take well over 45minues to read the terms and condition for some of the apps.”
"I learnt that age ratings on games tell you which games are okay to play, and which games aren't. I will look at the ratings now."
Feedback quotes from our parents who attended:
Why did you decide to attend this event?
“To find out if we were doing enough to keep our children safe online and to pick up on anything we were missing.”
“I have attended one previously and they are very informative and helpful. Having a child in year 6 I wanted to understand a bit more about the internet and apps.”
What was the most useful thing you learned?
“Pretty much everything! Brilliant statistics, awareness of ‘tracking’ of current technologies, great suggestions of parenting approaches in relation to online safety issues.”
“How important it is to educate the children on online safety and explain properly why they can't use certain apps or games rather than just saying 'no'.”