Computing

Computing at Seaton Primary aims to give pupils the tools and behaviours to use computers and technology positively in their lives.

The teaching and learning that pupils experience now at primary school, will sow the seeds and establish fertile ground from which pupils may approach, use, grow and master technologies that they will encounter in their futures. There are four driving factors to the computing curriculum, online safety, computational thinking, digital literacy and information technology.

Online safety is crucial to build children’s resilience to potential online threats through understanding risky behaviours that people may engage with to where they can turn and how to seek help when things go wrong. Computational thinking helps children work analytically and systematically at challenges, breaking these down into to smaller steps, creating algorithms for each step building to more complex procedures with which they develop the code to use a device to meet that challenge. With so much of our lives influenced by devices, digital literacy enables pupils to evaluate content and in turn create content in pleasing and purposeful ways.

Understanding how information technology works, an appreciation of what happens behind the scenes and importantly a clear understanding of personal data will enable all pupils to be confident users and creators. Functional information technology is manifest through the use of laptops and other devices to save and retrieve data and log into services to engage with learning in other subjects and support the presentation of information. Underpinning these strands of the curriculum are the 3 Ps of Computing; Be Patient, Be Polite and Be Professional. These behaviours enable all pupils at all levels to use hardware and software appropriately and be safe, productive learners.

Computing Curriculum implementation

We use Kapow Computing to support the planning and delivery of the Computing curriculum. Each half term begins with an online safety lesson to ensure that these important messages about proactive and positive use of technology are consistently woven through the year and remain at the forefront of pupils’ minds as they engage with this subject as well as remembering to be patient, polite and professional. Pupils in EYFS begin by identifying technology they use in at home and school and are introduced to parts of the computer. They explore instructions and effectively control a BeeBot device with intent and purpose. Algorithmic thinking emerges breaking down processes into small steps and data is described and used in graphical form. Key Stage 1 pupils build on their computational thinking controlling BeeBots in more complex ways and start to code on a computer. Software is used to design, create and manipulate text and images with increasing digital literacy which includes stop-motion animation. Pupils in Key Stage 2 continue to build and explore the facets of the curriculum, using microbits and scratch to develop codes for increasing complex algorithms, for example using loops, random and variables. Data is collected, stored and interrogated in databases. Digital literacy and information technology combine through website design and greater use of the internet to support content creation and communication. Online safety remains first and foremost in all the curriculum to enable pupils to flourish in these environments.

A class set of laptops is available for the teaching of computing in EYFS and Key Stage 1 and another class set is available for teaching in Key Stage 2. Key Stage 2 classes have 4 or 5 tablet devices to support access to online learning environments that support learning across the full curriculum. There is a class set of microbits for computational thinking and coding lessons and 15 USB cameras to support digital literacy and stop-motion animation.

Online learning can be facilitated through Google Classroom and all pupils have log ins to enable work to set and returned through this platform. Homework for computing and other subjects may be set and completed through this virtual learning environment.

All pupils are timetabled a discrete computing each week for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 but due to their inherent natures, online safety, digital literacy, computational thinking and information technology are frequently needed skills across the whole primary curriculum. Pupils will have opportunity to plan and prepare for tasks on paper as well as on screen. Computational thinking will be demonstrated through the informal creation of algorithms before they are committed to the appropriate format to enable a certain function to operate.