At Arlecdon Primary School we aim to support our pupils to develop their skills in order to use technology in their everyday life. We know that our children are the managers, designers and engineers of the future and work to equip them with the computational thinking and digital literacy they need for higher levels of learning. We give all our children the opportunity to investigate a wide range of technological equipment and develop their problem-solving skills in order to be confident enough to use these independently and safely.
The technology we see and use around us such as laptops, phones, household appliances, televisions, games consoles and even traffic lights all rely on algorithms (instructions) to work effectively, therefore we give children change to discover how algorithms are used to make technology do a specific task.
We deliver the Primary National Curriculum for Computing in KS1 and KS2 and we have identified objectives from the EYFS Statutory Framework that are prerequisites for this learning. We have ensured progressive coverage for all year groups by working with a Teach Computing advisor to support us in writing a curriculum that meets the needs of our mixed age classes. This supports teacher confidence and subject knowledge but also provides the children with high quality learning opportunities. Our curriculum allows the children to revisit ideas several times during their time with us; this allows them to develop a deep understanding of the main ideas of Computing.
Keeping children safe and teaching them how to keep themselves safe is our priority. Online safety is taught in every computing lesson. Computing is taught discreetly every week in a timetabled slot, but technology is used across the curriculum with every child having their own ipad to support this.
