Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

At Shaw Cross School we offer our children a high quality and comprehensive computing curriculum that meets the needs of our children. We have invested time and money to ensure we have the appropriate hardware and software to deliver a quality curriculum.

Our Intent

Here at Shaw Cross School we recognise that technology is all around us and is an integral part of our everyday life. We are aware that children have widely varying experiences of technology and need to be aware of this when teaching computing. Our intent is to ensure all our pupils will be computer literate in their future lives in order for them to function as successful adults and also provide them with a wealth of opportunities for future careers beyond their current experiences. We encourage collaborative work with peers and adults in order to support the development of all pupils. We want our children to become confident, creative users of technology with a wide range of skills to take with them as they move through education. We know that pupils may be using devices and software that they may find difficult to understand at first, particularly if this is new to them. We actively model and promote perseverance and resilience in pursuing solutions to their computing work. Our broad curriculum encompassing computer science, information technology and digital literacy reflects this and allows the children to explore many elements of technology. This will provide our children with the skills necessary for them to access other areas of learning as well as computing in its own right. Through thought provoking discussions we ensure pupils reflect on what they have learned and how they can use this learning to progress.   We ensure we model and educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. We want our pupils to understand that there is always a choice with using technology and as a school we utilise technology to model positive use. One of our main drivers at Shaw Cross is that we encourage children to be respectful and in today’s society this has never been more important, especially in relation to technology. We recognise that the best prevention for a lot of issues we currently see with technology/social media is through education and as an infant school we can start the journey to becoming respectful users of technology. It is this area of computing which we form a strong partnership with parents. We endeavour to work together to ensure that our pupils are safeguarded and gain all the benefits that technology can bring whilst remaining within age-appropriate limits and in the best interests of our pupils learning.

Implementation

Whilst computing is not a statutory subject in its own right in our Early Years Foundation Stage, we recognise the important role that computing can take within the curriculum as a whole. We also know that laying foundations for learning in computing that will take place in Key Stage 1 will also be beneficial for our pupils. As a result of this we teach our very youngest children to develop an interest in and begin to explore different forms of technology through introducing them to high-quality continuous provision e.g. programmable toys, CD players, walkie-talkies, voice recorders as well as computers and iPads. This enquiry-based learning supports and allows the children to develop their characteristics of effective learning which underpin the ethos of the Early Years curriculum and drive our curriculum.

In Key Stage 1 we cover the following elements of computing through our curriculum.

e use the ‘Rising Stars Switched on Computing’ scheme. This provides a strong framework for planning our comprehensive computing curriculum. This gives our teaching and learning a structure from which we can teach the National Curriculum, and ensures that we have appropriate progression and continuity as pupils move through school.

In KS1 the children complete discrete half termly units of work which enable first-hand exploration and deep-learning of specific computing elements to take place. As with all our learning, we continue to develop positive learning behaviours through our ‘Secrets of Success’ and promote enquiry-based investigation where pupils are encouraged to be resilient in their approach, and to reflect on what they learn and use this to help them progress and embed new skills and concepts. Computing is an area that particularly challenges resilience of both children and adults alike due to its nature.

During these units we;

• Develop the children’s understanding of technological concepts and embed subject specific language.
• Ensure the children have access to the hardware (laptops, iPads, programmable toys) and software they need to access high quality teaching.
• Ensure children are taught about staying safe online and introduced to the smart rules which are displayed in school.
• Help to teach the children to understand the wider uses of technology outside the classroom throughout all year groups including Early Years.

Technology is also used across the wider curriculum to enhance teaching and learning e.g. researching new topics, presenting information, creating art work. This broadens our pupil’s horizons in how technology can be used across a range of subjects, and subsequently open then up to a wealth of career choices.

Impact

Through using the ‘Switched on Computing’ scheme, pupils demonstrate a good level of computational thinking in relation to the teaching and learning that takes place. Children are challenged by questions that deepen their understanding and knowledge. Responses demonstrate that pupils relate their learning to their own technological experiences, and to the exploration that has taken place. Whilst some pupils find computing a challenge initially, there is a high level of commitment to learning from both staff and pupils. The ‘buzz’ created within lessons reflects this. Most children respond enthusiastically as the learning within lessons progress, and celebrate in their own and other’s achievements in computing. Many pupils raise their own questions, demonstrating that they are active learners who strive to know more and remember more. Pupils demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated and appropriate use of vocabulary to express their understanding and knowledge of the subject.

At Shaw Cross we are passionate about giving our children the very best start in life. We know that they are at the beginning of their journey. The learning that takes place with us ensures that they are taking the initial steps towards becoming computer literate members of society who are ready to tackle the challenges of a fast-paced technological world. The impact of our teaching is that our pupils move to the next stage of their education as respectful, resilient and reflective users of technology. They have the early skills, knowledge and understanding to be the inventors, operators and programmers of the future.

We ensure all children have access to the content of the EYFS curriculum and the National Curriculum for computing.

Click here for the EYFS curriculum.

Click here for the Key Stage One curriculum (year 1 and 2).

Click here for links to our SMART rules.