Burton Road Primary School

Computing Policy

Updated May 2023

Mrs C Roe

Computing Rationale

At Burton Road Primary School, we are lucky that we have various resources to aid with the teaching of computing. We have iPads available for all key stages as well as desktop computers, laptops and Chromebooks. In an increasingly digital world there now exists a wealth of software, tools and technologies that can be used to communicate, collaborate, express ideas and create digital content. At Burton Road Primary we recognise that pupils are entitled to a broad and balanced computing education with a structured, progressive, approach to the learning how computer systems work, the use of IT and the skills necessary to become digitally literate and participate fully in the modern world. We believe that IT, computer science and digital literacy are essential life skills. We aim to provide a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils and that is successfully adapted for pupils with SEND needs.  To aid with this we have chosen to use the Teaching Computing Curriculum from The National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE).

Primary Computing helps pupils to:

• Develop computational skills that will benefit them throughout their lives
• Equip pupils with the confidence and skills to use digital tools and technologies
• Enhance and enrich learning in other areas of the curriculum using IT and computing
• Develop the understanding of how to use computers responsibly
• Be prepared for the future digital world

Knowledge and Skills:

We follow a programme which motivates and enthuses children and allows them to be the creators of digital content rather than simply consumers of it. The computing curriculum at Burton Road offers the opportunity for communication and collaboration, using software and ‘unplugged’ resources. Children follow a structured programme where the Computing curriculum is structured into units for each year group, and each unit is broken down into lessons. The units for key stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. The Teach Computing Curriculum has been written to support all pupils. Each lesson is sequenced so that it builds on the learning from the previous lesson, and where appropriate, activities are scaffolded so that all pupils can succeed and thrive. Scaffolded activities provide pupils with extra resources, such as visual prompts, to reach the same learning goals as the rest of the class. Exploratory tasks foster a deeper understanding of a concept, encouraging pupils to apply their learning in different contexts and make connections with other learning experiences.