St Andrew's CE Methodist Aided Primary School

Statement of Intent

Computing

E-Safety, Information Technology, Digital Literacy and Computer Science

Purpose of Study

A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both artificial and natural systems. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate, able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology, at a suitable level for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

At Our School:

The St. Andrew’s Computer Scientist is a responsible, competent, confident and creative user of a variety of hardware and software. They can analyse and solve problems and use this when working with programs and algorithms. They understand how the internet works and are discerning about search results. The St. Andrew’s Computer Scientist can apply their digital literacy skills to create, save and retrieve content across a number of technologies. They can make connections with other areas of learning and understand the importance of technology in the wider world.

Curriculum Rationale

Objectives across all strands of computing revisited and embedded within and across year groups and key stages to ensure cumulative fluency;
Pupils make connections between and across curriculum areas and apply this understanding to a range of purposeful, engaging and practical contexts;

Development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills helps to develop pupils’ character.

Please click here to look at our curriculum overview.

Please click to view our topic coverage.

Please click here to view Reception overview.

Computing

At St Andrew’s, we believe a high-quality computing education equips pupils to understand and change the world through logical thinking and creativity. It also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

We invest heavily in computing resources at St Andrew’s and have a wide range of hardware and a varied array of learning software aimed to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum!

Purple Mash

At St. Andrew's, we use Purple Mash as the basis of most of our Computing lessons and beyond. It is a brilliant resource that helps children to learn about the digital world safely, using programs like 2blog, 2email and 2code. Here are some parents guides to help you understand how to support your child using Purple Mash:

Parenting in a Digital World
Parents Guide to 2dos
Parents Guide to sharing work
Parents Guide to 2email
Parents Guide to Mini Mash

Safety

In the current world, e-safety is an integral part of children's lives, as technology is ever-changing and is becoming a huge aspect of modern life. Whilst technology has lots of benefits, as the internet is forever growing and changing, it is crucial that children know how to use the internet and digital media in a safe and secure way.

Safer Internet Day 2024

As a parent or carer, you play a key role in helping your child to stay safe online.

Safer Internet Day- 6th February 2024

Safer Internet Day takes place in February each year to raise awareness of a safer and better internet for all, and especially for children and young people. Thank you for taking part in Safer Internet Day 2024!

If you would like any information about Safer Internet Day or about how to ensure your child understands the importance of online safety, please see the link below.

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

The day will celebrate young people’s role in creating a safer internet, however they choose to use it, from creating content to interacting with friends and peers.

Information for children:

At St Andrew’s, we stay safe by following five SMART tips:

Safe - Staying safe involves being careful and not giving out your name, address, mobile phone no., school name or password to people online.
Meeting someone you meet in cyberspace can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents'/carers' permission and then when they are present.
Accepting e-mails or opening files from people you don't really know or trust can get you into trouble - they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
Remember someone online may be lying and not be who they say they are. If you feel uncomfortable when chatting or messaging end the conversation.
Tell your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.

Useful Websites for Children:

CBBC Own It

Think you know for children 4-7 years

Think you know for children 8-10 years

Information for parents:

The internet has changed all of our lives, particularly our children’s - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. For parents and carers this opens up a whole new world of things to be aware of. For many of us, this can all be a bit too much.

You might be struggling to keep up with the things your child is doing online, you might wonder whether what they are doing is safe, and you might also be thinking how can I be as good a parent online as I am offline? (CEOP, 2015)

Below you’ll find web links to gain practical tips and simple guidance. Here is a guide to help you talk to your child about the internet and social media.

Here are some top tips to keeping your children safe online.

Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
Watch Thinkuknow films and cartoons with your child. The Thinkuknow site has films, games and advice for children from five all the way to 16.
Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online. Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as difficult to install as you might think. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly. Find your service provider and learn how to set your controls

Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com :

Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online

Privacy settings are an important part of keeping our young children safe and you can find out more information about them here.