Computing
Mrs Connor is the computing coordinator at Milton Park Primary School.
COMPUTING Planning Toolkit.pptxComputing at Milton Park Primary School
Aims and Vision
Our children are growing up in a digital world. We aim to equip our children with the knowledge, vital skills, and confidence to become responsible creators and masters of technology. Milton Park’s broad computing curriculum which covers Computer Science, Digital Literacy and Information Technology aims to inspire and engage our children to become skilful computer scientists, creators and critical thinkers. It is incredibly important for our children to become critical thinkers in this digital world so they are able to make use of and develop effective strategies for staying safe online. At Milton Park, our children have access to a range of technology including laptops, desktop computers and iPads which gives our children the opportunity to explore, tinker, question and apply their skills and knowledge creatively and collaboratively.
How we teach Computing
Computing at Milton Park is taught weekly; it is taught in class using Chromebooks. It can also be taught in our outdoor environment using iPads. Key computing skills are taught progressively throughout the school and each year group’s learning will build on the skills taught in previous years. There is a clear progression of skills document from Year 1 to Year 6 to support teachers when planning their computing curriculum. The progression of skills framework also enables teachers to understand the learning delivered in the previous year and maps out the skills that children will be progressing to for the next year.
Furthermore, computing is embedded across our whole school curriculum through our use of the learning journal app SeeSaw. Seesaw provides opportunities for cross-curricular learning and to embed vital digital literacy skills.
What will you see in a Computing lesson?
What you will see in a computing lesson will depend on which part of the computing curriculum the learning is focused on. The computer science part of the computing curriculum will often, but not always, need a more explicit approach. A computer science lesson will often begin with the introduction of a skill or a recap of skills learnt previously. Then the children will be given time to apply the skill. The information technology part of the curriculum can be taught explicitly where appropriate however mostly will be taught through ‘tinkering sessions.’ When introducing a new app or tool, tinkering sessions give our children the opportunity to experiment and familiarise themselves with the app/tool before it can be applied in a more focused approach across the curriculum.
In computing lesson, we expect a certain amount of independence from the children where they learn by tinkering, analysing and collaborating. Teachers will support and move the learning on where required.
Most learning (e.g. digital posters/presentations, photographs, videos, films, saved links to interactive stories, games, animations etc) will be recorded on the learning platform we use; SeeSaw or saved in designated folder on our school’s google drive. Where appropriate, learning may be recorded in project books.
Click on the image to find out how you can support your child with learning about E-Safety at home.