Computing - Teaching & Learning

Computing Curriculum

A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.

At Dundonald we want pupils to 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.

In the Early Years children are encouraged to recognise how a range of technology is used safely in places such as homes and schools. They also select and use technology for particular purposes. As they progress to Lower School they are taught how to use more advanced technology – programmable toys, coding programs, a range of movie making software and word processing software – safely and respectfully. In Upper School children have access to a wider range of technology that challenges their computational thinking and stretches their creativity in a safe and respectful environment. Examples include making their own: programs / apps, websites, vector graphics, clay motions, movies, spreadsheets, presentations and databases.

Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology. When appropriate; we strive to utilise these links to develop the children’s digital literacy. 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.

National Curriculum - Computing KS1/KS2

Computing | Skills Progression

Online Safety Curriculum

Whilst regulation and technical solutions are very important, their use must be balanced by educating pupils to take a responsible approach.

Dundonald Primary School has established and embedded a progressive online safety curriculum to raise awareness and promote safe and responsible internet use amongst pupils by:

Ensuring education regarding safe and responsible use precedes internet access.
Teaching across all age groups and progresses as pupils grow and develop.
Including online safety in Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE), Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and computing programmes of study.
Reinforcing online safety messages whenever technology or the internet is used.
Teaching pupils to be critically aware of the materials they read and show them how to validate information before accepting its accuracy.
Supporting pupils in developing strategies for navigating the online world.
Incorporating national initiatives and opportunities such as ‘Safer Internet Day’, ‘Anti-Bullying Week’, ParentZone/Google virtual assemblies.
Supporting/complimenting internal provision with visits (on site/remotely) from external providers.

At Dundonald Primary School, we recognise that online safety and broader digital resilience must be thread throughout the curriculum.

The school has adopted the cross-curricular framework ‘Education for a Connected World’ from UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) which covers knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes across eight strands of a child’s online life from early years right through to eighteen. Content from ProjectEvolve is used to support the curriculum work.

Annual reviews of curriculum plans/schemes of work (including for pupils with SEND) are used as an opportunity to follow this framework more closely in its key areas of self-image and identity, online relationships, online reputation, online bullying, managing online information, health, wellbeing and lifestyle, privacy and security, and copyright and ownership.

The school also looks at trends and attitude reports from official sources like Internet Matters, Childnet and Ofcom when updating curriculum plans and embeds ‘The Be Internet Legends Scheme of Work’ developed by Google in partnership with Parent Zone in the curriculum.

The Acceptable Use Agreements are revised regularly with the children.

Please find out more about our online safety curriculum in our Online Safety Policy.

For further details of what your child will be doing in Computing this term please refer to their year group’s Medium Term Plan. Online Safety | Skills Progression