Computing at Beenham Primary School

Intent

At Beenham Primary School, we recognise computing as an important part of a 21^st century child’s skill set. We aim to equip our pupils to enable them to problem solve and use algorithms in a digital world. By the time children leave us, we aim to give them the opportunity to experience and explore a range of technology and to think critically about what they encounter online.

Implementation

We deliver the National Curriculum for Computing using a combination of computing lessons produced by Twinkl including discrete sessions focusing upon E-Safety, and a cross-curricular approach to wider computing skills such as programming, data handling and animation.

The National Curriculum for computing aims to leave all pupils with knowledge of the following by the time they've finished secondary education: 

• The fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation; 
• How to analyse problems in computational terms, and have knowledge of how to write computer programs to solve such problems; and
• How to use technology in a way that's responsible, confident and creative

IT at Home

Helping your child learn safe internet and computing skills is a great way to make sure they stay safe and have a good understanding of technology to set them up for life. 

You could firstly try to encourage your child to get to grips with the different software they use at school and computers in general. Computers are a brilliant thing when used safely, so always try to make that point clear.

You could visit our Home Education Activities for Computing and Technology category page. We've got five pages of resources to help children boost their computing confidence. All of these resources have been made by experienced teachers, allowing you to rest assured that you'll be delivering accurate and reliable information.

What are Cyber Skills?

Put simply, cyber skills are the skills we need to keep safe while we're using the internet. It's important that children are taught these skills, given that the world and workplace are becoming more and more digitalised. If children are taught about cyber skills at school, then they're more likely to enjoy a secure future thanks to their knowledge of the best practices and techniques when it comes to staying safe online. If you're wondering what constitutes a cyber skill, then here are a few that you could teach your child: 

• Personal information - Make sure that children know what kinds of information are appropriate to give out online.
• Cybersecurity software - All children should have knowledge of cybersecurity software, which can protect against malware and viruses.
• Passwords - Not all passwords are created equal! Make sure that children understand how to create a secure password, rather than something that might be easy to crack.
• Online interactions - It's important that children know who it's safe to talk to online.