Computing & e-safety

We believe at Burton-on-the-Wolds that computing is a fantastic opportunity to not just introduce the children to new and wonderful technology but also a chance to develop and refine skills that they have already acquired through use at home. The subject lends itself heavily to cross-curricular ideas and the unlimited possibilities of what can be achieved makes it a very exciting area of our curriculum both for children and staff!

What Do We Teach and How Do We Teach It?

The National Curriculum is used as our springboard into the computing curriculum and the objectives contained within it are what we come back to when it comes to planning activities and assessing the children. We aim to apply the cross-curricular approach to allow the activities that we plan to fit with the main topic that we are doing in a particular half term or term. This allows for more thorough and meaningful coverage that the children can see fits as part of what they are studying.

Through our teaching of computing and use of technology, we aim to empower the children with a wide variety of skills that they may need not just at secondary school but also later in life as they enter the world of work. Such is the reliance on technology being what it is nowadays, the teaching of computing has never been more necessary. We also don't like to put limitations on our children and encourage them to expand the original brief they were given in an effort to develop individual thinking and personal takes on the task they have been asked to complete.

Through our choice of curriculum, there is enough scope to show strong progression from EYFS up to year 6. Learning from previous years is built upon and enhanced across school and makes for some very exciting, inspiring computing lessons.

E-Safety

The internet opens up a world of entertainment, information, opportunity and knowledge. The internet is here to stay and we embrace it as a learning platform.

In school we have filters and control over the different devices we use; however we know that instead of restricting pupil use, it is better to educate children on how to safely use the internet and what to do if they run into problems.

The school follows the government code:

‘Zip it, Block it, Flag it’

Extracts are summarised below:

The code has three simple actions:

• Zip it - keep your personal stuff private and think about what you say and do online

• Block it - block people who send you nasty messages and don’t open unknown links and attachments

• Flag it - flag up with someone you trust if anything upsets you or if someone asks to meet you offline

Zip it

Make sure your child knows to always keep private information safe and watch what they say on the internet. People may not be who they say they are online, and it’s not always possible to control who can see your child’s information.

Your child should know not to give out information like:

• Their full name

• Photos

• Postal or email addresses

• School information

• Mobile or home telephone numbers

• Details of places they like to spend time

Make sure your child knows that they shouldn’t arrange to meet people that they have only met online. Even if they have been chatting with someone for a while, that person is still a stranger.

You can help keep your child’s information safe by setting privacy settings. This can restrict access to personal information and photos on things like social networking sites.

You should also encourage your child to use a nickname instead of their real name in chat rooms or on instant messaging services. To stop people accessing your child’s online accounts, encourage them to keep their passwords secret, and to change them regularly.

Block it

Get your child to block people who send offensive messages and tell them not to open unknown links and attachments. They should delete any suspicious emails or attachments as they may contain something offensive or have a virus that can cause damage to the computer.

One of the main ways children can come across inappropriate content online is through search results. Most search engines include a ‘safe search’ option that excludes results containing inappropriate images or key words.

You can also install parental control software to filter out harmful and inappropriate content for computers and some mobile phones and games consoles.

Flag it

Your child should come to you or a trusted adult if they are worried or unhappy about anything they see online. They should also do this if a friend they have made online has asked to meet them in the offline world.

We tell children if they see anything they don't like they should shut down the page and tell an adult. It is important that they feel they can tell an adult without getting in trouble or 'banned' from going online!