At Parklands, we believe that Computing is an essential part of the curriculum; a subject that not only stands alone but is woven and should be an integral part of all learning. Computing has become a significant part of everyday life and we hope to prepare our children for a future in an environment shaped by technology. Through the study of Computing, we endeavour to provide our children with a wide range of skills, knowledge and understanding that will equip them for the rest of their life. We aim to provide them with skills to transfer and enrich every curriculum area and most importantly we prepare our pupils to keep themselves safe in the ever-changing, digital world.

In Year 1 and 2,  the following activities are delivered in a progressive sequence to enable creativity based on increasing confidence and competence within IT and Computer Science and Digital Literacy:

• Creation of digital media projects

• Effective communication using computing technology

• Conducting research projects

• Handling Information

• Programming and control

• Understanding technologies

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, our children develop computing skills through both adult focussed activities and within the daily continuous provision. Children have access to games and programmes on the Interactive boards, iPads for individual use of games and painting programmes, and we have a range of programmable toys (bee-bots) for independent exploration into learning about coding. Adults staffing our Continuous Provision show children how to use a range of resources effectively and encourage them to further increase their knowledge and skills. We also demonstrate how technology is used by encouraging the use of search engines to find out answers to their questions and to watch videos and play music.

A key part of the Computing Curriculum is Online Safety. At Parklands we ensure all children are aware of how to keep themselves safe when working online and with different technologies. We use Smartie the Penguin to remind the children of the importance of staying safe online and this is also covered through our Parklands Person and PSHE curriculum.