Computing Cultural Capital
Our understanding of ‘knowledge and cultural capital’ is derived from the following wording in the national curriculum:
‘It is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.’
Ofsted School Inspection Handbook 2019
What is Cultural Capital at Blackrod for Computing?
At Blackrod, Cultural Capital is seen in the way we incorporate our drivers of Possibilities, Environment, Community & Citizenship and Well-Being, into all of our areas of learning and by striving to provide the children the opportunities to experience and develop understanding of different cultural genres which may not be readily accessible to them outside of School.
Throughout Early Years there are opportunities for children to become more culturally aware using the immediate environment of home, school and local area. Expectations, around pupils becoming effective communicators, are enhanced in school in partnership with increasing parental engagement. Children will be able to explore technology in a safe and often child-led way developing a familiarity with equipment and vocabulary allowing them to have a strong start in Key Stage 1 computing and all that it demands. Computing in EYFS is centred around play-based, unplugged activities that focus on building pupils’ listening skills, curiosity, creativity and problem solving. Pupils will be able to take a photograph with a camera or table, play games on the interactive whiteboard or on iPads, use a BeeBot, watch video clips and listen to music
Throughout Key Stage 1 there are opportunities for pupils to identify technology and how its responsible use improves our world in school and beyond. Through creating media, our pupils can digitally paint, write and format text, capture and change digital photographs and create musical compositions. Pupils will also be able to create and debug programs using logical reasoning along with designing algorithms and programs. Pupils will be able to group and label data and represent information using simple pictograms.
Throughout Key Stage 2 pupils’ life skills are further developed to show an understanding and demonstration of the attitudes needed to recognise their own and others, social, emotional and mental wellbeing. The varied and rich enhancements offered to pupils develop their range of vocabulary and debating skills around current affairs. Understand the interrelated networks within computers, including the World Wide Web and how the Internet can be used to communicate and be searched to find information. Pupils will develop the skills to create and develop stop-frame animations, edit photos, audio and videos, create vector drawings and 3D models and be able to design their own webpages. Programming skills will be further developed through selection, variables in games and sensing. Pupils will develop their data and information skills further through their creation and use of flat-file databases and spreadsheets.
By the end of primary school, pupils are confident and clear communicators who are able to articulate their views and opinions, in a range of situations, thus enabling them to become responsible citizens who enhance the community they live in.
By giving the children the opportunity to lead their learning, alongside accessing enhancements such as educational visits, speakers, workshops etc. whilst engaging with the local community and their environment on targeted projects, they are able to develop a stronger sense of identity and become educated citizens who learn from the events, people, ideas they study.
BPS’s Computing Cultural Capital offer includes:
- A progressive vocabulary overview
- Computer Suite reading area enhancements ●
- Computing project provision resources
- Significant people - computing pioneers embedded into subject journey ●
- Termly projects loans in classroom provision
- E-Safety Champions ●●●
- School trips –
- Active workshops within Bolton ICT (suspended due to COVID 2021/22) ●●
- School visitors –
- STEM Morning – Whole School ●
- Enhancement days and assemblies–
- Safer Internet Day ●●
- Mini Enterprise - children gain the opportunities to develop financial literacy and the knowledge and skills to prepare them for what come next in their lives●●
- Extra-Curricular Clubs –
- Computing club