We aim to give our pupils the life-long skills that will enable them to embrace and utilise new technology in a socially responsible and safe way.
As the digital world continues to evolve, children of primary age will be entering jobs in the future that don’t currently exist. At Prince’s Mead, we foster a culture that links all subjects across the school curriculum with digital learning which prepares our pupils for senior school and life beyond.
In digital learning lessons, the pupils primarily use Chromebooks, iPads or physical resources, such as Crumble robots or Micro-Bits, to develop a range of skills. As a result, our pupils are confident using a wide range of hardware and software and are diligent learners who value online safety and respect when communicating with one another.
Tapestry
Tapestry is used in the Early Years and Reception to record and assess pupil’s milestones and achievements. It allows teachers to make observations of children’s learning in a timely manner enabling them to share that information readily with parents.
Seesaw
Seesaw is used in Years 1 to 6 to empower pupils to take ownership over their own learning. It provides pupils with intuitive tools to capture and demonstrate their learning in an online portfolio whilst simultaneously providing teachers with value insights into what pupils understand.
Promoting Online Safety
Once it was necessary to own a desktop or laptop to access the Internet, but now a much wider range of devices are capable of doing so including games consoles, mobile phones, tablets, and televisions, all of which are prevalent in the homes of our pupils.
Therefore, Prince’s Mead is committed to teaching pupils the skills to use technology responsibly and creatively, while understanding the accompanying risks and learning how to stay safe.
The school has a clear, progressive online safety education programme primarily as part of the Digital Literacy and PSHEE curriculum, but referenced in all areas of school life, with staff reinforcing online safety messages across the wider curriculum. Initiatives such as Safer Internet Day and external speakers help to promote and enhance the understanding of online safety.
Staying Safe Online
At Prince’s Mead we use Impero ContentKeeper web filter and Classroom Management monitoring systems to meet the Department for Education standards on filtering and monitoring. These Impero solutions filter and block internet access to harmful sites and inappropriate content whilst picking up on incidents through alerts which we can then take prompt action on.