ICT & E-Safety

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At Bannerman Road Community Academy (BRCA) we have a clear vision for computing: Children should be online-safe, online-inspired and online-confident.

With computers and technology becoming part of every element of our children’s lives, it has never been more important for them to understand how to manage the changing risks and challenges surrounding computers whilst utilising these resources to support their ambitions and dreams. Some children come to our school already familiar with certain technologies and programs and we try to use this familiarity to inspire engagement and understanding from which we can foster curiosity about new learning and applications of technology.

At BRCA, we understand the importance of ensuring all children have opportunities to explore and use various forms of technology. We need to reduce the impact of digital poverty that has been shown to affect employment and financial challenges later in life. We understand that confident use of technology will be instrumental in the child’s success as an adult in an increasingly technological world. To do this, we endeavor to use technology throughout their learning and not just within computing lessons with the hope of making digital communication and use an intrinsic consideration they take with them into their wider lives.

We must also be aware, that whilst engendering an enthusiasm and confidence around technology, there must also, and maybe more importantly, be an acknowledgment of the risks of technology. There are a few threads to consider: digital identity, financial security and social interactions. Each of these strands if used incorrectly or misjudged can result in harm for the child themselves or another. This is why BRCA weights its computing so that these issues are explored at the start of every academic year. In this way we can reinforce the teaching whilst also adjusting it to incorporate any new challenges that may emerge in this rapidly changing field.

This structure, of starting with ensuring our children’s safety online, is followed up by exploring the numerous ways technology can enhance their lives. We go through social media, information gathering, research and verification, data handling, word processing and programming discussing how each area is a composite of various skills and has a variety of applications in personal and eventually professional settings.

The hope, at BRCA, is that all children acquire confidence in all aspects of the computing such that they can continue to develop it outside of the class and that they have a strong foundation to build on as they continue their learning throughout their lives.