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Information and Communication Technology - P scales
| Descriptor | Guidance |
| P1(i) Pupils encounter activities and experiences. They may be passive or resistant. They may show simple reflex responses, for example, startling at sudden noises or movements. Any participation is fully prompted. |
The assumption is that the pupil will use their preferred method of access throughout. |
| P1(ii) Pupils show emerging awareness of activities and experiences. They may have periods when they appear alert and ready to focus their attention on certain people, events, objects or parts of objects, for example, attending briefly to lights, sounds or patterns of movement. They may give intermittent reactions, for example, sometimes becoming quiet in response to the vibration of a bubble tube. |
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| P2(i) Pupils begin to respond consistently to familiar people, events and objects. They react to new activities and experiences, for example, enjoying the movement of air as a nearby electric fan is switched on. They begin to show interest in people, events and objects, for example, tracking moving images briefly across a television or monitor screen. They accept and engage in coactive exploration, for example, being encouraged to handle fibre-optic strands. |
The assumption is that the pupil will use their preferred method of access throughout. |
| P2(ii) Pupils begin to be proactive in their interactions. They communicate consistent preferences and affective responses, for example, turning towards the source of preferred music. They recognise familiar people, events and objects, for example, moving towards the television in a familiar room. They perform actions, often by trial and improvement, and they remember learned responses over short periods of time, for example, pressing a switch repeatedly to turn on a light or sound source. They cooperate with shared exploration and supported participation, for example, working with an adult or a peer to operate a touch screen. |
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| P3(i) Pupils begin to communicate intentionally. They seek attention through eye contact, gesture or action. They request events or activities, for example, pushing another person's hand towards a switch. They participate in shared activities with less support. They sustain concentration for short periods. They explore materials in increasingly complex ways, for example, moving in and out of a sound beam to create different effects. They observe the results of their own actions with interest, for example, feeling the changing vibrations as they switch a massage table on and off. They remember learned responses over more extended periods, for example, returning to a favourite item of equipment in the multi-sensory environment from session to session. |
The assumption is that the pupil will use their preferred method of access throughout. |
| P3(ii) Pupils use emerging conventional communication. They greet known people and may initiate interactions and activities, for example, switching on a tape or CD player. They can remember learned responses over increasing periods of time and may anticipate known events, for example, looking at the monitor screen as they activate a concept keyboard. They may respond to options and choices with actions or gestures, for example, operating one switch rather than another to achieve a desired result. They actively explore objects and events for more extended periods, for example, creating effects using a touch screen. They apply potential solutions systematically to problems, for example, pressing a switch repeatedly after the power source has been turned off. |
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| P4 Pupils make selections to communicate meanings, for example, identifying a symbol or creating a sound. Pupils make selections to generate familiar/preferred sounds or images. They know that certain actions produce predictable results, for example, using a switch to activate a tape recorder. |
The assumption is that the pupil will use their preferred method of access throughout. |
| P5 Pupils use computer programs, for example, to move a device to manipulate something on screen. They make connections between control devices and information on screen, for example, pressing a specific graphic on a touch screen. |
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| P6 Pupils use ICT to interact with other pupils and adults, for example, touching the screen to respond to another’s action in an on-screen game. They use a keyboard or touch screen to select letters and/or images for their own names. They show they understand that information can be stored on a computer, for example, they ask to see a picture saved earlier. They respond to simple instructions to control a device, for example, using a photocopier to duplicate their work. They operate some devices independently. |
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| P7 Pupils gather information from different sources. They use ICT to communicate meaning and express ideas in a variety of contexts, for example, choosing digitised photographs or video clips for their personal profiles. They begin to choose equipment and software for a familiar activity, for example, using a writing-with-symbols programme to send a message home. |
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| P8 Pupils find similar information in different formats, (photo in paper, in book, on website, from TV programme). Pupils use ICT to communicate and present their ideas, for example, recording sounds on tape and replaying them or taking photographs of their own work. Pupils can load a resource and make a choice from it, for example, a particular game on a CD, a section of a DVD, tracks on a music CD, a game on a PS2. They communicate about their use of ICT. |
Note the progression on information-handling/data-gathering through levels P6/7/8. |
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Level 1 They recognise that many everyday devices respond to signals and instructions. They make choices when using ICT to produce different outcomes. They talk about their use of ICT. |