Key Stage 2 · ages 7 to 11
Key Stage 2 computing: what your child learns
In Years 3 to 6, children design, write and debug programs, including ones that control or simulate physical systems. They use sequence, selection, repetition, variables and input and output, break problems into smaller parts, and explain how simple algorithms work. They also learn how networks and the internet connect computers, search for and judge information, present data, and report online concerns.
Guides for parents
Key Stage 2 computing
Acceptable online behaviour
What KS2 children are taught about behaving kindly and responsibly online, how to tell acceptable from unacceptable behaviour and how to talk about it at home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Collecting and presenting data
How KS2 children collect information, enter it into a spreadsheet, choose a chart, explain what it shows and judge whether it can be trusted. A guide for parents.
Key Stage 2 computing
Combining software to create content
How KS2 children choose and combine different software to make presentations, posters, animations and more, what the curriculum asks for and how to help at home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Computer networks and the internet
What KS2 children learn about computer networks and the internet: how devices connect, what the router does, how data travels in packets, with a worked example.
Key Stage 2 computing
Controlling and simulating physical systems
How Key Stage 2 children write programs that control lights, motors and other devices or simulate real systems on screen, with a worked traffic light example.
Key Stage 2 computing
Decomposition: breaking problems down
What decomposition means in Key Stage 2 computing, how children break big problems into smaller parts to build programs, and easy ways to practise it at home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Designing, writing and debugging programs
How Key Stage 2 children learn to plan, write, test and debug programs that do a specific job, with a worked example and ideas to help at home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Debugging algorithms and programs
How KS2 children find and fix bugs in algorithms and programs: predicting, testing, tracing and fixing one thing at a time, with a worked example and ideas for home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Checking what we find online
How KS2 children learn to judge what they find online: who made it, why, what evidence it gives and whether other sources agree, with a worked example.
Key Stage 2 computing
Explaining how algorithms work
What KS2 children learn about algorithms and logical reasoning: tracing steps, predicting outcomes and explaining why an algorithm works, with a worked example.
Key Stage 2 computing
The internet and the World Wide Web
Why the internet and the World Wide Web are not the same thing, what other internet services children use, and how KS2 pupils combine them in a project.
Key Stage 2 computing
Online communication and collaboration
How KS2 children learn to communicate and collaborate online: shared documents, school email, respectful behaviour, what to do about worries, and how to help at home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Repetition and loops
How Key Stage 2 children use repetition and loops in programs to repeat instructions, with a worked example drawing shapes, common mistakes and ideas for home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Reporting concerns online
How KS2 children learn to report worrying content or contact online: telling a trusted adult, using report and block tools, and what parents can do to help.
Key Stage 2 computing
Selection: if and else
How Key Stage 2 children use selection (if and else) so programs can make decisions, with a worked example, common mistakes and ideas to practise at home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Sequence in programs
How Key Stage 2 children learn that programs run instructions in order, how to trace a sequence step by step, and common mistakes with a worked example.
Key Stage 2 computing
Search engines and ranked results
How KS2 children learn to search well, choose keywords, understand why some results come first and spot adverts, with a worked example and tips for home.
Key Stage 2 computing
Variables, input and output
How KS2 children use variables, input and output in their programs, with a worked quiz-score example, common coding mistakes and simple ways to help at home.
Everything in the Key Stage 2 computing curriculum
The National Curriculum topics for Key Stage 2, in the order the National Curriculum lists them.
Algorithms and programming
- Designing, writing and debugging programs that accomplish specific goals
- Programs that control or simulate physical systems
- Solving problems by decomposing them into smaller parts
- Using sequence in programs
- Using selection (if/else) in programs
- Using repetition (loops) in programs
- Working with variables and various forms of input and output
- Using logical reasoning to explain how simple algorithms work
- Detecting and correcting errors in algorithms and programs