Curriculum / Computing
Vision
Working with technology is a fundamental life skill, and at The Leys, we aim to empower every child with the digital fluency, critical thinking, and the confidence needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Our goal is to equip students not only to use technology safely and responsibly, but also to harness modern digital tools—including emerging artificial intelligence—to enhance their learning and prepare for future careers.
Through our dynamic Computing curriculum, aligned with the national curriculum, we demonstrate the creative and analytical potential of technology. Students gain practical, real-world experience across a range of media and software—from collaborating on cloud-based documents and interacting with data, to editing multimedia and writing code for games, robotics, and basic algorithms using intuitive tools.
We believe digital tools enrich all areas of education, which is why technology is seamlessly integrated across our entire curriculum. Platforms such as Century, Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS), Google Workspace for Education, Learning by Questions and Purple Mash support learning in every subject. Interactive devices and Chromebooks are everyday tools in our classrooms, helping children solve complex problems, practise foundational skills, and elevate their creative writing and research.
Alongside technical skills, digital citizenship sits at the heart of our approach. We take our responsibility seriously in teaching children how to navigate the online world safely, ethically, and securely. Regular lessons focus on online safety, media literacy, protecting personal privacy, and maintaining a healthy balance between screen time and offline life.
Intent
At The Leys, we want every child to growup feeling confident, smart, and safe around technology. Our computing curriculum builds their skills step-by-step from Nursery through Year 6, teaching them how to use digital tools creatively and responsibly without spending their whole lives behind a screen.
What your Child Learns & How It Helps Their Future
Everyday Tech Skills: They move from simple learning games toreal-world software like Google Workspace, making the leap to secondary schooland future jobs much easier.
Problem Solving & Coding: Learning how computers think helpschildren break down big problems, build their own simple programs, and thinklogically in every subject.
Online Safety & Kindness: We teach children how to protect theirprivacy, treat others with respect online, and know when it is time to put thescreen away.
Confidence Across All Subjects: By using apps like Century and Purple Mash for English and Maths,children learn to view technology as a helpful tool for learning rather than just a distraction.
Curriculum Aims
EYFS
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin their computing journey by exploring the everyday technology around them through hands-on play. This stage builds foundational curiosity and familiarity with digital devices in a safe, interactive environment.
● Recognize common technology (phones,toys): Identifying digital items used in everyday life.
● Navigate simple interfaces (touchscreens): Interacting with basics creen controls independently.
● Understand technology is in the world: Realizing that tools and devices help people in daily life.
KS1
As children transition to Key Stage 1,they develop early practical hardware skills alongside fundamental codingconcepts. They shift from simple exploration to actively creating digital artand writing basic programs.
● Use basic paint programs: Drawing and designing artwork using entry-level digital art software.
● Begin using a keyboard and mouse: Developing fundamental physical controlf or computer navigation.
● Write simple logical algorithms: Planning clear, step-by-step instructions for a computer to follow.
● Create programs using visual blocks: Dragging and connecting code blocks to make objects move or react.
● Debug basic programs: Finding and fixing simple mistakes when code does not work as expected.
KS2
In Key Stage 2, pupils deepen their technical knowledge by managing data, conducting online research, and designing more complex scripts with loops. By the end of primary school, they master critical thinking about the digital world, computer networks, and online safety.
● Store, organize, and communicate data: Saving files efficiently, using supervised email, and understanding internet connectivity.
● Search and evaluate digital information: Finding web content and checking whether online information is reliable and accurate.
● Create presentations and documents: Combining text, images, and media to build structured digital projects.
● Design complex scripts and fix bugs: Writing advanced code using loops and logical reasoning to solve problems.
● Understand digital footprints and networks: Learning how shared computer networks function and how online choices leave a permanent digital trace.
Computing long term plan
Implementation
At The Leys, we deliver a broad, balanced, and progressive Computing curriculum designed to support and challenge pupils as they build essential digital skills. We follow the Purple Mash Computing Scheme, a comprehensive, cloud-based platform that uses age-appropriate creative software tools, coding programs, and online safety resources to help pupils explore Computer Science, Information Technology, and Digital Literacy from EYFS to Year 6. Along with Purple Mash, children use a variety of devices and programs—including Micro:bits, Century, Python, and Google Workspace—to apply their learning to real-world tasks. By exploring historical and modern pioneers such as Ada Lovelace, Steve Jobs, and Grace Hopper, pupils connect their classroom work to real-world innovation, preparing them for secondary school and adulthood.
Key Skills Developed
● Coding & Programming: Building logical algorithms, debugging code, and working with visual block and text-based languages like Python.
● Graphing & DataHandling: Collecting, organizing, and analyzing digital data using spreadsheets, databases, and charts.
● Digital Communication & Media: Creating presentations, editing audio and video, and composing emails safely
● Research & Critical Thinking: Searching the web effectively and evaluating online information for reliability.
● Online Safety & Digital Citizenship: Understanding digital footprints, protecting personal privacy,and maintaining healthy screen habits.
Inclusion
At The Leys, we are committed to ensuring that our Computing curriculum is fully inclusive and accessible to every child. Learning is adaptively taught so that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), those eligible for Pupil Premium (PP), and English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners can engage fully with the curriculum. Strategies include scaffolding tasks, providing visual prompt cards and key vocabulary glossaries, utilizing accessibility tech tools, and ensuring equitable access to digital devices. By removing obstacles to learning, we nurture confidence and unlock every child's potential as a digital creator.
Barriers to Learning & Example Provision:
● Complex Technical Vocabulary: Dual-language glossaries, visual icon cards, and concrete real-world analogies (e.g., comparing algorithms to recipe steps) are used to build word confidence.
● Fine Motor Skill Challenges: Touchscreen devices, adapted mice, larger keyboards, and drag-and-drop block coding interfaces replace complex typing tasks.
● Abstract Concepts in Coding: Physical "unplugged" computinga ctivities—such as physically guiding a friend like a robot—are used before writing code on a screen.
● Limited Access to Tech at Home: School provides dedicated classroom time, lunchtime tech clubs, and paper-based extension resources so all pupils can practice without relying on home hardware.
● Cognitive Overload & Multitasking: Tasks are broken into small, chunked steps using visual checklists, pair programming models, and clear screen templates.
● Reading & Decoding Constraints: Screen-readers, text-to-speech tools, and color-coded visual programming blocks (e.g., Scratch Jr or 2Code) allow pupils to code without text heavy barriers.
Impact
Pupil Voice
Eden Y1 - “When we are adults we will need computers to do lots of hard work with numbers and letters.”
Clara Y2 - “We get to make characters move by clicking on them. First, we had to make our own character. Computers are important because you can learn important skills for work and filming videos.”
Ariadne Y3 - “Computers are important so we can see what’s true and not true. When we are older, we will need computersfor jobs like builders. Builders use computers to see what the building will look like.”
Ronnie Y4 - “We need chromebooks to help us learn Maths and research for English. We can search to find out what life is like in different countries and it’ll show us videos, pictures and people’s words.”
Szymon Y5 - “Computing is fun because you can make the pictures you draw dance. When you’re an adult you could become a streamer that creates videos and content.”
Oakley Y6 - “In Computing, there are lots of things to learn about, like Google Sheets. We learned formulas to make a calculator!”
Enrichment
To extend learning beyond the classroom, pupils have access to a variety of rich digital learning platforms that reinforce computing, maths, and digital literacy skills. Children can build projects and practice coding using Purple Mash, engage with personalized micro- lessons on CENTURY, complete interactive learning tasks on Learning by Questions (LbQ), and boost their speed and accuracy using
Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS).
We are also excited toannounce that an upcoming Coding Club and a Computing Competition are coming soon—watch this space!