Year 2 Computing Scheme of Work
Year 2 consolidates and extends the computing concepts introduced in Year 1. Pupils move from physical floor robots to on-screen programming using ScratchJr, where they encounter events for the first time — understanding that programs can respond to user actions. They also begin working with data in a more structured way, collecting information and representing it as pictograms.
Online safety continues as a thread throughout the year, moving beyond the basic rules of Year 1 to a broader understanding of digital citizenship — how to behave responsibly online, how to recognise content that is unkind or untrue, and how to use technology purposefully to create and communicate. By the end of KS1, pupils should be able to create simple programs, use technology to produce digital content, and articulate basic rules for staying safe online.
Expected prior knowledge
- ✓Ability to write simple algorithms as sequences of instructions and identify errors.
- ✓Experience programming a floor robot (Beebot or similar) using directional buttons.
- ✓Understanding that computers follow precise instructions and that mistakes can be fixed.
- ✓Awareness of basic online safety rules: keeping personal information private, being kind online.
Units across the year
Six half-term units covering all strands of the KS2 Computing programme of study.
Programming with ScratchJr
- –Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals.
- –Use sequence in programs.
- –Use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs.
- –Explore the ScratchJr interface, identifying the stage, sprites, and block palette.
- –Build a sequence of motion blocks to animate a character walking across the screen.
- –Change backgrounds and add multiple sprites, giving each their own script.
- –Debug a program where a character does not reach the intended destination by checking each block in order.
Debugging
- –Use logical reasoning to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs.
- –Create and debug simple programs.
- –Examine a set of incorrect algorithms (written on paper) and identify the errors, explaining the reasoning.
- –Open a pre-built ScratchJr project that has deliberate bugs and systematically test and fix each one.
- –Practise predicting what a short program will do before running it, then compare the prediction with the result.
- –Develop a class checklist of debugging strategies: read each step, run one step at a time, compare expected with actual.
Online Safety and Digital Citizenship
- –Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private.
- –Identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact online.
- –Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school.
- –Discuss and categorise scenarios where technology is used responsibly and irresponsibly.
- –Learn about the permanence of digital content — that messages and images do not simply disappear.
- –Create personal online safety rules displayed as a class charter.
- –Practise reporting strategies: tell a trusted adult, do not respond, keep evidence.
Pictograms and Data
- –Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content.
- –Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school.
- –Collect data through a class survey (e.g. favourite fruit) using tally marks on paper.
- –Enter the data into a simple pictogram tool and choose an appropriate symbol.
- –Read and interpret a finished pictogram to answer questions about the data.
- –Compare two pictograms and identify similarities, differences, and what the data tells us.
Animated Stories
- –Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content.
- –Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals.
- –Plan a short three-scene animated story using a storyboard template.
- –Build each scene in ScratchJr using backgrounds, sprites, dialogue bubbles, and sound blocks.
- –Add a start event block so the animation plays when the green flag is tapped.
- –Share animations with another class and evaluate: does the story make sense? Does it need debugging?
Using Technology Purposefully
- –Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content.
- –Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school.
- –Use a word processor to write and format a short piece of factual writing with a heading and subheading.
- –Insert an image into a document and position it alongside text.
- –Create a simple three-slide presentation to communicate information about a topic from across the curriculum.
- –Evaluate the presentation for clarity and discuss how design choices (font size, images) help the audience.
Progression into Year 3
In Year 3, pupils enter Key Stage 2 and encounter a broader, more systematic curriculum. Programming moves from ScratchJr to Scratch, introducing loops for the first time. They study how computers are connected in networks, work with branching databases, learn to evaluate online information, and use desktop publishing software. The shift is from using technology to understanding how it works.
Individual lesson plans
Full lesson frameworks — learning objectives, vocabulary, lesson structure, and common misconceptions — for each unit in this scheme.
View all Year 2 Computing lesson plans →