Coding, computer science and computational thinking are all essential skills for superb career opportunities for your students. Here at LearnPad, we have pulled together some excellent websites for you to use on your LearnPads to support and enhance your school’s teaching of computing.

Find the following apps/websites in: KS2 Computing for Workbook à KS2 Programming

With Learn HTML you can create your own website through highly-structured tutorials, which teach you everything about HTML. HTML is easy to learn with this website and leading your pupils through each step will enable them to have a firm grasp of the language in no time. This app is probably more suited for Upper KS2, but there is no reason that younger pupils couldn’t begin some of the basic-level activities.

Logo is a simple coding app for KS1 pupils; it involves simple, intuitive navigation and has a reward-focused, game-based scenario. As the pupil moves through the progressive difficulty levels, there are secondary challenges and incorporate much of computational thinking required by the computing Curriculum. This app is specifically relevant for introducing the concepts of directional language and algorithms into classrooms with younger children, as the interface and design of the app is bright, colourful and simple.

Code Monster provides hands-on activities which allow students to program with instructions from the Code Monster. By clicking on the Code Monster at the top of the page, students can then navigate their way through the levels, with each activity providing slightly more challenge and requiring the children to apply what they did previously in the levels beforehand. This app is best suited to KS2 and will help to hone the children’s understanding of axes, grid references, measurement and computational thinking.

LightBot is a programming puzzle game that uses game mechanics that are firmly rooted in programming concepts. LightBot lets players gain a practical understanding of basic control-flow concepts like instruction sequencing, procedures and loops by guiding a robot with commands to light up tiles and solve levels. This app is so effective in teaching the concepts of computational repetition and looping instructions for efficiency and can be used from EYFS upwards. Some of the more challenging levels are much more suited to KS2, as they require quite a complex degree of trial and error and prediction. This is an app I would recommend every teacher has a go with – in computing, maths or as part of a technology club.

A visual programming link which allows you to build your script using coloured blocks to control the sprite. This website is a great online alternative to Scratch, as it uses the fundamentals of Scratch and enables you to move your students onto Java Script too.

Andrew Shelton
Avantis Educational Specialist (UK)