At Progression Step 1 learners need to have experiences that allow them to understand we all follow sequences and patterns in our everyday life, these could be the order in which we get dressed, the order we prepare ourselves for lunch or getting ready to go out and play.

A task such as painting a picture can be given, where learners need to get some of the materials they will use. They could put on their apron, pin up their paper, choose which brush and colour to use and place their paper on a drying rack. These allow the learner to develop their understanding of how to complete a task.

Being able to follow a set of instructions needs to be understood before they are then able to give instructions to others, this could be a game where one learner has a picture of a set of blocks and they need to instruct a partner to reproduce their picture without showing it to them.

The introduction of simple devices such as a 'BeeBot' can be used to support a learner's understanding of giving instructions. They may need to 'debug' their instructions if they do not go to plan. These instructions can be introduced as an algorithm, which means the instructions will be followed exactly all the way through, unlike the previous example of replicating the blocks, they won't be able to alter the instructions without starting again.

At Progression Step 1 learners need to develop an understanding of what data is, how it can be used and how it can be shown.

Learners can start to understand that data is all around them, from how many boys/girls there are in the class, to how many have brown/blonde/red hair. They can collect data about the types of leaves that fall into the playground or the different fruits they have at snack.

Once they have collected this data they can now start to sort and classify it; they may choose to sort the leaves they have collected by the same type of leaf, or they may choose to put leaves of the same size together, regardless of the shape. They may group fruits by colour or by which they like the taste of. All of these are correct if the learner is choosing the criteria and they have sorted it correctly.

The teacher may show examples of how objects have been sorted and ask the learners to explain how they have been sorted.

Finally, they can see their data represented, this may be through pictograms of the fruit, where one apple represents one child's choice.  Or they may see a pie chart where they see the largest area represents the most popular colour chosen by the class.

At Progression Step 2, learners continue with the skills being introduced in PS1, developing their understanding of what a problem is, they can also start to predict an outcome. This could be through building a tower and developing an understanding of why it may fall, they could be faced with the challenge of rolling a toy car from one table to another and need to build a bridge. Learners should start to identify issues they may face.

The ability to identify possible issues will allow learners to correct these mistakes, teachers may ask learners to see if they were right in what they thought would go wrong, this will strengthen their understanding of predicting the problems they have.

Learners should start to make a record of what they have done to solve a problem; this is the start of writing an algorithm, the step-by-step instructions that are followed to complete a task or process. This could be through a series of pictures/drawings/symbols to record the steps needed.

Once they have written these instructions learners should start to analyse the steps and look at what adaptations could be made to achieve a different, yet predicted outcome.

Once written instructions have been created learners can look at identifying where there is a repetition of steps and understand that these can be identified as loops. This can be seen when looking at song lyrics and understanding that the chorus is repeated after verse.

At Progression Step 2, learners begin to organise the data they have collected into tables, charts, databases and spreadsheets. 

This starts with learners being able to see how their data can be recorded in tables and then represented in charts and graphs. These can be simple illustrations using J2data, which allow learners to see their data in a range of formats. These will also allow them to start to analyse the data. 

They can begin to answer and ask questions about the data, this could be which was the most....? Which two items have a difference of 3? How many responses were collected? 

The ability to answer these questions will support a learner's ability to extract information from the data they see, and make evaluations on it.

Progression Step 3 requires learners to be able to construct their own tables, charts and data sets. 

Learners should know the difference between spreadsheets and databases and be able to select the tool accordingly. Creating these data sets should be for a purpose and support an investigation they are conducting. 

These could include recording data on a scientific enquiry, results from physical activities etc. where the data collected can be analysed to gain a better understanding of what has been done. 

As learners become more familiar with the use of spreadsheets, they should be able to use formulae to help analyse and manipulate the data they have. 

They could use the average function to calculate the average of a set of data recorded. They can also calculate sums using + - / x to manipulate the data they have. 

For example: if using a 'daily mile track' learners can record their daily number of laps, at the end of a half term they could calculate the average,  they can calculate the total number of laps and then with this information x the total by the number of metres each lap is to give the total metres. Finally, they can / (divide) this by 1600 to find out the distance covered over the half term in miles. 

In Progression Step 4, learners should start to create a simple model using self-contained algorithms to complete a task. 

Learners should also be able to identify different parts of an algorithm to determine their purpose (here is a link to some examples), they should also know where and how repeating patterns are and understand how they make an algorithm more efficient. 

Finally, they should also be able to detect and correct errors in an algorithm. 

Progression Step 4, requires learners to create a data capture form (Google Forms/Microsoft Forms etc.), which can then be used to capture/collect the data. Once the data has been collected the learners should be able to create a spreadsheet/database from the replies. Then use that data to search for results based on the questions within the capture form.

From data sets, learners can perform analysis and group their data as needed/appropriate.

From larger data sets, learners should be able to identify trends where appropriate. 

Progression step 5 requires learners to independently create and design models, which represent real-world problems. These could be by choosing how to illustrate their problem, such as a flowchart or spreadsheet. They will need to understand the data they have and choose how best to illustrate it to others. 

When solving problems, learners should now be thinking logically about the outcome. So by identifying the input, outputs and processes of a problem, they will be able to create a pseudocode or flowchart which could solve the problem.

Learners should also be able to compartmentalise a problem and look at a breakdown of how it can be solved. This compartmentalising of the problem will allow learners to demonstrate using functions/procedures.

Progression Step 5, learners should now be creating data collecting forms, to gather data. This data should then be analysed to generate statistical evidence that can be used to support the reasoning behind the initial data collection.

Learners should be able to use the data they have collected to support their investigations, however, they should also be able to modify their conclusions based on the evidence produced by their findings.