Build a critter
Every pupil designs and names their own critter. New body shapes, eyes and gear unlock as they progress.
Primary computing · Reception to Year 6
Computing that every child can read.
Critteria is a computing platform for primary schools. Pupils build their own critter and take it on a journey through every lesson. Every word can be read aloud, made bigger, spaced out or put on a coloured background, so children who struggle to read aren't left behind.
Works in the browser on Chromebooks, iPads and PCs
No installs
Picture logins, no passwords to spell
Built for every reader
If a child can't read the task, they can't learn the computing.
Many pupils who love technology get stuck on the words. Critteria gives each child the support they need, quietly, without singling anyone out.
A primary teacher told us there isn't a good computing product for children with dyslexia, children who can't read yet, or children with poor eyesight. So we built one.
Every reading tool on this page is in the demo now- Everything read aloudEvery task, quiz question and instruction has a speaker button. Pupils can choose the voice and speed.
- Easy-read lettersSwitch to Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface designed by the Braille Institute so letters are hard to mix up.
- More space between lettersWider letter and word spacing, which many readers with dyslexia find easier.
- Coloured backgroundsCream, blue, green, yellow, pink or grey, like a coloured overlay but built into every screen.
- Bigger everythingMake every lesson up to 30% larger, with big buttons and big pictures throughout.
- Strong contrastDarker text, thicker outlines and a bold focus ring for children with poor eyesight.
- Tap a word to hear itTurn it on and any writing on the screen is read out when a child taps it.
- Picture loginsPupils tap their name, then their picture. Nothing to read, spell or remember.
Try it here
Letters
Text size
Background
More help
Year 1 · Computing systems
Is it technology?
Technology is something made by people to help us. Drag each card into the right group.
These are the same settings pupils have in Critteria. Press the speaker to hear the task.
How it works
Pupils don't open a lesson. They go on a journey.
Every unit is a place on a map. Children walk their critter from lesson to quiz to treasure chest, and level up as they learn. Older pupils get cooler critters, not babyish ones.
Follow the map
Lessons, quick quizzes, treasure chests and a boss quiz at the end. Teachers decide which parts of the map are open.
Level up
XP comes from finishing lessons and quizzes, opening treasure, and rewards from the teacher. Each level teaches the critter something new.
Curriculum
Computing is more than coding.
Critteria is built around the National Curriculum for computing in England, from Reception to Year 6. Each strand is its own part of the world.
Computing systems
What technology is, how computers work, inputs, outputs and the parts inside.
- Is it technology?
- Click, drag and type
- Inside a computer
Networks
How computers talk to each other, packets, addresses and the internet.
- How computers talk
- Searching the web
Programming
Algorithms, sequences, debugging, loops and animation.
- Robot routes
- Fix the bug
- Animate a story
Data and information
Sorting, grouping, branching databases and charts.
- Sort it out
- Branching databases
Creating media
Painting, photos, animation, and music made with code.
- Paint a picture
- Make a beat
Online safety
Privacy, kindness online and knowing who to tell.
- Staying safe online
In the demo nowBeing builtReception has its own picture-only activities: Peekaboo, Switch it on, Tidy up and more
The Critteria Studio
A real music studio, built in.
Pupils learn sequences and loops by making beats, then carry on in a full studio. It was made by a music producer, with his own original drum samples.
- Drum grid, synths, piano roll and a song arranger
- Original drum kits you won't hear anywhere else
- Pupils can record and use their own sounds
- Saves automatically as they work
For teachers
Everything you need to teach it, even if computing isn't your subject.
Slides for every lesson
Present straight from Critteria, with teacher notes and what to look for.
A live class dashboard
See who has finished, who is stuck and which mistakes they made, as they work.
Evidence in one click
Print a sheet for each pupil showing their work, ready for books or moderation.
Rewards and quests
Reward teamwork and kindness, set quests for the class, and watch the celebration pop up on pupils' screens.
Login cards
Print a card for each pupil with the class code and their picture. Logging in takes seconds.
Google Classroom Coming soon
Set Critteria lessons as Classroom assignments and let pupils sign in with their school accounts.
Made for UK schools
Safe, simple and private by design.
No advertsNothing to buy, nothing to click away to.
No pupil emailsPupils only need a first name and initial.
Data kept in the UKPupil work is stored on servers in London.
Runs in a browserChromebooks, iPads, Windows and Macs, with nothing to install.
Become a pilot school.
Critteria is being built with teachers, in real classrooms. Pilot schools use it free, and help shape what comes next.
Get in touch
hello@critteria.co.ukTell us your school and year groups, and we'll set up a time to show you round.