KS2 maths: a parent's guide to Years 3 to 6
KS2 maths covers Years 3 to 6 of primary school, from the 3 times table and three-digit numbers up to long division, fractions, percentages and ratio. Here's what children learn in each year, the two national tests along the way (the times tables check in Year 4 and the SATs in Year 6), and how to help at home.
What is KS2 maths?
KS2 maths is the maths children learn in key stage 2, which is Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 of primary school in England. The national curriculum splits it into two halves. In Years 3 and 4 the focus is on whole numbers, the four operations and place value, and by the end of Year 4 children should know their times tables up to 12 × 12. In Years 5 and 6 the numbers get much bigger, and the work moves on to fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. By the end of Year 6, children should be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and long division.
The KS2 maths curriculum year by year
This is a short version of the national curriculum for maths in KS2. Each year guide has the full list, strand by strand, with maths words and questions to try.
| Year | Some of the main ideas |
|---|---|
| Year 3 | Numbers up to 1,000, the 3, 4 and 8 times tables, column addition and subtraction with three-digit numbers, tenths and simple fractions |
| Year 4 | All the times tables up to 12 × 12, numbers over 1,000, column methods with four-digit numbers, tenths and hundredths as decimals |
| Year 5 | Numbers up to 1,000,000, prime numbers, factors and multiples, long multiplication, short division, decimals with up to three places, the first percentages |
| Year 6 | Numbers up to 10,000,000, long division, adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators, ratio, percentages of amounts, simple algebra, the mean |
Across all four years children also learn about measurement, shape, position and direction, and statistics. Schools choose their own order and pace, and every child moves through the curriculum at their own pace too.
The multiplication tables check in Year 4
In June of Year 4, every child in England takes the multiplication tables check. In 2027 schools run it in the two weeks from Monday 7 June. It's 25 questions on a computer or tablet, with 6 seconds for each, and there's no pass mark. You can try it at home with our free times table check practice, which works like the real thing, or practise one table at a time on our times tables pages, from the 2 times table to the 12 times table.
The KS2 SATs in Year 6
In May of Year 6, children in England take the key stage 2 national curriculum tests, often called SATs. There are three maths papers: paper 1 is arithmetic (40 marks in 30 minutes), and papers 2 and 3 are reasoning (35 marks in 40 minutes each). In 2027 the maths papers are on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 May. For practice in the same format as paper 1, try our free SATs arithmetic paper. Results are given as a scaled score from 80 to 120, where 100 or more means your child has met the expected standard, and you should get them from the school by the end of the summer term.
Our guide to the KS2 maths SATs has the full timetable, what's in each paper, how the marks become a scaled score, links to the official papers from previous years on GOV.UK, and how to help your child prepare calmly.
How to help with KS2 maths at home
- Get the times tables secure. They sit underneath almost everything in KS2 maths, from short division to simplifying fractions. Our guide on how to learn times tables has a 10 minute routine, and the times tables test mixes up all the tables.
- Little and often. A few minutes most days does more than a long session at the weekend.
- Ask how they worked it out. Explaining a method out loud helps it stick, and shows you which method your child's school uses. It's worth sticking to that method rather than teaching a different one.
- Use everyday maths. Money, cooking, timetables, sale prices and sports scores all need place value, fractions, decimals and percentages.
- Talk to the teacher. Your child's teacher knows what they're working on and can tell you what would help most.
See all our maths guides, from Year 1 to GCSE
Mathsy covers every year from Year 1 to GCSE when it launches in 2027
It follows the national curriculum for England in every area of maths, from number and fractions to shape, measurement and statistics. It remembers what your child knows, spots the mistakes they keep making, and teaches them the fix. Join the waiting list and we'll email you when it launches.
Sources
We check every method and fact on this page against these official documents.
- National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (Department for Education). Used for: what is taught in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, and the aims for the end of Year 4 and Year 6.
- Key stage 2 mathematics test framework (Standards and Testing Agency). Used for: the three maths papers, their timings and marks.
- Primary assessments: future dates (Department for Education). Used for: the 2027 key stage 2 test dates and the multiplication tables check window.
- Key stage 2 national curriculum tests and results: information for parents (Standards and Testing Agency). Used for: what the tests are, and when parents receive the results.
- Understanding scaled scores at key stage 2 (Standards and Testing Agency). Used for: the scaled score range of 80 to 120, and 100 as the expected standard.
- Multiplication tables check: information for parents (Standards and Testing Agency). Used for: what the Year 4 check involves.