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Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
Year 4 Maths articles
What is the denominator?
We explain what the denominator of a fraction is and give examples of how the concept is taught in primary-school maths, as well as explaining fractions equivalence and the relationship between the numerator and denominator.
What is the numerator?
We explain what the numerator of a fraction is and give examples of how the concept might be taught in Key Stage 2, as well as explaining fractions equivalence and the relationship between the numerator and denominator.
What is the lowest common denominator?
We explain what the lowest common denominator is and how to find it and use it to compare different fractions, as well as giving examples of how the concept might be taught to your primary-school child.
What is the lowest common multiple?
We explain what the lowest common multiple is and give examples of how the concept might be taught to your primary school child.
What is the highest common factor?
We explain what the highest common factor is and give examples of how the concept might be taught to your primary school child.
What is the average?
We explain what the term average means in maths, how to find the average of a set of data (and how children are taught to do it in primary school), and what a mean average is.
What are decimals?
We explain what decimals are and how the concept is explained to primary-school children, as well as how they are taught to relate decimals to money and measurement, the equivalence between fractions and decimals, partitioning, rounding and ordering decimals and adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals.
What is repeated addition?
We explain what repeated addition means, how it is taught in school as a foundation of multiplication understanding and techniques that teachers use to help children grasp the concept.
What is a number sentence?
We explain what a number sentence is and how primary-school children are taught to write number sentences (or fill in gaps in number sentences) in KS1 and KS2.
What is a sum?
We explain what a sum is and how children are taught to understand the term when it appears in mental maths tests, word problems or investigations.
What is an integer?
We explain what an integer is and how to explain the concept to your child, as well as offering some puzzles involving the term 'integer'.
What are division facts?
We explain what division facts are, how they are taught in primary school, and share some fun games that you can try at home to make this knowledge stick.
What is a product?
In maths the product of two numbers is the result you get when you multiply them. We explain how children are taught multiplication vocabulary in KS2 and what kind of problems they might be asked to solve,
What is a success criteria / WILF?
Find out what success criteria (also known as the 'WILF') are and how your child's teacher will use success criteria to boost learning focus.
What is a Learning Objective / WALT?
Heard your child talk about their LO, or their WALT? Teachers use learning objectives to help children understand what is expected of them in the classroom. Find out what a learning objective (or WALT) is and how learning objectives are used in primary school.
What is a DUMTUM?
Find out what a DUMTUM is and how this technique will help your child to set out their work correctly.
What are talk partners?
Find out what a talk partner is and why having a talk partner will benefit your child's learning in the classroom.
What is 'scaffolding' learning?
Find out what 'scaffolding' learning means and how teachers use this technique in the classroom to help children master different skills.
What are interactive whiteboards?
Find out what interactive whiteboards are and how they enhance learning in the classroom.
What are mini-whiteboards?
Find out what mini-whiteboards are and how they enhance learning in the classroom.
12 great benefits of maths challenges
Maths activities could give your child’s learning a boost in many ways, and help them engage with numbers (and enjoy it!) from a young age. Lucy Dimbylow offers 12 reasons to give number puzzles a go today.
Teachers' tricks for percentages
Percentages can seem like a tricky topic to tackle if you're not too sure about your maths skills, but by following our teachers' tips and suggestions you'll feel homework-confident in no time.
Teachers' tricks for multiplication
Can you multiply using the grid method, or draw a multiplication calculation as arrays? Find out more about multiplication and how it’s taught in schools today with our teachers' tips, tricks and methods, explained for primary-school parents.
Teachers' tricks for subtraction
Help your child become subtraction savvy with our teachers' tips on methods, practical resources, vocabulary and more. From subtraction songs and subtraction story problems to column subtraction, Phoebe Doyle offers some practical homework help for 'taking away'.
Teachers' tricks for fractions
From halves in quarters in KS1 to equivalent fractions in KS2, primary teacher Phoebe Doyle offers some insiders’ tips to help you help your child at home, plus details of fraction walls, hundred charts and other useful maths resources.
Best time-teaching products
Great toys, books and resources to help your child learn to tell the time on analogue and digital timepieces, from clock face recognition to estimating time differences on the 24-hour clock.
Teachers' tricks for division
Primary school teacher Phoebe Doyle has some tips and tricks to help your child with division work at home, offering an explanation of strategies using in school today as well as some useful practical exercises to try.
Teachers' tricks for decimals
Understanding decimals is vital for real-life, everyday maths. Phoebe Doyle offers some teacher tips to help your Key Stage 2 child understand what decimals are and how to use this knowledge in calculations.
5 number and counting skills primary-school children need
Numbers are all around us, almost from birth! Teacher Phoebe Doyle looks at counting, a fundamental aspect of mathematical understanding, to help your child grab the basics (without confusion!) from day one.
Teachers' tricks for shape, space and geometry
Throughout primary school children learn about the properties of the shapes in the world around them (primary geometry, in other words). Phoebe Doyle offers some insiders’ tips on helping them master shape and space maths targets.
Teachers' tricks for weights and measures
Weights and measures can be a really fun area of maths to teach in school – but one that can leave parents unsure of how to help at home. Teacher Phoebe Doyle has some hints and suggestions.
What are number bonds?
If your child is in Key Stage 1, chances are they'll have told you they're learning 'number bonds'... but what are they? Teacher Alice Hart explains why children are taught these number pairs, and how you can help your child practise them at home.
What is a Venn diagram?
Venn diagrams are often used to sort data in primary school. Find out what parents need to know about how to complete and read a Venn diagram correctly, plus how they're used in the classroom in KS1 and KS2.
What is place value?
A good understanding of place value (the value of each digit in a number) is vital in primary-school maths. Our parents' guide explains how your child will be taught about ones, tens, hundreds and thousands with number lines, arrow cards and more, as well as outlining how place value is used to help children visualise calculations.
What is subtraction on a number line?
Also known as the jump strategy or complementary addition, subtraction on a number line is a common technique in KS1 and KS2 maths, useful for helping children visualise that subtraction is finding the difference between two numbers. Teacher Alice Hart explains the method and how it's taught in primary school maths.
Teachers' tricks for addition
Help your child with their addition work, from the basics in Reception to calculations in KS1 and KS2, with some teachers' tricks to help the learning stick.
Does my child have dyscalculia?
What are the signs to look out for if you think your child might have dyscalculia or 'number blindness', and what can be done to help?
7 strategies to help defeat children’s fear of maths
What does it mean if your child has a fear of maths, and what can you do to help them get over it? TheSchoolRun offers a step-by-step plan to help you boost your child's confidence – and your own.
What is a pictogram?
Pictograms are introduced in Year 2 as a simple and engaging introduction to bar charts. We explain what your child needs to know about pictograms and how to read and create them, as well as explaining when and how they're taught.
What are inverse operations?
Inverse operations are opposite operations – one reverses the effect of the other. In primary maths we talk about the inverse to explain how addition and subtraction are linked and how multiplication and division are linked. Teacher Alice Hart offers examples of how and when your child will be asked to use the inverse operation in school, and practical ways to help them understand the concept.