What Should a Year 5 Child Know in Maths? Complete UK Guide

Year 5 Maths Curriculum Overview

Year 5 builds directly on Year 4 foundations whilst introducing abstract concepts that many adults still find tricky (percentages, anyone?). The National Curriculum expects children to move from concrete understanding to formal methods and reasoning.

Most schools use White Rose Maths or similar schemes that cover seven core areas: place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, percentages, measurement, and geometry. Let's break down each area.

1. Place Value: Numbers to 1,000,000 and Beyond

Year 5 place value is a massive conceptual leap from Year 4. Children should be able to:

• Read, write, order, and compare numbers to at least 1,000,000
• Count forwards and backwards through zero to include negative numbers
• Round any number up to 1,000,000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000
• Interpret negative numbers in context (temperature, bank balances, sea level)
• Read Roman numerals to 1,000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals

Negative numbers are often the first stumbling block. Children need to visualise them on number lines and in real contexts (not just abstract symbols).

2. Addition and Subtraction: Multi-Step Problem Solving

Year 5 children should fluently add and subtract whole numbers with more than four digits using formal written methods. Key expectations include:

• Mental calculations with increasingly large numbers
• Column addition and subtraction with numbers of different sizes
• Using rounding to check answers are reasonable
• Solving multi-step problems in context (word problems with two or three operations)
• Using inverse operations to check working

The challenge at Year 5 isn't the calculation itself—it's choosing the right operation when faced with a wordy problem about train timetables or shopping budgets.

3. Multiplication and Division: Formal Written Methods

By now, times tables should be instant recall. Year 5 moves on to applying them in increasingly complex ways:

• Multiply numbers up to 4 digits by a 1- or 2-digit number using formal written method
• Multiply and divide by 10, 100, and 1,000 (understanding place value shifts)
• Short division of numbers up to 4 digits by a 1-digit number
• Identify multiples, factors, prime numbers, square numbers, and cube numbers
• Solve problems involving multiplication and division including using knowledge of factors and multiples

Long multiplication and short division are the formal written methods expected. Most children find short division (bus stop method) harder to grasp than long multiplication.

4. Fractions and Decimals: The Big Leap

This is where Year 5 gets tough. Fractions expand dramatically to include:

• Comparing and ordering fractions whose denominators are all multiples of the same number
• Recognising mixed numbers and improper fractions and convert between them (e.g., 7/4 = 1¾)
• Adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator and denominators that are multiples of the same number
• Multiplying proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers
• Understanding decimals to three decimal places (tenths, hundredths, thousandths)
• Recognising decimal equivalents of any number of tenths or hundredths (e.g., 0.71 = 71/100)
• Rounding decimals with two decimal places to the nearest whole number or one decimal place

The concept of improper fractions causes enormous confusion. Children need to see them visually (bar models, number lines) rather than just rules to memorise. Our guide on fractions explained for kids covers this in depth.

5. Percentages: A Brand New Concept

Year 5 introduces percentages for the first time. Children should:

• Recognise percentages as the number of parts per hundred
• Write percentages as a fraction with denominator 100 and as a decimal
• Solve problems involving converting between percentages and fractions/decimals

Most Year 5 children can handle simple percentages (50%, 25%, 10%) but struggle with 17% or 83%. Start with benchmark percentages and use 100 squares for visualisation.

6. Measurement: Converting Units and Calculating Volume

Year 5 measurement expectations include:

• Convert between different metric units (e.g., km to m, m to cm, cm to mm, kg to g, litres to ml)
• Understand and use approximate equivalences between metric and common imperial units (inches, pounds, pints)
• Measure and calculate perimeter of composite rectilinear shapes
• Calculate and compare area of rectangles (including using standard units cm² and m²)
• Estimate volume (e.g., using 1cm³ blocks to build cuboids) and capacity

The big new concept here is volume. Children start by physically building 3D shapes from centimetre cubes and counting them, before moving to calculation.

7. Geometry: Angles, Reflection, and Translation

Year 5 geometry builds on Year 4 angle work and introduces transformation:

• Know angles are measured in degrees and estimate/compare acute, obtuse, and reflex angles
• Understand and use angle facts: angles on a straight line add to 180°, angles around a point add to 360°
• Draw and measure angles using a protractor
• Identify 3D shapes from 2D representations
• Reflect and translate shapes on coordinate grids (all four quadrants)

Using a protractor is a fine motor skill that takes practice. Expect wonky first attempts—it's normal.

8. Statistics: Tables, Graphs, and Timetables

Year 5 children should be able to:

• Solve comparison, sum, and difference problems using information in tables and line graphs
• Complete, read, and interpret information in tables, including timetables

Reading timetables is a crucial life skill that combines time, problem-solving, and reading comprehension. Train and bus timetables make excellent real-world practice.

Common Year 5 Maths Misconceptions

These trips up even the brightest Year 5s:

• Negative number ordering: Thinking -5 is bigger than -2 (because 5 is bigger than 2)
• Decimal place value: Believing 0.25 is bigger than 0.7 (because 25 > 7)
• Improper fractions: Not understanding that 7/4 is "more than one whole"
• Percentage confusion: Thinking 50% of 80 is 50 + 80 = 130
• Area vs perimeter: Using the wrong formula or confusing the two concepts

If your child hits these misconceptions, resist the urge to just show them "the trick". Go back to visual models, manipulatives, and real contexts until understanding clicks.

How to Check If Your Child Is on Track

Schools assess Year 5 maths through:

• Termly assessments (often White Rose, Testbase, or NFER)
• End-of-unit quizzes throughout the year
• Teacher assessment during lessons (particularly reasoning and problem-solving)

At home, informally check if your child can:

• Order -5, 3, -1, 0, 7 from smallest to largest
• Calculate 3,456 + 2,897 and 5,003 - 1,678 on paper
• Multiply 347 × 26 using long multiplication
• Convert 7/4 to a mixed number (1¾)
• Add 2/5 + 3/10 (finding common denominator)
• Work out 10% of £40 (then 20%, then 5%)

If they can do most of these by spring term, they're on track. If not, check whether the issue is conceptual understanding or fluency with methods.

What If Your Child Is Ahead?

If your Year 5 child is confidently working at greater depth, focus on:

• Reasoning and problem-solving rather than racing ahead to Year 6 content
• Multi-step worded problems that require several operations
• NRICH challenges and Third Space Learning mastery tasks
• Real-world applications: budgeting, coding, data analysis

Depth of understanding beats acceleration. A child who can explain why 7/4 = 1¾ is better prepared for GCSE than one who can rote-calculate Year 7 algebra without understanding.

Supporting Year 5 Maths at Home

The best home support blends practice with real-world application:

• Times tables fluency: Still essential. Use apps, songs, or maths games for Year 5
• Real-world maths: Cooking (fractions, ratios), DIY (measurement, area), shopping (percentages, money)
• Homework help: Ask "How did you do that?" not "Is that right?" Build independence, not dependence
• Online practice: White Rose, BBC Bitesize, TopMarks, or adaptive apps like MathCraft
• Board games: Strategy games (chess, draughts), probability games (Yahtzee), money games (Monopoly)

Following the White Rose Maths parent guide ensures you're using the same methods and vocabulary as school, which reduces confusion.

Apps like MathCraft are designed around the UK curriculum (White Rose progression) and make daily practice feel like play rather than work. Children practise Year 5 topics—fractions, percentages, place value—whilst building an island and raising a companion creature.

Year 5 Maths Resources (Free and Paid)

Free Resources

• BBC Bitesize KS2 Maths — Videos, quizzes, and revision by topic
• White Rose Maths home learning — Worksheets and video tutorials
• TopMarks — Interactive games for all Year 5 topics
• NRICH — Problem-solving challenges for deeper thinking

Paid Resources

• Third Space Learning (1-to-1 online tutoring, personalised)
• DoodleMaths (£7.99/month, adaptive practice)
• Mathletics (£59/year, gamified learning)
• MathCraft (£4.99/month, UK curriculum-aligned adventure game)

Not sure if paid resources are worth it? Our full breakdown on are maths apps worth it covers pricing, effectiveness, and what to look for.