In school we use a range of different resources,
especially dienes. At home a cheaper alternative could
be straws! Single straws can be
used as units. You could tie
bunches of ten together to
create ‘a ten bunch’. Tying ten
bunches of ten together can
make a hundred!
The columns are also really handy! These could be
drawn on just about anything!
Useful websites
www.mymaths.co.uk
Username: northernjunior
Password: northern
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/
Games and helpful tips
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/
This one is good for interactive games!
Multiplication and Division
Year 5/6
The following two methods are as the children progress
to upper KS2.
Bus stop method
This method involves the children asking themselves how
At Northern Junior School we aim to:

Help children to enjoy maths!

Ensure that all children leave us at Year 6 able to use maths
practically in everyday situations, as well as being able to
access the secondary curriculum.

Give parents the tools they need to help support their child
at home
Do you ever say to yourself “That’s not the way I learnt it.”? A lot
has changed in the teaching of maths over recent years and we are
not surprised that many parents feel like this. Throughout Key Stage
2 we develop children’s understanding behind formal methods,
which progresses all the way to Year 6. Without the understanding
and the ability to talk about maths, we feel that the method they
rely so heavily on, could one day let them down. By developing their
thinking through discussion and investigating, children will build a
repertoire of maths skills to call upon when needed.
We hope this booklet will give you the tools to support your child’s
maths learning at home as well as a point of help for homework!
many times does 6 go in to 7? They write the answer
above the line and any remainders next to the next digit
in the number you are dividing.
Long division
Similar to the chunking method, the children take of
chunks from the number they are dividing. They use this
by using multiples of the number they are dividing by.
Repeated subtraction on a number line
Number and place value
Once again, the children begin on a structured number line.
This strand of maths is key to the progression of a child’s
I have 12 pencils. I need to share them between 3 pots. How
learning. Before progressing to formal written methods,
many is in each pot?
we must first be sure that they have a secure
understanding of the number system.
These are key elements which must be embedded for
The children understand subtraction as counting back so
children to truly understand maths within ks2.
they start with the number they are dividing, at the right end

of the number line. They then count back in groups of 3.
Secure and confident counting skills (different sized
steps and from different starting points)
This progresses to repeated subtraction on an unstructured

Place value (What each digit in a number represents)
number line, first without remainders then with.

Confident working knowledge of numbers to 100

Represent numbers in different ways (number line,
pictures, resources)

Compare and order numbers
will progress to chunking. This involves taking away multiples

Use number facts to solve problems
of the number we are dividing by.

Doubling and halving
When children become more confident with the method they
Being able to partition a number like
this is vital for all multiplication and
division methods throughout KS2.
“237 is made up of 2 hundreds, 3 tens
and 7 units.”
Doubling and halving
Doubling and halving is a vital skill
which is really easy to practise at
home. The best way to do this is to
make it visual. Doubling can be
Division
Division teaching in ks2 begins with basing the number
line work on repeated subtraction.
Year 3/4
explained as having two of the same
number.
For example, what is double 4?
Show 4…
Explain that you need another 4
How many do we have altogether?
The children also learn division arrays. It is important that
Halving can be explained as sharing an amount equally
children know that you can group to divide (10 into
between 2. What is half of 8?
groups of 2 equals 5) as well as share (10 shared between 5
Half of 8 is 4.
equals 2.
Recording with pictures
It is important that
children can represent a
Times tables
problem by using a
Times tables are a huge part of calculation and once
picture. Putting
children are fluent in these and understand how answers
calculations into
are found, they really help to speed up both mental and
context helps children
written calculations.
to do this.
This is the order we learn them:
Mum has 20 sweets. She shares them between me and my
2, 10, 5, 3, 4, 6 and 9 (linked with 3s), 8 (linked with 4s), 7, 11
4 brothers. How many do we have each?
then 12.
Multiplication
Column method and long multiplication
First multiply the units by 6 and
record. Then multiply the tens by
Multiplication is very closely linked to the way we teach
written methods for addition. Here is a short summary of
6 and record. By recording these
the progression.
numbers in the right columns,
Year 3/4
adding the numbers together is
simple.
This final method of long
Arrays - When we discuss groups or lots of, we begin by
looking at a problem as an array.
This helps children to identify the groups as well as
understanding that multiplication is commutative.
multiplication begins with
For example 5x3=15 and 3x5=15
multiplying the units by the 3
This array can be explained as ‘5 rows of 3’ or ’3 columns of
5’.
digit number and recording the
answer. Below this, we add
A zero because we are now
multiplying the tens. Times the
tens by the whole number and
record this in the correct
columns. Add the numbers together to get the answer.
Children will be given
multiplication in contexts so that
they can make sense of a problem
using pictures.
For example, Sarah is planting
flowers in the garden. She has
space for 2 rows of flowers. Each
row can fit 6 flowers. How many
can she plan altogether?
6x2=12
Repeated addition on a number line
Firstly the children work on a structured number line
where the numbers are already present.
There are 5 cakes in 1 box. How many cakes in 4 boxes?
Year 5/6
Grid method is usually more of a focus in upper KS2
however is taught in lower KS2 for children who are ready
for this method.
This moves on to the unstructured number line where
children write their own numbers based on which numbers
they need to solve the problem.
There are 3 cakes in one box. How many cakes in 8
boxes?
We use dienes alongside this method to help the
children understanding of how we are adding together
groups of tens and units.
This method can be used when children are moving on to
larger numbers.
Repeated addition using chunking and number facts
There are 3 cakes in each box. How many cakes in 14
boxes?