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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.

Mental multiplication problems: Y3, Y4, Y5

Mental multiplication problems: Y3, Y4, Y5 football worksheet
A teacher-made maths worksheet on mental multiplication problems for Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 children with a football theme.

By the time they enter Year 5 children should be very confident in all times tables. They should also know their division facts for each times table (if 6 x 3 = 18 then 18 ÷ 6 = 3). Use these mental maths questions to test your child.


Keystage:  KS2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5

How can you improve mental maths skills in KS2?

Here are some ways that you can improve your KS2 child's mental maths skills: 

  • Practise daily
    Spend a few minutes each day solving quick math problems to build confidence.
     
  • Play math games
    Use fun apps or board games that involve numbers.
     
  • Use flashcards
    Create or use flashcards for times tables and simple addition.
     
  • Break problems down
    Solve big problems by breaking them into smaller, easier steps.

 

How do KS2 children develop mental multiplication skills?

  1. Learning times tables: Children start by memorising times tables, which is the foundation for quick mental multiplication. Regular repetition and practice help solidify these facts.
     
  2. Using patterns and tricks: They learn patterns and tricks, like doubling numbers to multiply by 2 or using known facts (like 5x6) to figure out related problems (like 6x6).
     
  3. Breaking down problems: Children are taught to break down more complex multiplication into smaller, easier steps. For example, to multiply 7x8, they might think of it as (7x4) + (7x4).
     
  4. Practising with real-life problems: They apply multiplication to real-life scenarios, like calculating the total number of items in groups, which helps them understand and practise in a practical context.
     
  5. Regular practice and games: Consistent practice through worksheets, mental math challenges and interactive games helps reinforce their skills and make learning fun.