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TheSchoolRun.com closure date

As we informed you a few months ago, TheSchoolRun has had to make the difficult decision to close due to financial pressures and the company has now ceased trading. We had hoped to keep our content available through a partnership with another educational provider, but this provider has since withdrawn from the agreement.

As a result, we now have to permanently close TheSchoolRun.com. However, to give subscribers time to download any content they’d like to keep, we will keep the website open until 31st July 2025. After this date, the site will be taken down and there will be no further access to any resources. We strongly encourage you to download and save any resources you think you may want to use in the future.

In particular, we suggest downloading:

You should already have received 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep. If you haven’t received these, please contact us at [email protected] before 31st July 2025, and we will send them to you.

We are very sorry that there is no way to continue offering access to resources and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

What are improper fractions and mixed numbers?

What are mixed numbers?
We explain what improper fractions and mixed numbers are and how the relationship between them can be taught to primary-school children.

What are improper fractions and mixed numbers?

A mixed number is made up of a whole number and a fraction. For example:

An improper fraction is one that is 'top-heavy' so the numerator is bigger than the denominator. For example: 

The relationship between mixed numbers and improper fractions can be best explained through the diagram above. These two shapes have been cut into four pieces. We can either express the amount of the shape we have as a mixed number: (1 3/4) or as an improper fraction (7/4).
 

Working with mixed numbers and improper fractions in KS2

In Years 5 and 6 children need to start to be able to see equivalence between mixed numbers and improper fractions.

  
In the diagram above 8/3 is equivalent to 2 2/3.

In the diagram above 10/3 is equivalent to 3 1/3.

Converting improper fractions into mixed numbers

What is 16/5 as a mixed number?

  • Divide the numerator by the denominator (16 ÷ 5 = 3 R 1).
  • Your answer is the whole number and your remainder becomes the numerator of the fraction next to the whole number, so your answer is 3 1/5.

Converting mixed numbers into improper fractions

What is 2 7/8 as an improper fraction?

  • Multiply the whole number by the denominator (2 x 8 = 16) and then add the numerator (16 + 7 = 23).
  • This answer becomes the numerator; the denominator stays the same: 23/8.