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to keep our content available through a partnership with another educational provider, but this provider has since withdrawn from the agreement.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:
- Learning packs
- All the worksheets from the 11+ programme, if you are following this with your child
- Complete Learning Journey programmes (the packs below include all 40 worksheets for each programme)
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 is scale factor?
What is a scale factor?
We use scale factor when we talk about increasing the size of a 2D shape. The size by which we make the shape larger is described by its scale factor.
For example, this rectangle has the measurements 5cm and 2cm (not shown to scale):
If we increase this rectangle by a scale factor of 2, we double both the sides:
If we increase the original rectangle by a scale factor of 3, then we multiply each measurements by 3 to end up with this shape:
When do children learn about scale factor in primary school?
Children learn about scale factor in Year 6 maths. They may be given a shape and then asked to increase it by a certain scale factor, or they may be given a question like the following:
Look at square B. What scale factor has square A been increased by?
Your child would need to think about what 2cm has been multiplied by to make 8cm and use their knowledge of times tables to work out that the square had been increased by a scale factor of 4.
Scale factor can be used with various different shapes.
The irregular pentagon A, on the left, has been increased in size to make B, which has all the same angles as A, but sides that have all been increased by the same scale factor. Can you work out what the scale factor is?
Answer: 2
Your child may be asked to solve a problem where they are only given part of the information and have to 'work backwards', for example:
A triangle was increased by a scale factor of 3 resulting in this new shape:
What were the measurements of the original triangle?
Answer: 3cm by 5cm by 6cm
Learning about scale factor at home
The concept of scale factor is closely linked to ratio, proportion and percentages, where various amounts must be multiplied or divided by the same number to increase or decrease a quantity. Your child will need to understand the relationship between these concepts.
Here are some example of activities they may have to carry out at school, related to scale factor; a lot of them are very useful in the everyday maths we depend on at home, too!
- Increasing all the ingredients in a recipe by multiplying each one by the same number in order to feed a larger group of people
- Increasing amounts by a certain percentage, or finding a percentage of an amount.
- Working out ratios and proportions of different groups, using their knowledge of times tables.
