This is part three (Year 2 / KS1) of a seven part series detailing what your child is learning in each year group in primary school. We were receiving numerous questions from parents wondering what their child should know based on their age / year group. So, we decided to start a blog series detailing some of the core curriculum elements for each year group covering Reception / EYFS – Year 6. You can find part one detailing what children in reception should know / be doing here, and part two detailing what children in Year 1 / KS1 should know / be doing here! We also provide you with some useful activities you can be doing at home with your child. This series will try to pull together information from numerous different sources in a concise easy to understand way.
As always, it’s important to note that teachers are happy to help parents who want to be involved in their child’s education. Your first point of contact if you have any questions, worries or concerns should be the teacher. They will also have a huge amount of resources that they will be more than happy to share with you! One of the most important maths resources you should ask for is the ‘Calculation Policy’ of the school. This will outline and give you a better understanding of the calculation strategies taught in each year group.
Year 2 / KS1 Maths Curriculum Goals
Your child is going to master lots of new maths skills in Year 2. Similar to Year 1, there is a lot of emphasis placed on practical and visual learning, and using real-life situations children can relate to. Your child will be learning about the methods they use to solve problems, and checking if they are correct. They will start to work with lists, tables and solving maths problems mentally. It is common for children to revisit topics they covered in Reception or Year 1 to help solidify that knowledge. This is all done in revision for KS1 SATs, but more importantly to ensure that your child has really understood the basics before they move onto Key Stage 2. (2022 is the last year of SATS – they are being phased out this year)
Geometry
- Identifying, describing and sorting common 2D and 3D shapes
- Understanding that a quarter turn is a right angle
- Confident with clockwise and anti-clockwise
Measurement
- Using suitable units to measure length and weight
- Combining amounts of money to make a specific amount and working out how much change to give
- Tell the time to five minutes, including quarter to / past the hour
Calculating
- Adding and subtracting one- and two-digit numbers
- Knowing odd and even numbers, addition and subtraction facts up to 20
- Learning the 2, 5 and 10 times tables, plus a knowledge of division
Number and place value
- Counting in steps of 2, 3 and 5
- Putting the numbers one to 100 in the correct order
- Using < and > symbols and recognising the place value of each digit in a two-digit number
- Finding 1/3, 1/4, 2/4 and 3/4 of a shape or quantity
- Interpreting and constructing simple diagrams, charts and tables
Home activities:
Practice addition and subtraction tables to 20. It is important that children can recall certain facts quickly or know what to do if they are stuck, for example if your child doesn’t know 3+6 try asking 6+3.
Recognise, swap and use money. Encourage your child to add up the coins in your purse or to work out what change you will get when buying things: ‘I have £50 in my pocket. What is the least number of notes I could have?’ Paying for a carpark, the parking is £2.40, ask your child to get the coins ready for the machine.
Fractions: Involve your child in cutting an apple into quarters or in dividing the chocolate bar in half.
Measuring activities: About how long is our car? Measure distances in metres and centimetres using a measuring tape. 100m and 200m races- how far did I run? Encourage your child to look at the weights of items in the cupboard. How many of these packets would add up to a kilogram? If 1 kilogram costs £2, how much would 4 kilograms cost?
Resources:
This is a really useful blog with numerous games for Year 2 / KS1 maths.
Some really fun and interactive games for year 2 pupils and best of all they are free!
The schoolrun.com is a great source for other information.
If you are a parent and need some advice or you are worried about your child’s current progress, feel free to reach out to us at Primary Tutor Project! We will be adding to this series each week! If there is any topic in particular you require advice for contact us here.
