Mental arithmetic: pupils should be given more opportunities to:

·         add 2- and 3- digit numbers mentally

·         subtract 2- and 3- digit numbers mentally

·         practise calculations involving metric units

·         practise estimation-based calculations

 

Number and algebra: pupils need further experience of:

·         the relationship between multiplication and division, particularly that multiplication is the inverse of division

·         'open' number sentences such as    32   = 8
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·         place value when dealing with decimals, without relying entirely on money and measure contexts. Decimal place value has to be mastered in its own right.

 

Shape, space and measures:  pupils need more opportunities to:

·         calculate with time so that written and mental calculation strategies acknowledge the base 60 nature when converting minutes to hours

·         calculate areas beyond dealing with squares. For example, by recognising right angled triangles as half of rectangles

 

Handling data: pupils should be given more opportunities to:

·         use data extracted from tables and chart, beyond merely interpreting its meaning

 

Calculators: pupils should be given opportunities to:

·         use calculators to support calculations they cannot do mentally or by using pencil and paper alone

·         to explore the use of calculators in non-striaght-forward calculations such as those involving time, where time is rarely entered as a decimal

 

Use of language: further work is needed to:

·         develop children's precise understanding of specialised mathematical vocabulary, eg,

 

perimeter                                             pentagon

prime                                                parallel

 

General: pupils should be encouraged to:

·         use jottings and other forms of intermediate recording to support their thinking

·         explain and refine their thinking about specific mathematical situations

·         develop a greater understanding of percentage as the 'number of parts per hundred'. For example, that 40% means 40 parts per hundred parts and that this can be written as a fraction 40 over 100.