Parent guides
Plain-English answers to the questions parents ask about primary school in England, from what your child learns each year to the phonics check, times tables and SATs. Each guide ends with something simple you can do.
School years
What children learn in each year, and how school works in England.
- What will my child learn in Reception?Reception is the last year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Children learn mostly through play, stories and talk, with short daily session…
- What will my child learn in Year 1?Year 1 is the first year of the national curriculum and of Key Stage 1. Children build on Reception phonics to read and spell more words, write their…
- What will my child learn in Year 2?Year 2 is the last year of Key Stage 1. Children move from sounding out words to reading fluently, write longer pieces with more varied sentences, an…
- What will my child learn in Year 3?Year 3 is the first year of Key Stage 2, often called juniors. Children learn written column methods, the 3, 4 and 8 times tables, fractions and tell…
- What will my child learn in Year 4?Year 4 is the times tables year: children are expected to know all tables up to 12 × 12, and they take the multiplication tables check in June. They…
- What will my child learn in Year 5?In Year 5 maths gets bigger: numbers to a million, long multiplication, short division, and fractions, decimals and percentages linked together. In E…
- What will my child learn in Year 6?Year 6 is the last year of primary school. Children sit the Key Stage 2 SATs in reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling from 10 to 13 Ma…
- How do school years and key stages work in England?In England, children are grouped by age with a 1 September cut-off, so everyone born between 1 September and 31 August is in the same year. Primary s…
Tests and checks
The phonics check, the times tables check and SATs, explained calmly.
- What is the Year 4 multiplication tables check?The multiplication tables check (MTC) is a short, on-screen check that every Year 4 child in England takes in June. It has 25 questions on the times…
- What is the Year 1 phonics screening check?The phonics screening check is a short, one-to-one check in which your child reads 40 words aloud to a teacher they know. Half are real words and hal…
- When are the Year 6 SATs in 2027, and what are they?The Year 6 SATs (key stage 2 national curriculum tests) take place from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 May 2027. Children sit tests in grammar, punctuation…
- How can I help my child prepare for SATs without stress?The calmest way to help is little and often: ten minutes or so of practice on the things your child finds tricky, plenty of reading for pleasure, and…
Maths at home
Times tables, school methods and everyday maths.
- How can I help my child learn their times tables?In England, children learn the 2, 5 and 10 times tables by the end of Year 2, the 3, 4 and 8 times tables in Year 3, and all the tables up to 12 × 12…
- How is my child taught maths at school?Most primary schools in England teach maths by building understanding first. Children use real objects, then pictures, then numbers and symbols, befo…
- How can I teach my child to tell the time?In England, children learn o'clock and half past in Year 1, quarter past, quarter to and five-minute times in Year 2, and time to the minute, Roman n…
Reading, writing and phonics
Reading together, phonics, spelling and grammar.
- How can I help my child with reading at home?Little and often works well: a few minutes of hearing your child read most days, plus reading aloud to them, even once they can read on their own. In…
- My child can read the words but doesn't understand. How can I help?Reading the words (decoding) and understanding them (comprehension) are different skills, and it's common for one to run ahead of the other. You can…
- How can I help my child with phonics at home?Find out which phonics programme your child's school uses and follow its order of sounds. Say the sounds "pure", without adding "uh", then practise b…
- How can I help my child with spelling at home?Practise spellings little and often across the week, rather than the night before the test. Look-say-cover-write-check is a good start, but it works…
- Primary grammar explained for parentsChildren in England learn grammar terms from Year 1 to Year 6, and many are tested in the Year 6 grammar, punctuation and spelling test. Most are sim…
Worries and progress
School reports, being behind, and catching up.
- Is my child behind?The best way to find out is to ask your child's teacher, who sees their work every day and knows what is expected for their year. Children develop at…
- What do 'working towards', 'expected' and 'greater depth' mean on my child's report?These phrases describe how your child's learning compares with what the national curriculum expects by the end of their school year. 'Expected' means…
- How can I help my child catch up in maths or English?Start by finding the exact gap, with the teacher's help, rather than tackling 'maths' or 'English' as a whole. Go back to the earlier skill the gap r…
Learning at home
Small habits that fit into busy days.
- How can I help my child learn at home when I'm busy?You don't need long sessions. A few minutes most days, plenty of talk during the routines you already have, and reading together make a real differen…
- How can I find out what my child is learning at school?Start with the school website: schools in England publish what they teach in each subject and year, often as curriculum maps or termly overviews. Add…
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