What Should a Child Know in Year 5 Maths?
Year 5 is the penultimate year of Key Stage 2, and for many children it is where the curriculum starts to feel genuinely demanding. The topics become more abstract, the numbers get much larger, and fractions, decimals, and percentages all come together. Year 5 is also the year most teachers begin laying the groundwork for Year 6 SATs revision.
Here is everything you need to know about Year 5 maths — and how to support your child at home.
Number and Place Value
Year 5 pupils work with numbers up to 1,000,000. This is a significant expansion and introduces the concepts of millions for the first time.
- Read, write, order, and compare numbers to at least 1,000,000
- Determine the value of each digit in numbers with up to 7 digits
- Count forwards or backwards in steps of powers of 10
- Interpret negative numbers in context, counting through zero
- Round any number up to 1,000,000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000
Multiplication and Division
By Year 5, children should have secured all times tables up to 12 × 12. The focus shifts to applying this knowledge in more complex calculations:
- Multiply and divide numbers mentally, drawing on known facts
- Multiply numbers up to 4 digits by one- or two-digit numbers using a formal written method (short multiplication and long multiplication)
- Divide numbers up to 4 digits by a one-digit number using short division, interpreting remainders
- Recognise and use square and cube numbers
- Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, including multistep problems
Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages
This is one of the biggest areas in Year 5 — and one where many children need extra support. The curriculum expects pupils to:
- Compare and order fractions with different denominators
- Identify and write equivalent fractions
- Add and subtract fractions with the same and different denominators
- Multiply proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers
- Read and write decimal numbers as fractions (e.g. 0.71 = 71⁄100)
- Recognise the per cent symbol (%) and understand percentage as parts per hundred
- Write percentages as a fraction with denominator 100, and as a decimal
The connection between fractions, decimals, and percentages is a key conceptual leap. A child who understands that ½ = 0.5 = 50% will find this much more manageable.
Geometry and Measurement
Year 5 geometry and measurement covers:
- Identify 3D shapes from 2D representations
- Know angles are measured in degrees; estimate and compare acute, obtuse, and reflex angles
- Calculate angles on a straight line (180°) and around a point (360°)
- Draw given angles and measure them in degrees
- Convert between different units of metric measure; understand equivalences between metric and imperial units
- Calculate the area of rectangles; estimate the area of irregular shapes
Year 5 is often called the “hidden SATs year” — the work done this year directly feeds into Year 6 revision. Children who consolidate fractions, decimals, percentages, and written methods in Year 5 are in a much stronger position when SATs preparation begins. Don't wait until Year 6 to address gaps — now is the right time.