Maths and English guides for parents
Worked examples, reading activities and clear next steps for learning at home. Start with the question your child is asking today.
This term
How to find the area of a trapezium
Add the two parallel sides, halve the answer, multiply by the height. Here is why that works, and how to spot the height the diagram is hiding from you.
Read the guide: How to find the area of a trapeziumHow to find average speed
Average speed is total distance over total time. That is not the same as averaging two speeds. Here is the method, and the trap that catches most students.
Read the guide: How to find average speedWhy a circle’s area is pi r squared
Pi r squared is easy to remember and easy to misuse. Here is where the formula comes from, and the four mistakes that cost the most marks in exams.
Read the guide: Why a circle’s area is pi r squaredOpposite, adjacent and hypotenuse
The three sides of a right-angled triangle, and the one rule that tells you which is which. Label them in this order and trigonometry stops being guesswork.
Read the guide: Opposite, adjacent and hypotenuseYear 5 Maths Worksheets: A Parent’s Guide
See what good Year 5 maths worksheets cover, how to judge them, and how FutureSchool turns worksheets into real progress for your child.
Read the guide: Year 5 Maths Worksheets: A Parent’s GuideYear 4 Maths Worksheets: What to Practise and Why
Year 4 maths worksheets for place value, written methods and times tables, matched to what the autumn term covers and the June check.
Read the guide: Year 4 Maths Worksheets: What to Practise and WhyYear 3 Maths Worksheets: How to Choose and Use Them
What makes a good year 3 maths worksheet, how to match it to your child's gaps, and how to use worksheets with video lessons and tests at home.
Read the guide: Year 3 Maths Worksheets: How to Choose and Use ThemYear 4 maths this term: what to practise before the June times tables check
What Year 4 maths covers in the autumn term, the facts about the June times tables check, three worked examples and a ten-minute weekly routine.
Read the guide: Year 4 maths this term: what to practise before the June times tables checkYear 2 maths worksheet: ten questions to print, with answers
A free Year 2 maths worksheet to print from this page: ten questions on number, adding, sharing, fractions and time, with answers and what each slip means.
Read the guide: Year 2 maths worksheet: ten questions to print, with answersYear 6 maths this term: what to cover before the SATs in May
What Year 6 maths adds in the autumn term, how the May maths papers are set out, four worked examples, five questions with answers and a term-by-term plan.
Read the guide: Year 6 maths this term: what to cover before the SATs in MayYear 7 maths: what KS3 adds
What changes between Year 6 and Year 7 maths: negative numbers, algebra and longer methods. Three worked examples, five questions and a first-term plan.
Read the guide: Year 7 maths: what KS3 addsA home education timetable for maths and English: one week, ready to use
A Monday to Friday home education timetable for maths and English, by age. How long each sitting should be, what to cover, and a simple record to keep.
Read the guide: A home education timetable for maths and English: one week, ready to useAustralian students behind in maths, reading and science, PISA education study shows
Across Australia the results were varied. In reading, maths, and science, students in South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory fell below the OECD average for the first…
Read the guide: Australian students behind in maths, reading and science, PISA education study showsThe epic failure at the root of Australia’s maths problem
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-07/the-demise-of-australian-mathematics-teachers-students/11768644
Read the guide: The epic failure at the root of Australia’s maths problemLearning Styles: Activist, Pragmatist, Theorist, Reflector – Which One Is Your Child?
The 4 Honey and Mumford learning styles for parents: what activists, pragmatists, theorists and reflectors are like, and how to spot your child's style.
Read the guide: Learning Styles: Activist, Pragmatist, Theorist, Reflector – Which One Is Your Child?Exams – How to Help Your Child Prepare
5 ways to help your child prepare for school exams: offer emotional support, talk about the exams, cheer them on, encourage rest and build their self-worth.
Read the guide: Exams – How to Help Your Child PrepareTop 5 Reasons to Choose eLearning Over Traditional Methods
Five reasons to choose eLearning over traditional methods, for students, parents and teachers.
Read the guide: Top 5 Reasons to Choose eLearning Over Traditional MethodsHow tonight’s dinner can boost your child’s exam chances
Can tonight's dinner help in tomorrow's exam? How food and routine support your child at exam time.
Read the guide: How tonight’s dinner can boost your child’s exam chancesSomebody Got Their Sums Wrong: Boys Are Not Better At Mathematics
The old claim that boys are better at maths than girls is wrong, and the statistics show it. A look at the evidence.
Read the guide: Somebody Got Their Sums Wrong: Boys Are Not Better At MathematicsAttendance Awareness Month: Every school day matters
September is Attendance Awareness Month in the United States. Why school attendance and results are linked, and what parents can do.
Read the guide: Attendance Awareness Month: Every school day mattersHow to support your child after results day
Exam results are in. How to support your child on results day and through the next step, whether further study or a first job.
Read the guide: How to support your child after results dayClimbing trees and kicking a football lead to better grades!
Research shows that children who are physically active tend to do better at school. How sport and play support learning.
Read the guide: Climbing trees and kicking a football lead to better grades!How Have Parent-Teacher Relationships Changed?
A strong parent-teacher relationship helps a child's education. How that relationship has changed over time.
Read the guide: How Have Parent-Teacher Relationships Changed?Home Education Across England: Where It Is Most Common
Where home education is most common in England, by local authority: the south east, the north-south gap and London. 2013 to 2014 figures.
Read the guide: Home Education Across England: Where It Is Most CommonWhat is Flexischooling?
Flexischooling means a child is registered at school but attends part time and is home educated the rest. How the arrangement works.
Read the guide: What is Flexischooling?Your Adult Self Doesn’t Learn the Same as When you Were a Child
Adults often feel they learn more slowly than children. Is that true? How adult learning differs, and what helps new things stick.
Read the guide: Your Adult Self Doesn’t Learn the Same as When you Were a ChildThis 10-year-old Maths Genius Wants To Change The World
Esther Okade, a 10-year-old from Walsall in the West Midlands, is a maths genius who wants to change the world. Read her story.
Read the guide: This 10-year-old Maths Genius Wants To Change The WorldMaking The Most Of Technology For Revision
From learning by rote to learning with apps: how to make the most of technology for revision.
Read the guide: Making The Most Of Technology For RevisionGeneral Election Special: Where Do The Parties Stand On Education?
A look at the main parties' education policies before the general election, from the Conservatives to the Greens.
Read the guide: General Election Special: Where Do The Parties Stand On Education?
Earlier guides
How to choose a self-paced maths and English platform
Compare learning platforms with a practical checklist covering lesson quality, subject coverage, feedback, reports, device use, and the full cost.
Read the guide: How to choose a self-paced maths and English platformReading comprehension practice at home: a story and answers
Read an original short story together, then explore eight questions about facts, vocabulary, inference, and summary. Includes answers with reasons.
Read the guide: Reading comprehension practice at home: a story and answersHow to check maths learning gaps: five worked examples
Use five short maths checks to see how your child thinks. Each includes a worked answer, a possible mistake, and a small next step for practice.
Read the guide: How to check maths learning gaps: five worked examples