Ivy Maths

The Ivy Maths Blog

Practical guidance on maths learning and home education.

21 articles

21 results

A student talking through her maths at homeFor ParentsThe Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check: What Parents Need to KnowSix seconds is too short to work out 7 × 8, which tells you what the Year 4 check is really measuring. What happens on the day, which facts cause most trouble, and a five-minute daily routine that works.Oct 16, 2026 4 min readRead articleThe symbol = on a soft blue groundFor ParentsYear 6 Maths SATs: What Parents Need to KnowThe arithmetic paper is the most predictable 40 marks in Year 6. What each paper tests, what the scores mean, and how to prepare without turning spring into a countdown.Oct 14, 2026 5 min readRead articleThe symbol ≥ on a soft blue groundFor ParentsFoundation or Higher Tier: Choosing your Child’s GCSE Maths PapersA grade 5 on Foundation is the same grade 5 as on Higher, but the route to it is very different. How the tiers work, what's at stake around grade 4, and the four questions worth asking the school.Oct 12, 2026 5 min readRead articleThe symbol Δ on a soft blue groundFor ParentsWhen your Child Says They Hate MathsFrom the inside, a gap from two years ago doesn't feel like a missing skill. It feels like being bad at maths. Where the feeling comes from, what to say, and how to rebuild with work your child can do.Oct 10, 2026 5 min readRead articleThe symbol √ on a soft blue groundFor ParentsHow to Choose a Maths TutorFamilies usually start looking for a tutor at a particular moment, and the right tutor depends on which moment it is. What to look for, what to ask, the safeguarding checks, and how to tell after six weeks whether it's working.Oct 8, 2026 5 min readRead articleThe symbol Σ on a soft blue groundFor ParentsHow to Help your Child Revise for a Maths ExamMost of what makes revision work doesn't need you to do the maths. The three parts of revision a parent can own, how much is reasonable at each stage, and what to stop asking.Oct 6, 2026 4 min readRead articleA primary school pupil writing at the kitchen table, with a tablet beside her showing the question 7 × 8 and four answers to choose fromFor ParentsWhat Times Tables Are Actually For in MathsA calculator will do any multiplication a child will ever need, which makes the case for learning tables look weak until you watch what happens in a Year 8 lesson when a student stops mid-problem to work out 9 times 3.Oct 4, 2026 4 min readRead articleA secondary school pupil at her desk at home, pencil at her chin, reading the question in her exercise book before she starts to calculateFor ParentsWhat Falling Teen Reading Levels Do to a Maths PaperMore teenagers now read quickly and inaccurately, the OECD found. In maths that habit costs marks a student knows how to earn. How to tell the difference at home.Oct 2, 2026 4 min readRead articleA parent and her teenage daughter at the kitchen table, going through school paperwork and printed topic lists togetherFor ParentsWhat to Do About Maths When Your Child Has to Change SchoolTwo schools can teach the same term in a different order, so a child can move with a strong report and still meet gaps nobody taught. What to ask for, and how to find out.Sep 30, 2026 4 min readRead articleA parent and child at the kitchen table, looking through marked maths work togetherFor ParentsHow to Identify Gaps in Your Child’s Maths KnowledgeA practical method for finding what your child is actually missing in maths: collect the errors, trace each one back to the skill it depends on, and confirm it with four short questions.Sep 28, 2026 8 min readRead articleA diagram of an adaptive assessment: from the start, each answer branches to a harder or easier question until the working level is foundFor ParentsWhat Is an Adaptive Maths Assessment?How adaptive assessments adjust difficulty as a student answers, what they show that a fixed test cannot, and where they are the wrong tool.Sep 26, 2026 5 min readRead articleA marked maths test scoring 18 out of 20, with an area question underneath left unansweredFor ParentsWhy a Child Can Get Good Marks in Maths and Still Have GapsStrong test results and weak understanding coexist more often than parents expect. The reason lies in when maths tests are taken and what they reward.Sep 24, 2026 4 min readRead articleA parent holding a Year 6 progress summary that says “Working at Year 6 level”, with a notebook of questions beside itFor ParentsWhat “Working at Year 6 Level” Actually MeansSchools use the phrase constantly and rarely define it. Here is what a year level judgement is anchored to, and the three things it cannot tell you.Sep 22, 2026 5 min readRead articleA student working through column addition and subtraction on squared paper at a deskFor ParentsHow to Support Your Child’s Maths Without Teaching the Lesson YourselfWhat to do when your child is stuck, why teaching your own method usually backfires, and the questions that help more than an explanation.Sep 20, 2026 5 min readRead articleA closed blue exercise book beside a blank sheet of paper and a pencil on a deskFor StudentsHow to Know When You Really Understand a Maths TopicFour tests that separate genuine understanding from recognising a method, and the false signals that convince students they are ready when they are not.Sep 18, 2026 5 min readRead articleA student’s working for solving 3(x − 2) = 2x + 5, with the first wrong line circled in penFor StudentsWhat to Do When You Understand the Lesson but Keep Getting Questions WrongFollowing a worked example and answering on your own are different skills. How to work out which type of mistake you are making, and what fixes each one.Sep 16, 2026 4 min readRead articleTopic cards from Year 4 fractions to Year 9 graphs rising in a line above a desk, each resting on the one beforeFor StudentsWhy Revisiting Old Maths Topics MattersForgetting a topic you once understood is normal and predictable. Here is why maths punishes it more than other subjects, and what to do instead of rereading.Sep 14, 2026 4 min readRead articleFive short daily maths sessions of thirty minutes against one long Saturday session of two and a half hoursFor StudentsHow Often Should You Practise Maths?How many days a week, how long a session, and what to put in it. A practical structure for maths practice that holds up outside exam periods.Sep 12, 2026 4 min readRead articleA desk with a pile of books labelled tests, homework, missed work and disruption on one side, and review, practise, build and progress on the other, with a plan written in a notebookLearning JourneysAcademic Recovery: Rebuilding After DisruptionTargeted support to rebuild knowledge and confidence after disrupted schooling, and a realistic picture of how long genuine recovery takes.Sep 10, 2026 6 min readRead articleA student learning remotely with headphonesLearning JourneysEducation Without Borders: Learning for Globally Mobile FamiliesLearning that travels with your child. How expat, diplomatic, and travelling families keep education consistent across countries, time zones, and school systems.Sep 8, 2026 5 min readRead articleA tidy desk set up for studyingStudy SkillsSetting Up Your Study SpaceThe room teaches. How light, tidiness, and a few deliberate choices turn any corner of the house into a place where focus comes easily.Sep 6, 2026 3 min readRead article