Maths is a big subject and we appreciate there’s more to it than times tables and there’s more to times tables than learning them off by heart. However, a lot of the rich, interesting maths is all about the multiplicative relationships and these are hard to fully grasp without fluent recall of the tables.
For that reason, learning the tables is fundamental – they are a key facilitator to the maths that sits on top.
The checks became compulsory in 2020 and they will be done within a three-week-long window starting 5th June 2023.
The results of the test are not published publicly, they’re not going to end up on a league table and they’re not to worry about. There’s no pass or fail, there’s just a score out of 25 marks. They’re not to be used to compare children, they’re for us to reflect on so that we make the most of our provision.
The checks consist of 25 questions. The questions will only be multiplication and they will go up to 12×12. There’s nothing novel about the questions and they don’t require problem solving so there’s nothing to trip them up.
Given that the questions are relatively simple, age appropriate and the length of the check, which is carried out on a computer, is no more than 2½ minutes, we don’t think the checks are onerous.
You may notice us taking even more initiative when it comes to learning the tables with more options for home learning. If you are practising with your child, remember you’re practising for the benefit of their wider maths education, not for them to get a high score on the tests. So please enjoy the opportunity to work with your child.
As always, thank you for your ongoing support.
Mrs Cook and Mrs Dowling
Click on the links to access more information about the 2023 Multiplication Check and play some free online games.