Year 4 Maths — What Your Child Will Learn
Year 4 is the Multiplication Tables Check year. Every child in England sits a 25-question online times tables test in June — and every times table up to 12×12 is tested. Beyond that, Year 4 introduces decimals, equivalent fractions, coordinates and area. It is one of the most important years in primary maths.
What Your Child Will Learn in Year 4 Maths
What Children Often Find Difficult
What children struggle with
Common mistakes to watch for
How You Can Help at Home
MTC format — 6 seconds per question
The MTC is 25 questions at 6 seconds each, sat online in June. Practise in short 5-minute bursts every day from January — not long sessions. This matches the exam pace far better than worksheets.
Ordering decimals: tenths column first
0.9 is bigger than 0.15 — compare the tenths column first, not the number of digits. This single misconception causes repeated errors in Year 4 and beyond.
Fraction walls before abstract fractions
Equivalent fractions are easiest understood visually. Children who see that 2/4 is the same size as 1/2 on a fraction wall rarely make the classic ordering and simplifying errors.
Year 4 MTC — The National Times Tables Assessment
There are no Year 4 SATs. The key national assessment is the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in June — 25 questions, 6 seconds each, sat online. Times table fluency is the single strongest predictor of Year 6 KS2 SATs performance. Children who are fluent by June Year 4 enter Year 5 with a measurable advantage.
Example Homework Questions
Question
7 × 8 = ?
Expected Answer
56
Skill Tested
Times table recall within 6 seconds (MTC standard)
Question
Write two fractions equivalent to one half.
Expected Answer
2/4 and 3/6 (or any valid pair)
Skill Tested
Equivalent fractions
Question
A rectangle is 6cm by 4cm. What is its area?
Expected Answer
24cm²
Skill Tested
Area calculation
Is Your Child MTC-Ready? Find Out Now
The Multiplication Tables Check happens in June with no advance warning for parents. Out of School tracks all 144 multiplication facts individually so you can see exactly which tables your child knows instantly and which still need work — in time to make a difference before the test.
Topic-by-topic tracking
See which curriculum areas are strong and which need work — broken down by individual topic, not just a single percentage.
Homework visibility
Every piece of homework set is visible to parents in real time — questions, answers, and accuracy — as soon as the session ends.
Tutor reports
After every session, parents receive a progress update covering what was covered, what went well, and what to focus on next.