Times tables by year group: what children should know in Years 1 to 6
In England, children learn their times tables over several years and are expected to know all of them up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4. Here is what each year expects, what the Year 4 check involves, and how to help at home.
Which tables, in which year
This follows the national curriculum for maths in England. Schools teach the tables in this order, so it is also a good order to practise them at home.
| Year | What the curriculum asks for | Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Count in multiples of 2, 5 and 10, and solve simple multiplication and division problems with objects and pictures. | 2, 5, 10 (counting) |
| Year 2 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 tables. | 2, 5, 10 |
| Year 3 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 tables. | 3, 4, 8 |
| Year 4 | Recall multiplication and division facts for the tables up to 12 × 12. Children take the multiplication tables check in June. | All tables to 12 × 12 |
| Year 5 | Keep using all the tables to find multiples and factors, and to work with square and cube numbers. | All tables, kept fluent |
| Year 6 | Keep using the tables to find common factors, common multiples and prime numbers, and in calculations with several steps. | All tables, kept fluent |
The Year 4 multiplication tables check
Children in Year 4 sit the multiplication tables check in June. It is done on a screen at school and, on average, takes no more than about five minutes. It checks whether a child can recall the tables up to 12 × 12 quickly, and helps the school see who may need more support.
- There are 25 questions, and children can try 3 practice questions first.
- Each question has 6 seconds, and there is a 3-second pause before the next one.
- The questions come from the 2 to 12 tables, with an emphasis on the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables, which the check’s designers found the hardest.
- Each child gets a score out of 25, which their school uses to decide who needs more practice.
How to help at home
- Practise little and often. Five minutes a day beats an hour at the weekend, because quick recall comes from repetition.
- Learn the tables in school order: 2, 5 and 10 first, then 3, 4 and 8, then 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12.
- Use what is already known. The 6 times table is the 5 times table plus one more group, and the 4 times table is the 2 times table doubled.
- Say them out loud, and mix up the order once the pattern is familiar. Knowing 6 × 7 only as a step along the 6 times table is slow; knowing it on its own is quick.
- Practise division at the same time (42 ÷ 6 = 7), because the curriculum asks for both.
- Spend most of your time on the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables. They are the hardest, and the check leans on them.
Practise with Oakling Primary Scholars
Primary Scholars has fifty stages of multiplication practice. The first twelve stages go through the tables one at a time, then the stages mix them and move on to bigger multiplication. There is also a times tables check practice round with 25 questions and 6 seconds for each one, so children can get used to the pace. It is practice only; it is not the official check.
Common questions
Which times tables should a Year 2 child know?
The 2, 5 and 10 times tables, including the matching division facts. In Year 1, children count in twos, fives and tens.
When do children take the multiplication tables check?
In June of Year 4. Schools run it on a screen, and it takes about five minutes.
My child knows the tables slowly. Is that a problem?
Speed matters because the check allows 6 seconds a question, and because quick recall frees up thinking for harder maths. Short daily practice, focused on the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, builds speed. If your child is still struggling in Year 4 or 5, talk to their teacher.
Do children need to learn tables above 12 × 12?
No. The curriculum stops at 12 × 12. Larger numbers come from using those facts, for example working out 14 × 6 from 10 × 6 and 4 × 6.