Year 6Ages 10-11KS2

UK Year 6 Study Plan

Year 6 focuses on fluency, precision and confidence before KS3. In Maths, pupils extend place value to 10,000,000, master long multiplication and long division, work confidently with fractions and decimals, and meet key ideas in ratio, algebra and statistics. In English, pupils read and discuss a wide range of texts and write with stronger control of audience, register, cohesion and punctuation. In Science, pupils learn classification, the human circulatory system, evolution and inheritance, plus light and electricity.

Start Practice View KS2 Overview

English in upper KS2 (Years 5 and 6): what success looks like

By the beginning of Year 5, pupils should read aloud a wider range of poetry and age-appropriate books accurately and at a reasonable pace, reading most words effortlessly and working out unfamiliar words with increasing automaticity, asking for help when needed.

Pupils should prepare readings with appropriate intonation, summarise and present familiar stories in their own words, and read widely and frequently for pleasure and information. They should read silently with good understanding, infer word meanings, and discuss what they have read.

Pupils should write ideas quickly. Grammar and punctuation should be broadly accurate, and spelling of most taught words should be accurate. Pupils should spell untaught words using what they know about how spelling works.

During Years 5 and 6, teaching should emphasise enjoyment and understanding of language, especially vocabulary, and should enhance effectiveness of writing as well as competence.

Pupils with poor decoding should catch up through a rigorous and systematic phonics programme, while still accessing upper KS2 texts, vocabulary, grammar and discussion as far as possible.

By the end of Year 6, reading and writing should be fluent enough for Year 7 demands across subjects, with continued learning of subject-specific vocabulary. Pupils should consciously control sentence structure, understand why sentences are constructed as they are, and understand nuances and age-appropriate academic vocabulary through consolidation, practice and discussion.

Spoken language is extended through public speaking, performance and debate.

Subject Study Plans

Maths

Place value to 10,000,000, accurate rounding, long multiplication and long division, fractions and decimals, ratio, algebra, coordinates, pie charts and mean

Key Topics

Read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10,000,000; value of each digit

Round any whole number to a required degree of accuracy

Use negative numbers in context and calculate intervals across zero

Long multiplication up to 4 digits by a 2 digit number

Long division up to 4 digits by a 2 digit number with remainder interpretation

Short division where appropriate, including context-based remainders

Mental calculation with mixed operations and large numbers

Common factors, common multiples and prime numbers

Order of operations, including brackets

Simplify fractions and find common denominators using factors and multiples

Compare and order fractions including fractions greater than 1

Add and subtract fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers

Multiply pairs of proper fractions and simplify

Divide proper fractions by whole numbers

Link fractions to division, and calculate decimal equivalents for simple fractions

Multiply and divide by 10, 100, 1000 with answers to three decimal places

Multiply one digit numbers with up to 2 decimal places by whole numbers

Written division for answers with up to 2 decimal places

Solve problems needing rounding to specified accuracy

Recall and use fraction decimal percentage equivalences

Ratio and proportion problems including percentages, similar shapes, unequal sharing

Algebra: simple formulae, linear sequences, missing number problems, two unknowns, combinations

Measurement: conversions using decimals to 3 dp; miles and kilometres; area and volume formula awareness

Geometry: draw 2D shapes; nets; classify shapes; circle parts; angle facts including vertically opposite

Coordinates in all four quadrants; translate and reflect shapes in axes

Statistics: pie charts and line graphs; mean as an average

Weekly Schedule

MondayNumber and place value, rounding, negatives, accuracy

TuesdayFour operations: long multiplication, long and short division, order of operations

WednesdayFractions, decimals and percentages: simplify, equivalence, operations, rounding

ThursdayRatio, proportion and algebra: percentages, scale factors, sequences, formulae

FridayMeasurement, geometry and statistics, then a short mixed check

Practice Maths

English

Wide reading, strong comprehension and fluent writing with precise grammar, punctuation, register and vocabulary

Key Topics

Word reading: root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology)

Reading breadth: fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction, reference books and textbooks

Familiarity with myths, legends, traditional stories, modern fiction, literary heritage, and other cultures

Recommend books with reasons; themes, conventions, comparisons within and across texts

Poetry: learn by heart; perform with intonation, tone and volume

Comprehension: check meaning, ask questions, infer with evidence, predict, summarise, analyse language and structure

Figurative language and impact; fact vs opinion; retrieve and present information from non-fiction

Discussion, presentation and debate using notes where necessary

Spelling: prefixes/suffixes, silent letters, homophones, morphology and etymology, dictionaries and thesaurus

Handwriting: legible, fluent, increasing speed, appropriate joins and implements

Composition: audience and purpose, models, research, narrative craft including dialogue

Cohesion and organisation: headings, bullet points, underlining; précis longer passages

Editing: clarity, effects, consistent tense, subject verb agreement, register, proofreading

Grammar and punctuation: formal structures, passive, perfect form, expanded noun phrases, modal verbs, relative clauses, commas, hyphens, parenthesis, semicolons, colons, bullet point consistency

Spoken language: public speaking, performance and debate

Weekly Schedule

MondayReading breadth and vocabulary, including heritage and cultures

TuesdayComprehension and discussion, inference with evidence, structure and impact

WednesdaySpelling and handwriting fluency

ThursdayWriting: audience and purpose, cohesion, organisation, dialogue

FridayEditing, grammar and punctuation, presentation and debate

Practice English

Science

Classification and keys, circulatory system and health, evolution and inheritance, plus light and electricity

Key Topics

Classify living things into broad groups based on observable characteristics and differences

Give reasons for classifying plants and animals using specific characteristics

Human circulatory system: heart, blood vessels and blood, and how nutrients and water are transported

Impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on how bodies function

Evolution and inheritance: fossils, change over time, offspring variation, adaptation and evolution

Light: travels in straight lines; reflection and sight; shadows match object shapes

Electricity: series circuits; brightness and volume linked to number and voltage of cells; component behaviour; circuit symbols

Weekly Schedule

MondayLiving things: classification, subdivisions, keys and scientific contributions

TuesdayAnimals including humans: circulatory system, transport, lifestyle and health

WednesdayEvolution and inheritance: fossils, variation, adaptation and evolution

ThursdayLight: straight line travel, reflection, sight and shadows, investigations

FridayElectricity: series circuits, cells and voltage, symbols, practical builds

Explore Science

Year 6 Maths curriculum coverage

Number: number and place value

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10,000,000 and determine the value of each digit.
Round any whole number to a required degree of accuracy.
Use negative numbers in context and calculate intervals across zero.
Solve number and practical problems that involve all of the above.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Use the whole number system, including saying, reading and writing numbers accurately.

Number: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Multiply multi-digit numbers up to 4 digits by a 2 digit whole number using formal long multiplication.
Divide numbers up to 4 digits by a 2 digit whole number using formal long division and interpret remainders as whole number remainders, fractions, or by rounding, as appropriate to context.
Divide numbers up to 4 digits by a 2 digit number using formal short division where appropriate, interpreting remainders according to context.
Perform mental calculations, including with mixed operations and large numbers.
Identify common factors, common multiples and prime numbers.
Use order of operations to carry out calculations involving the four operations.
Solve addition and subtraction multi-step problems in contexts, deciding which operations and methods to use and why.
Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Use estimation to check answers and determine, in context, an appropriate degree of accuracy.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Practise all four operations for larger numbers using formal written methods, and undertake mental calculations with increasingly large numbers.
Continue to use all multiplication tables to maintain fluency.
Round answers to a specified degree of accuracy, such as nearest 10, 20, 50, not significant figures.
Explore order of operations using brackets.
Relate common factors to finding equivalent fractions.

Number: fractions (including decimals and percentages)

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Use common factors to simplify fractions and common multiples to express fractions in the same denomination.
Compare and order fractions, including fractions greater than 1.
Add and subtract fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers using equivalent fractions.
Multiply simple pairs of proper fractions, writing the answer in its simplest form.
Divide proper fractions by whole numbers.
Associate a fraction with division and calculate decimal fraction equivalents for simple fractions.
Identify the value of each digit in numbers to three decimal places and multiply and divide by 10, 100 and 1000 giving answers up to three decimal places.
Multiply one digit numbers with up to two decimal places by whole numbers.
Use written division methods where the answer has up to two decimal places.
Solve problems requiring answers rounded to specified degrees of accuracy.
Recall and use equivalences between simple fractions, decimals and percentages in different contexts.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Practise adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators by identifying equivalent fractions with the same denominator, starting with denominators that are multiples.
Use a variety of images to support multiplication with fractions.
Work backwards from unit fractions to the whole by multiplying.
Explore converting simple fractions to decimals, and round recurring decimals to three decimal places or context-appropriate approximations.
Develop rounding and estimating skills to predict and check decimal calculations for reasonableness.

Ratio and proportion

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Solve problems involving relative sizes of two quantities where missing values can be found using integer multiplication and division facts.
Solve problems involving calculation of percentages (for example of measures) and use percentages for comparison.
Solve problems involving similar shapes where the scale factor is known or can be found.
Solve problems involving unequal sharing and grouping using knowledge of fractions and multiples.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Recognise proportionality in contexts such as similar shapes and recipes.
Link percentages or 360 degrees to calculating angles of pie charts.
Consolidate ratio understanding using notation a:b where useful.
Solve unequal quantity problems as foundations for later ratio and proportion.

Algebra

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Use simple formulae.
Generate and describe linear number sequences.
Express missing number problems algebraically.
Find pairs of numbers that satisfy an equation with two unknowns.
Enumerate possibilities of combinations of two variables.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Introduce symbols and letters as variables and unknowns for missing numbers, lengths, coordinates and angles.
Use formulae in maths and science, equivalent expressions, generalisations of patterns and number puzzles.

Measurement

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Solve problems involving calculation and conversion of units using decimal notation up to three decimal places where appropriate.
Use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting length, mass, volume and time between smaller and larger units and vice versa, using decimals up to three decimal places.
Convert between miles and kilometres.
Recognise that shapes with the same area can have different perimeters and vice versa.
Recognise when it is possible to use formulae for area and volume of shapes.
Calculate the area of parallelograms and triangles.
Calculate, estimate and compare volume of cubes and cuboids using standard units, including cm3 and m3, extending to other units.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Connect conversions such as kilometres to miles to graphical representation.
Use number lines with positive and negative integers for measures like temperature.
Relate rectangles to parallelograms and triangles via dissection and use area formulae in words or symbols.
Optionally meet compound units like miles per hour and apply in science.

Geometry: properties of shapes

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Draw 2D shapes using given dimensions and angles.
Recognise, describe and build simple 3D shapes, including making nets.
Compare and classify geometric shapes based on properties and sizes and find unknown angles in triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons.
Illustrate and name parts of circles including radius, diameter and circumference, and know diameter is twice the radius.
Recognise angles at a point, on a straight line, or vertically opposite, and find missing angles.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Draw shapes and nets accurately using measuring tools and conventional markings.
Explain how unknown angles and lengths are derived from known measurements, sometimes expressed algebraically.

Geometry: position and direction

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Describe positions on the full coordinate grid in all four quadrants.
Draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane and reflect them in the axes.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Draw and label axes in all four quadrants with equal scaling, including negative numbers.
Draw and label rectangles, parallelograms and rhombuses by coordinates and predict missing coordinates using properties of shapes, sometimes expressed algebraically.

Statistics

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems.
Calculate and interpret the mean as an average.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Connect angles, fractions and percentages to interpreting pie charts.
Encounter and draw graphs relating two variables from enquiry and other subjects.
Know when it is appropriate to find the mean of a data set.

Year 6 English curriculum coverage (Years 5 and 6 programme of study)

Reading: word reading

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Apply knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology) to read aloud and to understand meanings of new words.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

If pupils struggle with word reading, investigate causes and teach urgently.
Encourage pupils to work out unfamiliar words and focus on all letters.
When reading with or to pupils, explicitly teach new vocabulary meanings and pronunciation.

Reading: comprehension

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks.
Read books structured in different ways and for a range of purposes.
Increase familiarity with myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions.
Recommend books to peers with reasons; identify themes and conventions; make comparisons within and across books.
Learn a wider range of poetry by heart; prepare poems and plays to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume.
Check meaning, discuss understanding, explore word meanings in context, ask questions.
Infer and justify with evidence, predict from stated and implied details.
Summarise main ideas across paragraphs and identify key supporting details.
Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
Evaluate author language including figurative language and impact, distinguish fact and opinion.
Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction.
Participate in discussions, build on ideas and challenge views courteously.
Explain and discuss understanding through presentations and debates using notes where needed, and provide reasoned justifications.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Keep reading whole books aloud so pupils meet authors they might not choose.
Apply familiar comprehension skills to more complex writing and recognise themes.
Learn conventions of different writing types such as diaries and autobiographies.
Use technical terms like metaphor, simile, analogy, imagery, style and effect.
Use contents pages and indexes effectively and apply retrieval skills across subjects.

Writing: transcription

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Use further prefixes and suffixes and understand guidance for adding them.
Spell some words with silent letters.
Distinguish between homophones and other often-confused words.
Use morphology and etymology in spelling and learn specified spellings.
Use dictionaries to check spelling and meaning and use first three or four letters to check spelling or meaning.
Use a thesaurus.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Continue teaching word structure so pupils can draw on morphology and etymology to spell correctly.

Writing: handwriting and presentation

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by choosing letter shapes, deciding whether to join letters, and choosing the best writing implement.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Increase speed so letter formation does not block writing.
Use unjoined style where appropriate, such as labelling diagrams, writing email addresses, algebra, or filling forms with capitals.

Writing: composition

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Plan by identifying audience and purpose, choosing form, and using similar writing as models.
Develop ideas drawing on reading and research, and consider how authors develop characters and settings.
Draft and write with appropriate grammar and vocabulary and understand how choices enhance meaning.
In narratives, describe settings, characters and atmosphere and integrate dialogue to convey character and advance action.
Précis longer passages.
Use a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs.
Use organisational and presentational devices such as headings, bullet points and underlining.
Evaluate and edit for effectiveness, clarity and effects, including tense consistency, subject verb agreement and register.
Proofread for spelling and punctuation errors.
Perform compositions using intonation, volume and movement so meaning is clear.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Teach essential writing processes explicitly: generating ideas, drafting, and re-reading to check meaning.

Writing: vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Recognise vocabulary and structures appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms.
Use passive verbs, perfect verb forms, expanded noun phrases, modal verbs or adverbs, and relative clauses.
Use commas to clarify meaning, hyphens to avoid ambiguity, and brackets, dashes or commas for parenthesis.
Use semicolons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses, use a colon for lists, and punctuate bullet points consistently.
Use and understand grammatical terminology accurately when discussing writing and reading.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Continue to add to knowledge of linguistic terms to support clear discussion of grammar and writing choices.

Year 6 Science curriculum coverage

Living things and their habitats

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including micro-organisms, plants and animals.
Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Build on Year 4 by studying classification in more detail, including subdivision of broad groups.
Classify animals into common invertebrates and vertebrates and discuss why living things belong in one group and not another.
Learn about scientists such as Carl Linnaeus and the significance of classification work.
Work scientifically using classification systems and keys locally, and research unfamiliar species from other habitats.

Animals including humans

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Identify and name main parts of the human circulatory system and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood.
Recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on body function.
Describe how nutrients and water are transported within animals, including humans.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Build on earlier learning about body parts and organs to understand how the circulatory system enables the body to function.
Learn how to keep bodies healthy and how some drugs and substances can be harmful.
Work scientifically by exploring research on links between diet, exercise, lifestyle, drugs and health.

Evolution and inheritance

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Recognise living things have changed over time and fossils provide information about living things from millions of years ago.
Recognise living things produce offspring of the same kind, but offspring vary and are not identical to parents.
Identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment and that adaptation may lead to evolution.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Build on Year 3 fossils work and explore change over time.
Introduce inheritance of characteristics using examples such as dog breeds and cross breeds.
Explore how variation can affect survival and evolution, including examples like giraffe necks and arctic fox fur.
Learn about scientists such as Mary Anning, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace.
Pupils are not expected to understand genes and chromosomes at this stage.
Work scientifically by observing local adaptations, comparing survival in extreme conditions, and analysing advantages and disadvantages of adaptations.

Light

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines.
Use straight line travel to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye.
Explain we see things because light travels from sources to our eyes or from sources to objects and then to our eyes.
Use straight line travel to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Build on Year 3 light work, including sources, reflection and shadows, with predictions.
Work scientifically by designing and making a periscope and using straight line travel to explain it.
Investigate links between light sources, objects and shadows, including shadow puppets.
Explore phenomena such as rainbows, soap bubble colours, objects bent in water and coloured filters without needing to explain why they occur.

Electricity

Statutory requirements and guidance.

Statutory requirements

Associate lamp brightness or buzzer volume with the number and voltage of cells used in a circuit.
Compare and give reasons for variations in how components function, including brightness of bulbs, loudness of buzzers and on/off position of switches.
Use recognised symbols when representing a simple circuit in a diagram.

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Build series circuits and test different components such as switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors.
Represent circuits using recognised symbols.
Only series circuits are required, not parallel circuits.
Teach safe working with electricity.
Work scientifically by changing one component at a time and designing useful circuits such as traffic lights or burglar alarms.

Art and design (KS2): purpose, aims and expectations

Art, craft and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create. As pupils progress, they should think critically, develop a more rigorous understanding, and know how art and design reflect and shape history and contribute to culture, creativity and wealth.

Aims

Produce creative work, exploring ideas and recording experiences.
Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other techniques.
Evaluate and analyse creative works using art, craft and design language.
Know about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand historical and cultural development.

Attainment expectations

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study. Schools are not required by law to teach example content shown in square brackets.

Practice Tests

Maths Paper 1

30 questions

Number and place value, rounding, negatives, accuracy

45 minutes

Maths Paper 2

30 questions

Four operations including long multiplication and long division, order of operations

45 minutes

Maths Paper 3

30 questions

Fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, algebra, measures and geometry

45 minutes

Reading Comprehension

35 questions

Inference with evidence, author choices, themes, fact vs opinion, presentations and debate

45 minutes

Grammar and Punctuation

40 questions

Formal register, passive, perfect form, parenthesis, colons and semicolons, bullet points

45 minutes

Science Check

30 questions

Classification, circulatory system, evolution, light, electricity

40 minutes

View All Year 6 Tests

Year 6 SATs papers (KS2)

Take interactive KS2 SATs papers for English and maths, with a start screen, timer and instant feedback.

KS2 past papers English KS2 maths past papers

Year 6 learning tips (aligned to the programme of study)

In Maths, practise long division and interpret remainders in different ways depending on context, including fractions, rounding or remainders.
Build accuracy habits: estimate, round to required accuracy, and check reasonableness for decimals and measures.
In English, keep vocabulary explicit: discuss meaning, pronunciation, morphology and etymology while reading widely.
For writing, plan for audience and purpose, keep cohesion across paragraphs, and edit for register, tense consistency and clarity.
In Science, use keys and evidence to justify classification, and build circuits safely by changing one component at a time.

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