MathiqueMost parents get the same two words about maths: expected standard. That is the right summary for a school report, and a teacher assessing thirty children across every subject has earned the shorthand. It is just not built for the kitchen table, because it does not say which bits are solid and which are wobbling, and that is the question you are asking at homework time.
If your child’s teacher pointed you here, this is why: they already know the summary, and what helps at home is the detail underneath it.
What a summary can’t show
KS2 maths is a stack. Year 4 times tables sit under Year 5 fractions, which sit under Year 6 ratio. A child can be “expected” overall while one strand quietly lags, and that strand is the one that makes next year feel hard.
The fix is not more maths. It is knowing which maths, and that is a level of detail a termly report was never meant to carry.
What a topic-by-topic snapshot looks like
The free Mathique assessment asks twenty questions, two for every strand in your child’s year. Two is enough to sort a topic into one of three buckets:
- Solid. Both right. Leave it alone.
- Wobbly. One right. Worth ten minutes this week.
- Gap. Both wrong. Start here, and start with the year before.
That last line matters. A Year 5 gap in fractions is usually a Year 4 gap in fractions wearing a bigger coat. Going back one year is faster than pushing forward.
What to do with the result
- Pick the single weakest strand. One, not three.
- Ten minutes a day on that strand for a week. Short and daily beats long and weekly, every time.
- Re-check. If it has moved to wobbly or solid, pick the next one.
Parent HQ shows the same three buckets live, so you can see the strand move without marking anything yourself.
The honest caveat
Twenty questions is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. A tired child on a Tuesday evening will miss things they know. Treat a “gap” as a place to look, not a verdict, and let the next week of practice confirm or overturn it.