Why are times tables so important? 

Children learning and knowing their times tables is really important. They are the building blocks of maths, and with your times tables mastered, your children can do anything! Here are just some of the ways in which memorising tables can benefit children:

• They help with mental arithmetic and help children to solve maths problems quickly;
• They are used in real life;
• They help children understand other concepts, such as fractions;
• They increase children's confidence - No more using fingers!

A study published by Ofsted, says pupils without instant recall of multiplication tables struggle at maths.

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said, “It is vital that all children can grasp and master arithmetic while they are still at primary school. If we fail children at this early stage, the risk is they will never catch up. It is important that pupils are fluent in calculation and have learnt the multiplication tables by heart before they leave primary school.”

How can we help you to help your children to master this skill?

Mrs Hackett, Excelsior MATs Maths Executive has created a series of videos to explain to you our approach to teaching times tables and also what you can do at home to support your children. (Please click on the linked images below) We hope that you find these useful.

Video 1 - What we teach and when we teach times tables	Video 2 - How we teach times tables
Video 3 - How you can help your child at home with their times tables	Video 4 - Counting and unitising (pre-times tables work)
Video 5 - A story with a maths theme (100 Hungry Ants)	Video 6 - A story with a maths theme (Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens)
Video 7 - How we teach a new times table	Video 8 - Linking times tables and division
Video 9 - Patterns Story

Please remember that we have Mathletics for Years 2 to 6. This online program is fantastic for giving children lots of practice with their number facts and times tables. Regularly using this really helps to improve a child's speed at recalling facts and improves a child's understanding of the relationships between numbers.

If you require any further support for your child, please contact the school or speak to your child's class teacher.