What Year 4 covers
All times tables to 12×12. Statutory MTC in June. This is where the LKS2 phase lands for a typical 8–9-year-old. Every school follows the same National Curriculum objectives, but the pace and depth of each topic can vary week to week.
Key skills by the end of Year 4
- Full times tables to 12×12
- Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) prep
- Numbers to 10,000
- Decimals to two places
- Rounding to nearest 10, 100, 1000
Topics in depth
The Multiplication Tables Check
In June every state-school Year 4 pupil sits the statutory MTC — 25 questions, 6 seconds each, from 2×2 to 12×12. Full recall of every table to 12×12 is the year's headline target.
The 'hard' tables: 6×, 7×, 8×, 9×, 11×, 12×
These are weighted more heavily on the MTC. Most children hit a wall on 7× and 8× — daily 10-minute random-recall practice for 8–12 weeks clears it.
Place value to 10,000 and decimals to two places
Reading, writing and ordering four-digit numbers. Decimals appear in the context of money and measurement (£3.42, 2.5 metres). Rounding to the nearest 10, 100 and 1,000.
Formal written multiplication and division
Short multiplication (three-digit × one-digit) and short division. Both methods lean on fluent times-tables recall — which is why the MTC exists.
A realistic weekly routine at home
Ten minutes a day, five days a week, is enough to keep Year 4 on track. Long weekend sessions do less than short daily ones — retrieval works best when it's frequent and low-pressure.
- 10–15 minutes daily on 6-second timed times-tables recall (MTC format)
- Weight 60% of practice on 6×, 7×, 8×, 9×, 11×, 12×
- Two short written multiplication questions
- One rounding or decimals question
Red flags to watch for
Every child hits a wall at some point in Year 4. Most walls clear with a week of focused practice. These are the ones worth flagging to the class teacher if they persist past half-term.
- Still counting on fingers for any table by January
- Freezes when questions are asked out of order
- MTC mock scores under 15/25 six weeks out
Parent tips that actually help
- Practice the MTC format — 6-second answer window — not the format of paper worksheets
- MathStar's Soundcheck uses the identical MTC timing
- Don't frame the MTC as a big test. It's a short check; a calm morning matters more than a last-minute cram
How MathStar handles Year 4
Pick Year 4 on setup and every Soundcheck is drawn from the objectives above. The app adapts in real time: if your child is racing ahead, MathStar quietly raises the ceiling; if a topic is shaky, it comes back around within a week. Every Music World covers the full Year 4 curriculum in a different order, so children who replay don't just repeat what they already know.
Before and after Year 4
Before Year 4 comes Year 3, which builds the foundation for this year's work. After Year 4 comes Year 5, where fluent times tables become the base for long multiplication and long division.