• Years 5 and 6 • Maths

Fractions, decimals and percentages are one of the biggest areas of the Year 5 and 6 maths curriculum and one of the hardest for many pupils. This guide for teachers sets out exactly what the national curriculum expects in each year, how the ideas connect and the misconceptions to watch for.

The Quick Answer

The Big Idea: One Proportion, Three Forms

The national curriculum says pupils should be taught throughout that percentages, decimals and fractions are different ways of expressing proportions. A half, 0.5 and 50% describe the same amount. Pupils who see these as one idea, rather than three separate topics, find conversions and problem solving much easier.

In Year 5, pupils should know the percentage and decimal equivalents of 1/2, 1/4, 1/5, 2/5 and 4/5 and of fractions with a denominator that is a multiple of 10 or 25.

What Year 5 Pupils Learn

Fractions. Pupils compare and order fractions whose denominators are multiples of the same number. They find equivalent fractions, including tenths and hundredths. They also convert between mixed numbers and improper fractions, for example 2/5 + 4/5 = 6/5 = 1 1/5. They add and subtract fractions with the same denominator or related denominators and multiply proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers, using materials and diagrams.

Decimals. Pupils read and write decimals as fractions, such as 0.71 = 71/100. They work with thousandths and relate them to tenths and hundredths. They round decimals with two decimal places to the nearest whole number and to one decimal place. They also read, write, order and compare numbers with up to three decimal places.

Percentages. Pupils recognise the per cent symbol and understand that per cent means “number of parts per hundred”. They write percentages as a fraction with denominator 100 and as a decimal.

What Year 6 Pupils Learn

Fractions. Pupils use common factors to simplify fractions and common multiples to give fractions the same denominator. They compare and order fractions, including fractions greater than 1. They add and subtract fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers, multiply simple pairs of proper fractions (for example 1/4 × 1/2 = 1/8) and divide proper fractions by whole numbers (for example 1/3 ÷ 2 = 1/6).

Fractions and division. Pupils connect a fraction with division and calculate decimal equivalents, for example 3/8 = 3 ÷ 8 = 0.375.

Decimals. Pupils identify the value of each digit to three decimal places and multiply and divide by 10, 100 and 1000. They multiply one-digit numbers with up to two decimal places by whole numbers and use written division where the answer has up to two decimal places.

Percentages. Pupils recall and use equivalences between simple fractions, decimals and percentages. In ratio and proportion, they solve problems involving percentages, such as finding 15% of 360.

How the Learning Builds

The curriculum suggests Year 6 pupils start adding fractions where one denominator is a multiple of the other, such as 1/2 + 1/8 = 5/8, before moving on to harder examples.

Common Misconceptions

• Adding numerators and denominators: pupils write 1/2 + 1/4 = 2/6. Use diagrams and equivalent fractions to show why the denominator does not change when parts are the same size.
• Bigger denominator means bigger fraction: pupils think 1/8 is larger than 1/4. Comparing equal-sized strips folded into different numbers of parts helps.
• Longer decimals are larger: pupils think 0.45 is greater than 0.5. Place value charts and writing 0.5 as 0.50 make the comparison clear.
• Percentages over 100 are impossible: in context, 150% of an amount is perfectly possible. Link this to fractions greater than 1.
• Multiplying always makes bigger: multiplying by a proper fraction makes a number smaller. Connect this to “fraction of” problems.

Teaching Tips

• Use models. The curriculum repeatedly mentions diagrams, number lines and materials. Bar models and fraction walls make equivalence visible.
• Count in fractions and decimals. Counting forwards and backwards, including across zero on a number line, builds fluency.
• Work backwards. Year 6 pupils should use unit fractions to find a whole, for example if 1/4 of a length is 36 cm, the whole length is 144 cm.
• Connect to measures and money, then go beyond them. The curriculum asks pupils to solve puzzles with decimals, not just measurement problems.
• Check reasonableness. Estimating before calculating helps pupils spot answers that cannot be right.

Building Fluency

Fractions depend on secure multiplication and division facts, since simplifying, finding equivalents and finding common denominators all use them. Short, regular practice works well. Monster Learning’s Topic Explorer has short, targeted maths activities that pupils can revisit as often as they need, with results available to teachers straight away. For mixed practice, try our Year 6 arithmetic questions and long division guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do children learn to add fractions with different denominators?

In Year 6. In Year 5 pupils add fractions with the same denominator or denominators that are multiples of the same number.

Do Year 5 pupils learn percentages?

Yes. Year 5 is when pupils first learn the per cent symbol, that per cent means parts per hundred and simple equivalents such as 1/2 = 50%.

When is dividing fractions taught?

In Year 6, pupils divide proper fractions by whole numbers, for example 1/3 ÷ 2 = 1/6.

Why are fractions so hard for pupils?

Fractions bring together several skills at once, including multiplication facts, equivalence and place value. Gaps in any of these make fractions harder.

Related Guides

Sources: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (Year 5 and Year 6 statutory requirements and non-statutory guidance).