Key Stage 2 covers Years 3 to 6 in England and represents an important period in children's mathematical development.
The national curriculum progressively develops children's fluency, reasoning and ability to solve problems. GOV.UK
Years 3 and 4: building fluency
During lower KS2, children develop stronger understanding of whole numbers and the four main operations:
addition
subtraction
multiplication
division
They also develop their understanding of fractions, measurement, geometry and mathematical reasoning.
One particularly important milestone is multiplication tables. By the end of Year 4, the national curriculum expects pupils to have memorised multiplication tables up to 12 × 12. GOV.UK
Years 5 and 6: applying knowledge
Upper KS2 builds on those foundations.
Children work with larger numbers and make stronger connections between:
fractions
decimals
percentages
ratio
They encounter more complex problem solving and are introduced to aspects of algebra.
By the end of Year 6, pupils should be fluent with written methods for the four operations and able to work with fractions, decimals and percentages. GOV.UK
Mathematical confidence matters too
Knowing a method isn't the same as being confident using it.
Children need opportunities to explain their reasoning, try different approaches and apply familiar knowledge to unfamiliar problems.
If your child can complete calculations but becomes stuck as soon as the same Maths appears in a word problem, reasoning may be an area worth developing.
What if my child has gaps?
Gaps are common.
Maths is cumulative, so difficulty with one concept can affect later topics. Weak multiplication-table recall, for example, can make fractions and division significantly harder.
Identifying the underlying gap is often more useful than repeatedly practising the topic a child is currently finding difficult.