Year 2 Maths - What should they know at end of Year 2 in Maths

[Doloresvivamarie]

My youngest DC is in Year 2. Several of the families are complaining that maths is not being taught properly in the year and that are children are behind. The parents are rational people and would not make a fuss without substance, so I am a little worried.

Does anyone know what children are supposed to know at the end of year 2 in maths?

Thanks

Dolores

See pages 5 - 9

Hi Dolores,

It's quite a lot! Here is a link to the APP grid for levels 2 and 3.

Current year 2s are likely to still be taught the current National Curriculum (the new one comes into force this September).

The hoped for standard at the end of year 2 is at least a secure level 2 (or 2b) some schools aim for 2a. To achieve this a child needs to be able to do most of the things listed in the level 2 grid. It's quite straightforward to just run through the grid using a couple of highlighter pens to mark what can / can't be done.

If most criteria can be achieved then the child is likely to be a secure level 2. Do note that at level 2 tools, such as number lines and squares can be used to aid calculations.

A 2a does not require all of level 2 to be achieved, rather nearly all plus some criteria from level 3. I believe this is because children tend to have strengths and weaknesses and don't progress at the same speed in all areas.

Now have a look at the new national curriculum here. You will find that the expectations are slightly higher for the end of year 2. Moving into year 3 I would hope that the school would look to plug those gaps as quickly as practical. If not, as a parent, you can support your child at home (hopefully pastsellbydate will be along soon).

If, with this information, it supports parents concerns that the children are not being taught properly, you now have some hard evidence to speak to the HT or governors ... although my fingers are crossed for you that it won't come to that.

You could pop into WHSmiths and buy this or order it from amazon:
www.amazon.co.uk/KS1-Maths-Study-Book-Revision/dp/184146080X/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1399200492&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=CGP+maths+KS1

There's work books to match it too.

DeloresvivaMarie

The Gruffalo2 is absolutely correct in saying that technically Y2 teachers need only teach to the 'old' national curriculum, but many schools are already 'upping their game' and introducing many if not all elements of new national curriculum programme of study: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-mathematics-programmes-of-study

My advice is that knowing what the new national curriculum will cover can't hurt - and as a parent it helps to be aware of what is now thought possible in a given year (since this document lays out what each year should cover) - rather than the rather wholly by the end of KS1 approach - which doesn't explain when x or y should be taught/ learned.

I hasten to add I'm saying this very bitter experience - because I spent much of Year R/ Year 1 asking why x or y isn't being done as in other schools? why no homework? why no working with actual numbers? etc... and was told things would pick up in Year 2 - they didn't and by the end of Year 2 I found myself with a DD1 who could barely add and could not even take 1 from 10.

HTH

Actually Y2 (and Y1, 5 & 6) teachers MUST teach the current curriculum they don't have a choice only Y3 & 4 have been disapplied.

I doubt that's ever stopped anybody mrz. I know a couple of schools who scrapped the current NC in favour of the Rose curriculum and never bothered to switch back. I'm not sure anyone actually noticed provided their results were OK.

I don't think the PoS for KS1 maths is that different in the final draft to what is being taught already, particularly in yr2. It looks virtually identical to me. The only big difference is placing writing numbers to 100 in year 1, and the year group is non statutory so you could in theory just keep on teaching as you were.

I work in a school that has never used the strategies or frameworks for lit & numeracy just the statutory NC.
Personally I think our teaching should be based on the child not on the year group and as long as we cover the statutory elements there is nothing to stop us adding all the extras we feel necessary for the child to progress.

Obviously next year we will follow the new statutory curriculum except in Y2 &Y6.

Quite. It's a minimum requirement not the be all and end all.

The addition of the year group parts worries me slightly. While the majority of children will cope with the numbers to 100 there are likely to be plenty children who won't and yet more who will but would have been better served by spending that time on securing basic concepts on smaller numbers. The majority of those will go on to understand it fine in year 2 and meet the statutory requirement, but possibly not before someone has labelled them as not meeting age related expectations because they don't meet the non-statutory part.

It seems like an unnecessary addition in a system where the prevailing pedagogy is to differentiate to meet the needs of the learner.

I don't know of any Year 2 classes that are following the new curriculum. Until summer 2015 we have to assess Year 2s against the old criteria, so that the progressions being taught.

There is the assumption that the new curriculum is "better" or harder than the old, which isn't strictly true. Some things crop up in the new curriculum earlier than before, but equally some are later in the year group lists. So teaching the new curriculum then assessing against the old is unfair on the children and the teachers. Yes, as a Year Two teacher I am adding a couple of extra things (e.g. a couple of extra fractions lessons in maths) but I am pretty much tied to the old curriculum until September 2015.