In Year 6, we place great importance on developing an understanding of mathematical concepts: not just learning a method, but knowing why it works. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through a combination of manipulatives and pictorial representations, which help us visualise a problem before moving on to more abstract calculations.

The children focused on multiplying and dividing by powers of ten. Using interactive place-value grids, the children were able to slide numbers across the columns to see how their value changes, growing larger when multiplying and becoming smaller when dividing. This approach avoids the old misconception of ‘moving the decimal point.’ Instead, we can see that it’s the digits that move, because their value is changing relative to the place-value columns.

Year 6 continue to show brilliant curiosity and resilience in their maths learning—we are very proud of them!