Year 3 maths curriculum

Everything you need to know about the Year 3 maths national curriculum and starting the Key Stage 2 journey with your learners.

Author
Mhairi Sim

Published
February 2024

Year 3 maths curriculum

Everything you need to know about the Year 3 maths national curriculum and starting the Key Stage 2 journey with your learners.

Author
Mhairi Sim

Published
February 2024

Year 3 maths curriculum

Everything you need to know about the Year 3 maths national curriculum and starting the Key Stage 2 journey with your learners.

Author
Mhairi Sim

Published
February 2024

Key Takeaways

Welcome to KS2! Year 3 is where children begin the Key Stage 2 curriculum that they’ll follow for the rest of their time at primary school.
Seven key topic areas: There are seven key mathematical areas covered in the Year 3 maths curriculum.
No formal exams or tests: There are no statutory exams or tests for Year 3 students.

Table of contents

The Year 3 maths curriculum aims to ensure that learners are becoming more confident working with whole numbers and using the four operations. With that in mind, don’t be surprised if this year is a bit tricky for them!

In Year 3, students are right at the beginning of their Key Stage 2 maths journey. They’ll spend this year building the strong mathematical foundations that will help them through the rest of primary school and beyond.

Throughout the year, they’ll be introduced to a lot of new concepts – some of which can be a little more challenging than the work they’ve done in Year 2! With this in mind, we’re going to break down the Year 3 maths national curriculum and take a look at exactly what students will be doing as they start to tackle Key Stage 2.

What’s covered in the Year 3 maths national curriculum?

The Year 3 maths curriculum is broken down into seven key topics, four of which are linked to number:

Number
- Place value
- Addition and subtraction
- Multiplication and division
- Fractions
Measurement
Geometry
Statistics

Number - place value

In Year 3, students progress from working with two-digit numbers to three-digit numbers. Having a solid understanding of place value will be a great help as they begin to tackle more difficult calculations.

They’ll be learning to:

Correctly identify the units, tens, and hundreds in three-digit numbers
Identify and compare numbers all the way up to 1,000
Write out numbers up to 1,000 in their numerical form and using words

Number - addition and subtraction

Using their new-found skills in identifying and writing three-digit numbers, Year 3 pupils will also start working with these in different types of calculations. The Year 3 maths curriculum teaches students to add and subtract numbers that have up to three digits.

To get this skill under their belts, students will:

Learn and use strategies for completing calculations mentally and on paper using column methods for addition and subtraction to show their work
Complete missing number problems by completing inverse operations
Practice making estimates

Number - multiplication and division

Teachers know how important it is for children to learn their multiplication tables and develop maths fact fluency. Having this knowledge frees up their thinking so that they can focus on other aspects of mathematical problems.

In Year 3, the main focuses are on learning multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables. Learning these facts during Year 3 will allow students to:

Use them in calculations with one and two-digit numbers
Develop their mental maths skills
Complete written multiplication and division calculations

Number - fractions

In Year 3, students should have already mastered simple common fractions like halves and quarters. In Year 3, things get a little bit more challenging as they learn about new types of fractions and use them in calculations.

Over the course of Year 3, children will master this tricky topic by learning to:

Count up and down in tenths, linking it to the process of dividing one whole into 10 equal parts
Recognise and write unit fractions where the denominator is always one e.g. ⅕ and non-unit fractions where the denominator is not one e.g. ⅗
Use diagrams to Identify and show equivalent fractions
Add and subtract fractions with the same denominator up to one whole e.g. ⅛ + ⅜
Compare fractions with the same denominators and place them in order

Measurement

We all use different forms of measurement throughout our lives. From weighing ingredients for a recipe to counting cash to pay for something at the shops, to checking the time – these are all hard to avoid!

The Year 3 maths curriculum covers a lot of the different aspects of measurement such as:

Measuring: Students will compare, measure, add and subtract measurements. This includes measurements of mass, volume/capacity, and length (introducing mm). They’ll also learn how to measure the perimeter of 2D shapes.
Money: There will be lots of opportunities for students to gain some practical experience in working with money in Year 3. They’ll learn how to calculate change using £ and p by adding and subtracting amounts of money.

Time: Pupils will learn to tell the time to the nearest minute and work towards completing problems that focus on calculating elapsed time. They’ll learn to give their answers in hours, minutes, and/or seconds, and use time-related vocabulary like o’clock, a.m. and p.m.

Learning to tell the time using a range of different clocks is also covered. This includes 12-hour and 24-hour clocks and analogue clocks that use either numbers or Roman Numerals I to XII.

Geometry

Geometry, or learning about the properties of shapes, is an exciting topic where pupils can explore maths through a more creative lens with opportunities for lots of hands-on learning. In the Year 3 maths curriculum they’ll cover how to:

Draw a variety of 2D shapes
Use building or craft materials to create 3D shapes.
Identify horizontal, vertical, parallel and perpendicular lines.

In this topic, they’ll also be introduced to angles, starting with right angles. They’ll learn how these correspond to turns in giving directions such as a quarter turn and a half turn. By the end of Year 3, students will also be able to compare angles to determine if angles are greater than or less than a right angle.

Statistics

Learning how to read and handle data is a fantastic way for students to develop their problem-solving skills. In Year 3, pupils will not only need to know how to interpret the data, but they also then need to use it in a range of different problems.

Year 3 students will be taught how to understand sets of data that are displayed in bar charts, pictograms and tables as well as learn how to create their own. They’ll then learn to use the data to solve one-step and two-step problems.

Did you know?

DoodleMaths is standards-aligned to KS2 national maths curriculum. With our maths app, your child can practise Year 3 maths problems & play fun maths games anytime!

Create a free account today!

How will my child be assessed in maths?

It will be a relief to hear that in the maths national curriculum Year 3, students do not have any formal tests or exams to worry about. Instead, they’ll be assessed continuously by their teacher throughout the year using a range of formative assessment strategies.

Not only is this less stressful for children, but it also means that teachers can monitor students’ progress and identify and address any problems quickly, if or when they arise.

How can I help my child with maths at home?

Even the most mathematically-minded students can benefit from some extra help with Year 3 maths. Giving children opportunities to practise their multiplication tables and letting them experience maths in a practical scenario (e.g. paying for something or telling the time) is a great place to start.

The award-winning DoodleMaths maths app is another option that’ll make maths practise fun and exciting. The app is fully aligned with the year 3 maths national curriculum and creates a personalised programme of exercises and games for each user.

Lesson credits

Parents, sign up for a DoodleMaths subscription and see your child become a maths wizard!

Year 3 maths curriculum

Year 3 maths curriculum

Year 3 maths curriculum