Fractions in Maths

The pictures show our incredible understanding of fractions! Children move from early concepts of equivalence to represent fractions more than 1 and order and compare. Throughout, our children amazed us with their ability to reason about their ideas and solve some tricky problems!

Equal or Not Equal in Reception

In Reception, the children begin to learn about equal and not equal groups – a key building block in the concept of fractions. These children are making towers that are equal and not equal. They reason about their builds using mathematical vocabulary.

Equal Parts in Year 2

In Year 2, the children build on the concept of equal parts and learn how to write fractions with a numerator and denominator. They represent fractions of shapes and use these to compare the size of fractions in equal wholes, using mathematical vocabulary.

Improper Fractions in Year 4

In Year 4, the children build on counting in fraction steps and learn to recognise and write improper fractions. They learn that an improper fraction shows more than one whole and can be written as a mixed number. This child demonstrates this understanding in a drawing. He also demonstrates his understanding of equivalence between improper fractions, mixed numbers, and fractions with different denominators.

Comparing Fractions in Year 6

This Year 6 child draws on her understanding of equivalence, a ‘whole’ and a ‘half’ to order and compare fractions with different denominators. She can reason which fractions are more or less than half (or a whole) and find the order without converting to a common denominator. She then checks and proves her thinking with conversions.