How can you understand the English maths curriculum after moving?

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Compare topics and skills rather than class numbers or textbook size. England has a national curriculum, but academies and independent schools may organise learning differently. Start with the actual school's maths curriculum map. GOV.UK: national curriculum ↗.

Identify the relevant stage

Confirm Year placement. KS 1 covers Years 1–2, KS 2 Years 3–6, KS 3 Years 7–9 and KS 4 Years 10–11. Then open the official DfE mathematics programmes of study ↗. Primary content is listed by year, although schools have flexibility over sequencing within a Key Stage.

Choose your child's current topics, such as fractions, place value, written division or algebra. Do not attempt to compare two countries' entire school systems in one evening.

Ask the teacher about methods

Bring a few pieces of previous schoolwork and examples of current tasks. Ask what is secure, what needs consolidation and whether English wording is causing difficulty. Request an example of the expected working and the school's calculation policy where available.

The English programme emphasises reasoning and problem solving as well as calculation. A child may calculate correctly without yet understanding an instruction to explain their method. Discussing that specific issue is more useful than deciding the curriculum is universally too easy or too difficult. DfE: aims and school curriculum ↗.

Build a short glossary and learning plan

List the words and symbols currently used, such as difference, product, estimate and numerator. Ask your child to solve a familiar problem and explain it in a comfortable language, then connect the English vocabulary. Bell Foundation guidance suggests discussing school topics in the first language and using a bilingual dictionary. Bell Foundation: helping children learn ↗.

Agree a few specific skills to work on and a review date. Try school-recommended tasks before purchasing a large set of courses.

Choose extra tuition for a defined purpose

If you need a tutor, provide the school curriculum and define the goal: addressing a specific gap, learning terminology or preparing for the relevant exam board. Ask about a trial meeting, fees, cancellations and how progress will be demonstrated. Avoid paying for guaranteed-grade promises.

For GCSE, confirm the school's actual specification and exam board; a general maths course may not match it. Check the separate curricula used in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Checked on 7 October 2026.