National Curriculum Resource Tool

Materials to support teachers and schools in embedding the National Curriculum

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  • Year 1: Measurement

    • compare, describe and solve practical problems for:
      • lengths and heights [for example, long/short, longer/shorter, tall/short, double/half]
      • mass/weight [for example, heavy/light, heavier than, lighter than]
      • capacity and volume [for example, full/empty, more than, less than, half, half full, quarter]
      • time [for example, quicker, slower, earlier, later]
    • measure and begin to record the following:
      • lengths and heights
      • mass/weight
      • capacity and volume
      • time (hours, minutes, seconds)
    • recognise and know the value of different denominations of coins and notes
    • sequence events in chronological order using language [for example, before and after, next, first, today, yesterday, tomorrow, morning, afternoon and evening]
    • recognise and use language relating to dates, including days of the week, weeks, months and years
    • tell the time to the hour and half past the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times.

  • Year 2: Measurement

    • choose and use appropriate standard units to estimate and measure length/height in any direction (m/cm); mass (kg/g); temperature (°C); capacity (litres/ml) to the nearest appropriate unit, using rulers, scales, thermometers and measuring vessels
    • compare and order lengths, mass, volume/capacity and record the results using >, < and =
    • recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p); combine amounts to make a particular value
    • find different combinations of coins that equal the same amounts of money
    • solve simple problems in a practical context involving addition and subtraction of money of the same unit, including giving change
    • compare and sequence intervals of time
    • tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times
    • know the number of minutes in an hour and the number of hours in a day.

  • Year 3: Measurement

    • measure, compare, add and subtract: lengths (m/cm/mm); mass (kg/g); volume/capacity (l/ml)
    • measure the perimeter of simple 2-D shapes
    • add and subtract amounts of money to give change, using both £ and p in practical contexts
    • tell and write the time from an analogue clock, including using Roman numerals from I to XII, and 12-hour and 24-hour clocks
    • estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute; record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours; use vocabulary such as o’clock, a.m./p.m., morning, afternoon, noon and midnight
    • know the number of seconds in a minute and the number of days in each month, year and leap year
    • compare durations of events [for example to calculate the time taken by particular events or tasks].

  • Year 4: Measurement

    • Convert between different units of measure [for example, kilometre to metre; hour to minute]
    • measure and calculate the perimeter of a rectilinear figure (including squares) in centimetres and metres
    • find the area of rectilinear shapes by counting squares
    • estimate, compare and calculate different measures, including money in pounds and pence
    • read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 12- and 24-hour clocks
    • solve problems involving converting from hours to minutes; minutes to seconds; years to months; weeks to days.

  • Year 5: Measurement

    • convert between different units of metric measure (for example, kilometre and metre; centimetre and metre; centimetre and millimetre; gram and kilogram; litre and millilitre)
    • understand and use approximate equivalences between metric units and common imperial units such as inches, pounds and pints
    • measure and calculate the perimeter of composite rectilinear shapes in centimetres and metres
    • calculate and compare the area of rectangles (including squares), and including using standard units, square centimetres (cm2) and square metres (m2) and estimate the area of irregular shapes
    • estimate volume [for example, using 1 cm3 blocks to build cuboids (including cubes)] and capacity [for example, using water]
    • solve problems involving converting between units of time
    • use all four operations to solve problems involving measure [for example, length, mass, volume, money] using decimal notation, including scaling.

  • Year 6: Measurement

    • solve problems involving the calculation and conversion of units of measure, using decimal notation up to three decimal places where appropriate
    • use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length, mass, volume and time from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to three decimal places
    • convert between miles and kilometres
    • recognise that shapes with the same areas can have different perimeters and vice versa
    • recognise when it is possible to use the formulae for area and volume of shapes
    • calculate the area of parallelograms and triangles
    • calculate, estimate and compare volume of cubes and cuboids using standard units, including cubic centimetres (cm3) and cubic metres (m3), and extending to other units [for example, mm3 and km3]