Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

National Curriculum (England): Key Stage 2 SATs · Year 6 · KS2 SATs (primary)

8 ready-made resources for teaching Fractions, Decimals and Percentages, written for Year 6 Maths (KS2 SATs). Slides, worksheets, mark schemes, homework, an assessment and retrieval quizzes, all with SEN-friendly scaffolding built in as standard. Below is what the topic requires and where pupils usually go wrong, free to read whether or not you sign up.

Independently rechecked. These files were written to the specification from our own topic maps, then put through a separate recheck pass from the one that wrote them, which found and fixed real errors. A subject teacher has not signed them off individually, so give them your usual read before you teach from them.

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What is in this bundle

Assessment mark schemeWord, editable
End-of-topic assessmentWord, editable
HomeworkWord, editable
Retrieval-practice quizzesWord, editable
SlidesPowerPoint, editable
Starter & exit ticketWord, editable
WorksheetWord, editable
Worksheet mark schemeWord, editable

What pupils need to be able to do

Use common factors to simplify a fraction, and common multiples to write two or more fractions with the same denominator.
Compare and order fractions, including fractions greater than 1.
Add and subtract fractions with different denominators, and mixed numbers, by finding equivalent fractions with a shared denominator first.
Multiply a proper fraction by another proper fraction, giving the answer in its simplest form.
Divide a proper fraction by a whole number.
Understand that a fraction represents a division, and use that link to convert a simple fraction to its decimal equivalent (e.g. recognising ⁵⁄₈ = 0.625).
Identify the value of a digit in a number with up to three decimal places, and multiply or divide a number by 10, 100, or 1,000, giving an answer with up to three decimal places.
Multiply a one-digit number with up to two decimal places (e.g. 3.6 or 0.24) by a whole number: note the two-decimal-place constraint sits on the decimal number, not on the whole-number multiplier, which isn't limited to one digit.
Use a written division method for calculations where the answer has up to two decimal places.
Solve problems that require rounding an answer to a specified degree of accuracy.
Recall and use the equivalences between common fractions, decimals, and percentages (e.g. ¹⁄₄ = 0.25 = 25%), including within worded problems.

Where pupils go wrong

Adding or subtracting fractions by combining the numerators and denominators directly, without first converting to a common denominator (e.g. treating ¹⁄₂ + ¹⁄₃ as ²⁄₅).
Multiplying two fractions by cross-multiplying or by adding, rather than multiplying numerator-by-numerator and denominator-by-denominator.
Misplacing the decimal point when multiplying or dividing by 10, 100, or 1,000, particularly moving it the wrong direction, or the wrong number of places.
Believing a longer decimal is always a bigger number (e.g. thinking 0.45 is bigger than 0.5, by comparing digit-count rather than place value).
Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages inconsistently within the same problem, or applying a remembered equivalence (e.g. ¹⁄₄ = 25%) without understanding why it's true, so it doesn't transfer to less familiar fractions.

How it gets asked in the exam

Paper 1 (arithmetic) style: "²⁄₃ + ¹⁄₆ =", "3.6 × 4 =", "Work out 2.45 ÷ 5".
Papers 2–3 (reasoning) style: "Work out ³⁄₄ of ²⁄₅", "Write these in order, starting with the smallest: 0.6, ⅗, 55%."

Key vocabulary

Numerator, denominator, equivalent fraction, common denominator, mixed number, improper fraction, proper fraction, decimal place, percentage.

Assumed prior knowledge (Year 5)

Adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator, and denominators that are multiples of the same number (e.g. sixths and ninths, both multiples of three).
Multiplying proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers.
Reading, writing, ordering, and comparing numbers with up to three decimal places.
Rounding decimals with two decimal places to the nearest whole number and to one decimal place.

How Speca scaffolds this topic

A consistent bar-model or fraction-strip visual for every fraction operation, so "find a common denominator" is shown as physically resizing pieces to match, not just an abstract numeric rule.
Use a place-value grid extended to three decimal places (with the decimal point visually fixed and digits sliding relative to it) for every ×10/×100/×1000 and ÷10/÷100/÷1000 question, so the "slide the digits, not the point" understanding is built consistently.
Provide a single equivalent-forms reference grid (fraction / decimal / percentage) built up gradually across the topic rather than presented all at once, so new equivalences are added to something familiar rather than memorised as an isolated list.

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