Happy Hedgehog Learning

There's always more than one way to approach a Mathematical Reasoning question and this was a perfect example.

A couple of pupils that I have spoken to, approached this question by thinking about 360 degrees around the centre point and then deducting the information they could infer to find the size of angle a.

In pupil's discussions, they explained that they knew:

✅ 360 degrees in a circle.
✅ Opposite and equal angle facts.
✅ There are two unlabeled right angles of 90 degrees.

All of this is correct and actually demonstrates more mathematical knowledge than the question was testing.

Hidden in the question, however, was a quicker approach.

The diagonal line forms a straight line with a right angle and an angle of 35 degrees, making it much quicker to calculate. This means deducting just two facts from 180 degrees, rather than the four different facts from around the full 360 degrees.

What made me smile was hearing children's reasoning. They weren't simply remembering steps; they were explaining and using their knowledge to solve the problem.

Confidence is not the quickest method in Maths.

It's about using the knowledge we have in a logical way to reach an answer.

After all, this is how we use Maths every day in our lives - not against the clock but to solve real-life problems.

A pupil said to me recently:

"I only feel clever in Maths with you."

It made me smile but it also made me sad.

Whilst I was delighted that she felt confident in our tuition sessions, I was saddened that she didn't feel that way all of the time.

Most children don't struggle because they aren't capable. They struggle because:
🦔 They don't have the foundations needed to understand new learning.
🦔 They haven't had enough time to practise and consolidate skills.
🦔 They compare themselves to others and use that as a measure of success.
🦔 Their confidence has gradually been chipped away, making new learning feel more difficult.

Mathematical confidence doesn't come from getting every question right. It comes from:
✅ Low-pressure opportunities to explore and practise.
✅ Developing a deeper understanding.
✅ Having opportunities to explain and discuss ideas.
✅ Recognising Maths in everyday life.
✅ Look back and realising, "I couldn't do that six months ago.."
✅ Seeing progress over time, whether that's improved test scores or working with greater independence.

Confidence is fragile. It can be damaged quickly but it often takes much longer to rebuild.

Children don't develop confidence from being protected from mistakes. Maths mastery and confidence grow when children are given time to explore, make mistakes and learn from them.

What can your child do now that they found difficult in September?

At first glance, this looks like just a fraction question. However there are a number of skills that lay the foundations for confidence with these type of questions.

The first part of the question is testing whether children can identify equivalent fractions that are multiples of the denominator.

2/3 = 6/9

Therefore the following fractions are less than 2/3:

✅5/9
✅4/9
✅3/9

The second part of the question tests whether children can identify equivalent fractions by finding a common denominator between the question and the possibilities given:

Fifths and eighths can be converted into fortieths.

Therefore 2/5 = 16/40

✅ 5/8 = 25/40
❌ 3/8 = 15/40
❌ 2/8 = 10/40
✅ 6/8 = 30/40
✅ 4/8 = 20/40

Working with fractions relies on confidence with times tables and understanding the relationships between theses facts and fractions.

It's quite a tricky question but with lots of visual foundations and practice, children develop confidence with these type of challenges.

SATs 2026, Reasoning Paper 2: What is this questions really testing?

It's another question where times tables are at the heart of the solution.

📌 Does your child recognise the phrase 'for every' as a ratio question?
📌 Does your child understand the concept of ratio?
📌 Can you child spot the multiplier and apply it correctly?

1️⃣ Spot the ratio Blue 5 : Red 3
2️⃣If there are 30 blue beads, that's 6 times bigger than the original ratio
3️⃣ Therefore, there much be 6 times more red beads too
4️⃣ Blue 30: Red 18 (6 x 3 = 18)
5️⃣ The total number of beads is 30 + 18 = 48

From experience, ratio is a concept that many Year 6 children find challenging.

The key to success isn't memorising steps. It's understanding the relationship between numbers and working with organised jottings.

It's another example of why learning times tables early makes Year 5 and 6 much more accessible. Secure foundations create confident mathematicians.

SATS 2026, Reasoning Paper 2: What is the question really testing?

You probably hear me talk about times tables a lot!

This is one of the more obvious examples where times tables knowledge is essential but may SATs questions rely on times tables knowledge as part of a multi-step problem.

📌 Does your child understand that multiples are found by multiplying a number?
📌 Does your child recognise patterns within times tables?
📌 Can you child find multiples beyond the times tables facts they have memorised?

✅ All multiples of 20 are multiples of 10.
✅ All multiples of 10 are multiples of 5.

❌ Not all multiples of 9 are multiples of 6 but they are both multiples of 3.
❌ Not all multiple of 5 are multiples of 10 as half of them end in 5.

Questions like this can be misinterpreted easily.

Learning times tables in Year 4 isn't just about passing the Times Tables Multiplication Check it's about building a secure foundation of number facts that can be applied across the wider mathematical landscape.

SATs 2026, Reasoning Paper 2: What is this question really testing?

📌 Can a child read the question carefully and jot down the appropriate calculations?

1️⃣ Ken has 14 comics
2️⃣ Maria has 14 +1 = 15
3️⃣ Stefan has 15 x 3 = 45
4️⃣ Ken 14 + Maria 15 + Stefan 45 = 74

In a test situation, there can be a tendency to skim read questions and therefore not fully understand all the steps required.

The maths itself isn't particularly difficult. The challenge is understanding the language, organising the information and working though each step methodically.

These skills are developed through practice and learning from mistakes.

It's never too early to encourage children to work in an organised way with jottings to support their thinking.

SATs are over and the 2026 papers have been released to the public.

So what can we learn from them?

Here's one of the early questions from Reasoning Paper 2:

📌Can children add two amounts of money together and understand that £15 is written as £15.00 when calculating?

📌Does the child understand the concept of receiving change? (In a digital currency age - children often have very little experience of this.)

📌Can children confidently use exchanging in column subtraction?

It's a scenario that can easily be replicated in everyday life and helps children build confidence with these type of SATs questions.

Follow me for more SATs questions over the next few weeks.

🌞 Don't cancel the holidays just yet!

Research suggests (and I see it every year) that children can lose as much as 20% of their learning over the long summer break. But there's no need to panic - small habits can make a big difference.

The skills most likely affected are often the ones children have recently mastered, such as:

✖️ Times tables
🍕Fractions
📝 Written calculation methods
📏 Measures
🕰️ Telling the time

Some of the best learning happens in the little moments when children can practise their maths skills in real-life contexts. These everyday opportunities help prevent new skills from being forgotten and allow children to see real-life examples of some of the reasoning questions they may face in future assessments.

🛒 Shopping
🍰 Baking
🕰️ Planning a time schedule for days out
🪙 Managing pocket money

A few minutes of practice little and often over the summer can make a huge difference.

It's the reason I continue to offer tuition throughout the summer holidays, as well as summer booster sessions for those families who simply want to maintain progress, build confidence and give their child a head start for September.

The summer break is important. It's time to rest, play, explore and make memories.

A little bit of maths won't spoil the fun but it will make a huge difference when September arrives.

If you'd like information about my summer booster session or would like to join my waiting list for September tuition, you can register here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSef2_EgOJxt8e_ktr9R1Zxt1tSuqKwjkJJ0TfnqxoAGpJ7FXA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=101233092972709208091

The Year 4 Multiplication Checks take place over the next two weeks in school.

It’s absolutely nothing to worry about but I have put the link to the parent guidance in the comments. It should have the answers to any questions you may have.

Whether your child finds times tables easy or challenging, keep practising them long after the test. Children become rusty over the long summer break.

Times tables are a foundation stone to confidence in the wider maths topics in Year 5 and beyond. All the practice you do at home really does makes a difference to your child’s progress in Maths.

If you would like some help on how to tackle times tables at home, please comment below or get in touch. I have a free guide that can help.