Welcome to Year 4
Birch Class – Mr Coe
Ash Class – Miss Whiteman
Year 4 Long Term Plan 2026 – 2027
HELPING YOUR CHILD AT HOME
Small things every day make a BIG difference
Year 4 is an important year as children develop greater independence, fluency and confidence. There are lots of simple ways you can support your child at home without it feeling like homework.
READ EVERY DAY
Aim for 15–20 minutes every day.
Encourage your child to read independently every day.
Listen to your child read regularly and encourage fluency, expression and understanding.
Ask questions about what they have read:
What has happened?
Why did the character do that?
How do you know?
What might happen next?
Can you find evidence in the text?
Ask your child to explain the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Encourage them to use new vocabulary in their own sentences.
Read a range of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, newspapers and comics.
Continue to read aloud to your child and share books together.
SPELLING & WRITING
Practise your child’s weekly spellings little and often.
Practise the Year 3/4 common exception words.
Talk about spelling patterns and word families.
Encourage your child to use a dictionary or thesaurus.
Encourage writing for different purposes:
- Letters
- Stories
- Instructions
- Reports and fact files
- Reviews and opinions
Encourage accurate use of capital letters, full stops, commas, apostrophes, question marks, exclamation marks and speech marks.
Encourage children to use expanded vocabulary and a variety of sentence structures.
Practise joined handwriting and presentation.
National Curriculum spelling guidance
MATHS
TIMES TABLES ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN YEAR 4
What is the Multiplication Tables Check
The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is a key stage 2 assessment to be taken by pupils at the end of year 4 (in June). The MTC’s purpose is to ensure the times tables knowledge is at the expected level. In the 2024/2025 academic year, the multiplication tables check (MTC) is statutory for primary schools.
The Multiplication Times Tables Check is an online test where the pupils are asked 25 questions on times tables 2 to 12. For every question, you have 6 seconds to answer, and in between the questions, there is a 3-second rest. Questions about the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 times table come up more often. The questions are generated randomly based on the rules of the MTC.
How to prepare
A good way to prepare is to start early and build a daily routine practising the times tables. With regular practise you will learn all the questions and gain confidence. We suggest practising 10 to 15 minutes a day for optimal results.
A good start is first to make the five step plans for all the times tables to ensure you made all the questions and have good basic knowledge of the times tables. Then you make the MTC test sample on this page and see how you are doing and where to focus on. When you like to improve your speed or focus on a few times tables, you can use the speed test, diplomas, worksheets or play games like Blocky Multiplication and My Smart Horse to practise.
The year 4 Multiplication Tables Check trial run on this page will help one become more comfortable reading and answering on a screen. The Multiplication Tables Check trial results can be downloaded and printed at the end of the test.
The following websites will help you find out more and give your child practise.
MTC- Multiplication Tables Check
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
Children need to :
- Practise all multiplication tables up to 12 × 12.
- Practise the matching division facts.
- Aim for increasing speed and accuracy.
- Use everyday opportunities to practise mental maths.
- Practise addition and subtraction mentally and with written methods.
- Practise multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100.
- fractions and equivalent fractions.
- Ask questions such as:
- What is half of 48?
- What is a quarter of 36?
- What is 10 more than 367?
- Use shopping to practise totals, change and comparing prices.
- Practise telling the time and calculating durations.
- Cook together and practise measuring, weighing and estimating.
- Measure objects and discuss length, perimeter and area.
- Create and interpret simple charts and graphs.
TALK, TALK, TALK!
Good conversations help children become confident readers, writers and thinkers.
Talk to your child about their day and what they have learned.
Ask questions that encourage them to explain and justify their thinking.
Ask:
- Why do you think that?
- How do you know?
- Can you explain your answer?
- Is there another way?
Introduce new vocabulary and encourage your child to use it.
Discuss books, television programmes, news and the world around them.
Encourage your child to listen carefully and take turns when speaking.
LEARN THROUGH EVERYDAY LIFE
Learning can happen anywhere.
- Shopping: Calculate totals, change, discounts and compare prices.
- Cooking: Read recipes, measure ingredients and calculate cooking times.
- Days out: Read maps, signs and information boards.
- Travel: Read timetables and calculate journey times.
- Nature walks: Identify plants, animals and changes in the environment.
- At home: Sort, organise, measure and count everyday objects.
- Writing: Encourage letters, stories, reviews, reports, instructions and messages.
Independence: Encourage your child to organise their school bag, look after belongings and take responsibility for jobs around the home.
CAN YOUR CHILD…?
Use this checklist to see which skills your child can practise at home:
☐ Read independently and talk confidently about what they have read.
☐ Find information and evidence in a text.
☐ Explain the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.
☐ Make predictions and explain their ideas using evidence.
☐ Spell common Year 3/4 words and identify spelling patterns.
☐ Write several paragraphs independently for different purposes.
☐ Use a range of punctuation accurately.
☐ Use a dictionary or thesaurus independently.
☐ Recall all multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12.
☐ Answer times-table questions quickly and accurately.
☐ Solve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems.
☐ Explain their mathematical thinking and reasoning.
☐ Recognise and find fractions of amounts.
☐ Identify equivalent fractions.
☐ Multiply and divide numbers by 10 and 100.
☐ Tell the time accurately and calculate simple durations.
☐ Use money, measuring and weighing confidently in everyday situations.
☐ Work independently and take responsibility for their belongings and tasks.
MOST IMPORTANTLY
Praise effort, perseverance and independence — not just getting the right answer.
Encourage your child to have a go, make mistakes, learn from them and try again.
A FEW MINUTES EVERY DAY CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
15–20 minutes reading
A few minutes of spelling
Regular times-table practice
Some fun maths and problem-solving
Lots of talking, questioning and sharing ideas
Thank you for supporting your child’s learning at home.
