11 Plus Exams Forum

Can anyone tell me whether long division and operations involving fractions e.g multiplying & dividing are taught as part of KS2 in primary schools. Are they examined at 11 plus?

Thanks

I'm pretty sure they should be covered at primary school.
They are definately covered in most eleven plus exams I have looked at.

They are covered at primary school but not necessarily at the right point in time for 11+ children. I think long division is covered in year 4 and fractions in 5/6 but I am not sure if its in a huge amount of depth. Try the following website for the primary schools framework which will inform you of areas covered in each year of primary school.

www.standards.dfes.gov.uk

They are covered, but as loulou says, not necessarily in depth, and alongside other methods such as chunking. At the end, the child adopts the method they prefer.
Long divisions and multiplications are not specifically tested in standard NFER 11+tests, but the children need to be able to perform the calculations.
They will be disadvantaged if they are used to a method that take longer (eg chunking or other cumbersome method)

They will be disadvantaged if they are used to a method that take longer (eg chunking or other cumbersome method)

I think chunking (for want of a better word) is pants. Its slow and would hinder a bright child in an exam. Having said that the less able children in my sons class have been able to master division using this method. Catherines point is a good one. Even if your child has covered a subject in school check whether the method taught allows for speed as well as accuracy. Definitely something thats well worth finding out from the school.

My son has definitely only covered long division by the "chunking" method. They certainly do not cover multiplication and division of fractions and only addition and subtraction of fractions in the very simplest of terms, thus they may be expected to know that 1/2+1/4=3/4 but are not formally taught to "find the common denominator" and convert the fraction into an equivalent fraction before carrying out the operation.

I brought up this question with my daughter's class teacher at last parents' evening. Apparently, long division is now covered in year 6. I was concerned that the division method used by my daughter not only took a long time but also a lot of paper!! So I showed her long division myself before the 11+ to save her time in the exam.

I remember doing long division in the equivalent of year 4 when I was at school; but we also did pounds, shillings and pence; tons, cwts, stone pounds, ounces; miles, furlongs, yards, feet and inches............

Snap jah. Wasn't maths easier in the old days!!

When you say long division is covered in year 6 do you mean the old fashioned method. My son was taught chunking in year 4 but I showed him how to do it my way which he found both quicker an easier. I certainly suggested that he uses my method and once we start timed papers someway down the line I think the benefit will be obvious. However, I will feel reassured if this is revisited in year 6 even it will be too late for entrance exams.

Yep! Standard long division the old-fashioned way in year 6!

My son did the chunking method in year 4/5 and although he mastered it well enough he hated it. He found it so long winded. He has chamged primary schools for year 6 and I am still to discover what they are going to be covering and when. They are not very good at giving this information out and look at you a little strange when you ask for it, but I'll persevere .