Basic Maths Skills Revision
21 October 2026
Basic maths skills matter
Strong basic maths skills give children confidence as they approach the 11+ exams. Focusing on the essentials helps your child tackle more complex problems later on.
What to revise
The key skills to revisit include number bonds, times tables, addition and subtraction with carrying or borrowing, multiplication, division, and understanding place value. These are the building blocks for success in all areas of maths.
Step-by-step practice works best
Break revision into small chunks. Practise one skill at a time and repeat until your child feels secure. Encourage talking through each step aloud, as this helps with understanding and memory.
Worked example
Subtracting with borrowing: 402 - 187
Start with the units column: 2 - 7 is not possible, so borrow 1 ten from the tens column. The units become 12 - 7 = 5.
Move to the tens column: 0 tens (after borrowing) - 8. Borrow 1 hundred from the hundreds column. Now you have 10 tens - 8 = 2.
Hundreds column: 3 (after borrowing) - 1 = 2.
The answer is 215.
Key insight: Little and often
Short, regular practice sessions are more effective than long, infrequent ones. Five or ten minutes a day can make a real difference to your child's confidence and recall.
Keep it positive
Mistakes are a normal part of learning. Use errors as a chance to revisit tricky steps and celebrate progress, no matter how small. Encouragement builds resilience and helps children stay motivated.
