What do children learn in KS3 maths?

The six areas of KS3 maths

• Number. Place value for decimals, measures and integers of any size, comparing numbers in standard form, and using fractions and percentages as operators.Department for Education: mathematics programmes of study
• Algebra. Substituting numbers into formulae and expressions, solving linear equations in one variable, and recognising arithmetic sequences and finding the nth term.
• Ratio, proportion and rates of change. Scale factors, scale diagrams and maps, ratio notation and simplest form, and problems with direct and inverse proportion.
• Geometry and measures. Formulae for the perimeter and area of triangles, parallelograms and trapezia and the volume of cuboids, then Pythagoras' Theorem and trigonometric ratios in right-angled triangles.
• Probability. Knowing that the probabilities of all possible outcomes sum to 1, and listing outcomes systematically with tables, grids and Venn diagrams.
• Statistics. Describing the relationship between two variables and showing it on a scatter graph.

What the curriculum is aiming for

1. 1

   Fluency.

   Pupils become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, so that methods are recalled and used quickly and accurately.

   Department for Education: mathematics programmes of study

2. 2

   Reasoning.

   Pupils reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and justifying their answer.

3. 3

   Problem solving.

   Pupils solve problems by applying their mathematics to routine and non-routine problems.

Which years, and who has to follow it

• Years 7, 8 and 9. Key stage 3 covers ages 11 to 14.GOV.UK: The national curriculum
• Maths is compulsory. It is one of the compulsory national curriculum subjects at key stage 3.GOV.UK: Key stage 3 and 4
• Academies today. Academies do not have to follow the national curriculum, but must teach a broad and balanced curriculum that includes English, maths and science.GOV.UK: The national curriculum
• Academies from September 2028. Under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act, academies will have to teach the revised national curriculum, which is due to be published in spring 2027.Department for Education: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act policy summary notes

How progress is checked

• No national test. The government's table of national curriculum assessments shows "not applicable" for Years 7, 8 and 9. That leaves assessment to each school.GOV.UK: The national curriculum
• What is planned. The government has said it will expect all schools to assess pupil progress in writing and maths in Year 8. It has not given a start date.Department for Education: response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review

Why KS3 matters for GCSE

• The same six areas continue. The key stage 4 programme of study, which GCSE maths is built on, uses the same six headings.Department for Education: mathematics programmes of study
• Where it leads. In summer 2026, 71.8% of 16-year-olds in England were awarded grade 4 or above in GCSE maths, and 22.3% were awarded grade 7 or above.JCQ: GCSE results 2026, table 2

What a KS3 maths tutor costs