Year 5 Maths: what your child should know
Year 5 is where the foundations for high-school maths are really laid - place value, fractions and decimals all deepen this year. Here's exactly what your child covers, how to spot gaps before they reach Year 7, and simple ways to help at home.
What Year 5 maths covers
Number & Algebra
The heart of the year. Your child extends whole-number work and goes deeper into fractions, decimals and the early thinking that becomes algebra.
Measurement & Geometry
Hands-on, visual maths - shapes, space and measuring the world.
Statistics & Probability
Collecting, showing and making sense of data, plus the first ideas about chance.
Money & real-world maths
The topics that matter most
If you focus your attention anywhere in Year 5, make it these - they're the foundations that everything in high school is built on:
- Fractions - comparing, adding and subtracting. This is the single biggest predictor of how a child copes with Year 7–8 maths.
- Decimals - and how they connect to fractions and place value.
- Multiplication & division facts - quick recall here frees up brainpower for everything harder.
How to tell if your child has gaps
Year 5 is the ideal time to catch and fix gaps - before the jump to high school. Watch for:
- Still counting on fingers for times tables, or slow with basic facts.
- Confusion between fractions and decimals (e.g. thinking 0.5 and 1/5 are the same).
- Homework taking far longer than it should, or avoidance and frustration.
- Able to follow a worked example but unable to start a similar problem alone.
See exactly where your child is - free
A free 10-minute check across the Year 5 topics. You get a clear gap report: what's strong, what to focus on. No credit card.
Start the free check →Takes about 10 minutes · Years 4–10 · Australian curriculum
How to help at home
- Little and often. Ten focused minutes a day beats a long weekend session - and keeps it stress-free.
- Use everyday maths. Cooking (fractions), shopping (money, decimals), and travel (time) make it real.
- Fix the foundation first. If fractions are shaky, no amount of new topics will stick - start there.
- Praise effort, not just answers. Year 5 is when maths confidence is won or lost.
This is how Summit Learning works: we find your child's exact level first, then build a daily plan around their gaps - at the right level, with worked solutions, and progress you can actually see.
Catch the gaps before high school
Free placement check first - then a personalised plan built around your child's Year 5 gaps. Both subjects, all of Years 4–10. From $24/mo, cancel anytime.
See where my child is - free →This guide is a general overview for parents and reflects the broad scope of Year 5 maths in the Australian curriculum. Exact content can vary by state and school.