Times Tables Tutor Online UK | From Year 2 to 12 × 12

In short

Times tables in England follow the national curriculum: the 2, 5 and 10 tables in Year 2, the 3, 4 and 8 tables in Year 3, and every table up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4, when pupils take the statutory multiplication tables check of 25 on-screen questions. Fluent recall is the goal, built on understanding. Modern Age Coders teaches times tables live online for ages 6 to 11, in a group of 15 to 20 or 1-on-1, through Mental Maths for Kids. The first class is free, and we are not linked to TT Rock Stars or any school.

Courses for times tables

Three courses that teach times tables properly

Mental Maths for Kids is the main home for times tables. The other two suit a younger child and a child who has the facts but needs to use them.

TT / 01

Mental Maths for Kids

Number sense, then the tables, for ages 5 to 10: arrays, doubling, derived facts and recall that lasts.

Open the syllabus →

TT / 02

Elementary Maths

The whole primary maths picture for Years 1 to 5, so the tables connect to place value, fractions and division.

Open the syllabus →

Abacus & Mental Maths for Kids course thumbnail

TT / 03

Abacus and Mental Maths

For a child who likes to see numbers: beads make grouping and multiplying visible.

Open the syllabus →

Year by year

Which times tables should my child know in each year?

The national curriculum introduces the tables in three waves across Years 2, 3 and 4, then keeps using them in Years 5 and 6.

Times tables in the national curriculum for England (DfE mathematics programmes of study)
Year	Ages	Statutory focus	How the curriculum links it
Year 2	6 to 7	Recall and use facts for the 2, 5 and 10 tables, including odd and even numbers	The 10 table to place value, the 5 table to the clock face; multiplication can be done in any order, division cannot
Year 3	7 to 8	Recall and use facts for the 3, 4 and 8 tables	"Through doubling, they connect the 2, 4 and 8 multiplication tables."
Year 4	8 to 9	Recall facts for tables up to 12 × 12; use factor pairs and commutativity	Count in multiples of 6, 7, 9, 25 and 1000
Years 5 and 6	9 to 11	Use the facts in multiples, factors, primes, fractions and long multiplication	Fluency assumed from Year 4 onwards

The curriculum's summary for Years 3 and 4 sets the bar in one sentence: "By the end of year 4, pupils should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table and show precision and fluency in their work." Note the word division too. Every year's statement asks for "multiplication and division facts", so a child who knows 6 × 7 = 42 is expected to know 42 ÷ 7 = 6 just as quickly.

The Year 4 check, briefly

In June of Year 4 every child in a state-funded school in England takes the multiplication tables check. The STA's leaflet for parents describes it as "an onscreen check consisting of 25 times table questions", with 6 seconds for each one.

It adds: "There is no pass mark for the check", and that parents do not need to prepare anything extra. Our Year 4 check explainer and MTC practice page go into it in detail.

Why it is staying

The 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review considered primary tests and concluded: "We recommend retaining the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in Year 4 as an important indicator of multiplicative competence."

In the 2025 check the national average score was 21.0 out of 25, and 37 per cent of eligible pupils scored full marks, the most common result, according to the DfE's published statistics.

Sources: DfE, Mathematics programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2; STA, Multiplication tables check: information for parents; DfE, Multiplication tables check attainment: 2025; DfE, Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report, November 2025. All read on 31 October 2026.

The 28 hard facts

How many times tables facts are there to learn?

Fewer than it seems. A 12 by 12 grid has 144 squares, but our count shows that only 28 different facts are truly new once a child knows the easy tables and that order does not matter.

Shrinking the 12 × 12 grid (our own count)
Step	Facts left	Why
Start with the full grid	144	12 rows of 12 products, from 1 × 1 to 12 × 12
Use order (commutativity)	78	3 × 8 and 8 × 3 are the same fact, so each pair counts once: 12 + 11 + ... + 1
Remove the 1, 2, 5, 10 and 11 tables	28	These follow simple patterns. What remains are the products of 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 with each other
Of those, squares such as 7 × 7	7 of the 28	Squares are often learned as a set of their own

That third row is the honest size of the job. Twenty-eight facts, from 3 × 3 up to 12 × 12, are the ones that need real practice, and the curriculum gives children tools for most of them: doubling links the 2, 4 and 8 tables, and Year 4 asks children to "recognise and use factor pairs and commutativity in mental calculations". A child who has those tools rarely meets a fact that is completely new.

Patterns first

The 10s add a zero, the 5s are half the 10s, the 11s to 9 × 11 repeat the digit. These take days, not months.

Then links

The 4s are double the 2s and the 8s double the 4s; the 6s double the 3s. One known table opens another.

Then the stubborn few

Facts such as 7 × 8, 6 × 9 and 12 × 7 usually need a strategy and then steady, short practice to stick.

Strategies

What is the fastest way for a child to learn times tables?

Understanding first, then short daily recall. Here are six strategies of ours, each one building a new fact from a known one, in the spirit of the curriculum's derived facts.

1. The 9s from the 10s

Fact (ours). 9 × 7.

Known. 10 × 7 = 70.

Build. Nine sevens is one seven fewer than ten sevens: 70 − 7 = 63.

Why it works. Multiplying by 9 is multiplying by 10 and taking one group away. Draw it as an array of 10 rows with one row crossed out.

2. The 6s by doubling the 3s

Fact (ours). 6 × 8.

Known. 3 × 8 = 24.

Build. Six eights is two lots of three eights: 24 + 24 = 48.

Why it works. Six is double three, so every 6 times fact is double a 3 times fact.

3. Splitting 7 × 8 into 5 and 2

Fact (ours). 7 × 8, the one most children find hardest.

Split. Seven eights is five eights and two eights.

Build. 5 × 8 = 40 and 2 × 8 = 16, so 40 + 16 = 56.

Why it works. This is the distributive law that Year 4 pupils use, made visible by cutting an array into two parts.

4. The 8s as double, double, double

Fact (ours). 8 × 6.

Build. Double 6 is 12, double 12 is 24, double 24 is 48.

Check. It matches strategy 2, because 6 × 8 is the same fact.

Why it works. Eight is 2 × 2 × 2, which is exactly the curriculum's link between the 2, 4 and 8 tables.

5. The 12s as 10s and 2s

Fact (ours). 12 × 7.

Split. Twelve sevens is ten sevens and two sevens.

Build. 70 + 14 = 84.

Why it works. The 12 table is the newest in Year 4 and the easiest to derive, since 10 and 2 are both easy tables.

6. Division from the same fact

Fact (ours). 54 ÷ 9.

Ask. "Nine times what is 54?"

Recall. 6 × 9 = 54, so the answer is 6.

Why it works. Every times fact gives two division facts. Practising them together halves the work and matches the curriculum's "multiplication and division facts".

Practice set (ours, with answers). (1) 9 × 8 from 10 × 8. (2) 6 × 7 by doubling a 3 times fact. (3) 7 × 7 split into 5 × 7 and 2 × 7. (4) 4 × 12 by doubling twice. (5) 72 ÷ 8. (6) Name two factor pairs of 36. (7) Which is bigger, 6 × 9 or 7 × 8? Answers: (1) 80 − 8 = 72; (2) 21 + 21 = 42; (3) 35 + 14 = 49; (4) 24 then 48; (5) 9; (6) for example 4 and 9, 6 and 6, 3 and 12; (7) 7 × 8 = 56 is bigger than 6 × 9 = 54.

TT Rock Stars and apps

Is TT Rock Stars enough, or does my child need a tutor?

For many children a good practice app is enough once they understand the facts. A tutor helps when a child is practising facts they do not yet understand, or practising without getting faster.

Times Tables Rock Stars, run by Maths Circle Ltd, is the app many UK primary schools set for homework. Its own site says it is "Suitable for all learners aged 6 years and up" and that its "question-based games automatically adapt to each child's unique learning needs". For families it lists "eight different game modes to choose from, including multiplayer modes", and states plainly "No chat functions. No in-game purchases. No ads." It also lets a parent "De-clutter the screen or hide the timer to help minimise anxiety", a setting worth knowing about for a child who freezes under time pressure. Its FAQ says a child with a school login does not need a family subscription.

What a practice app does well, and what a teacher adds (our view)
Need	A practice app such as TT Rock Stars	A live teacher
Daily repetition	Excellent: short, adaptive and motivating	Sets a plan, but practice still happens between lessons
Finding which facts are weak	Shows stats and heatmaps	Also asks why a fact is weak, and spots counting on fingers
Understanding a new fact	Mostly assumes it	Builds it from arrays, doubling or a known fact
Division facts	Included in the games	Taught alongside each times fact as one family
Using facts in real maths	Outside its scope	Fractions, area and word problems that need the facts
A child who hates being timed	The timer can be hidden	Untimed reasoning first; speed later

Signs an app alone is not working

Scores have been flat for weeks, or your child counts up in steps under the table for facts like 7 × 6.

They can answer 6 × 7 but not 42 ÷ 6, or they avoid the game altogether.

What we add in lessons

The reasoning behind each stubborn fact, so recall has something to rest on.

A short weekly plan that uses the school's app well, rather than replacing it. We are not affiliated with TT Rock Stars or Maths Circle Ltd; the names are theirs.

Source: Times Tables Rock Stars, families page and home page, read on 31 October 2026. Its sister programme NumBots, released in 2019 according to the same site, covers addition, subtraction and number bonds for younger children.

A weekly plan

How long should a child practise times tables each day?

A few minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. Here is a sample week of ours for one stubborn table, which fits around school homework.

Monday: build it. Make the 7 times table with an array or counters, and say each fact as a sentence: "four sevens are twenty-eight".
Tuesday: link it. Use 5 × 7 and 2 × 7 to make the rest. Write the facts the child already knows in one colour.
Wednesday: both ways. Mix multiplication and division: 7 × 6 and 42 ÷ 7, out loud, untimed.
Thursday: little and quick. Five minutes on the school app, or ten flash cards, aiming for quick answers rather than perfect ones.
Friday: use it. One real problem, such as "a week has 7 days; how many days are in 8 weeks?", and a check of which facts still need a strategy.

For a Year 2 child

Stay with the 2, 5 and 10 tables and odd and even numbers, as the curriculum asks. Count in fives round a clock face, and in tens along a number line.

There is no need to rush to the 7s. Secure 2s, 5s and 10s make Year 3 much easier.

For a Year 5 or 6 child

Gaps here hold back fractions, factors and long multiplication. Spend a few weeks closing them through the 28 hard facts, then use them straight away in real problems.

Our KS2 maths page covers the wider upper primary curriculum.

Progress

Four rungs from counting to recall

Where a child is with a fact matters more than which table it belongs to.

Stages in learning a times tables fact (our ladder)
Rung	What the child does	For example
1. Counts in steps	Skip-counts from the start to reach the answer	7, 14, 21, 28 to find 4 × 7
2. Derives	Builds it from a known fact	5 × 7 is 35, so 4 × 7 is 35 − 7
3. Recalls slowly	Knows it, after a pause	Answers 28 within a few seconds
4. Recalls both ways	Answers at once, for times and divide	4 × 7 and 28 ÷ 4 straight away

Rung two is the important one

Deriving keeps a child accurate while recall grows, and protects them when memory fails.

For children who love number puzzles, see the Primary Maths Challenge.

Rung four takes repetition

Short, spaced practice over weeks, not one long session.

Classes can pause for school holidays.

Catalogue

Nine courses for primary number skills

Number facts first, then the wider maths that uses them.

I

Number facts

Ages 5 to 11

UK / TT1 / 01

Mental Maths

Bonds, doubles and tables built on number sense.

Open the syllabus

UK / TT1 / 02

Abacus and mental maths

Grouping made visible on the beads.

Open the syllabus

UK / TT1 / 03

Vedic maths

Calculation shortcuts for children who enjoy pattern.

Open the syllabus

II

Primary maths

Years 1 to 6

UK / TT2 / 01

Elementary Maths

Tables connected to place value and fractions.

Open the syllabus

UK / TT2 / 02

KS2 SATs Maths

Year 6 arithmetic, where every fact is used.

Open the syllabus

UK / TT2 / 03

Reasoning and Readiness

Pattern and number puzzles for ages 6 to 9.

Open the syllabus

III

Beyond facts

Using the numbers

UK / TT3 / 01

Problem solving for kids

Word problems and logic, from age 7.

Open the syllabus

UK / TT3 / 02

Coding for kids

Block coding, where loops are multiplication in disguise.

Open the syllabus

UK / TT3 / 03

Competition maths

For a confident upper primary child.

Open the syllabus

Lessons

How times tables lessons run

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. The teachers are in India, and we give every lesson time in UK time.

After school

Short, before homework.

Early evening

Around clubs and sport.

Weekend morning

Calm time for new tables.

Build, then recall

Each new fact is made from arrays or a known fact before it is practised.

Division together

Times and divide facts are taught as one family.

The hard 28

Practice time goes where it is needed, not on the 2s and 10s.

Works with school

We fit around the school's app and homework, not against them.

Free first class

A relaxed check of which facts are secure, with nothing to pay.

Group or 1-on-1

A group of 15 to 20, or one child with one teacher.

Student work

Things our primary students made

Small projects from regular classes, none of them assessed. The full set is in student labs.

AI and ML

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

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GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

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Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

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Fees

Fees for times tables lessons

Start with a free class. After that a single monthly fee applies, cheaper in a group than 1-on-1, and we invoice only after you have chosen a course and a weekly time. Stop whenever you like.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

A relaxed first class
A map of secure and shaky facts
Just a phone number to book

Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

15 to 20 children at a similar stage
One teacher across the term
A short weekly practice plan
Fits alongside the school app

Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

A teacher for one child
Focused on that child's hard facts
Untimed work for anxious children

Enquire

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Times tables questions

What parents ask about times tables

By what age should a child know their times tables?

The national curriculum in England expects children to have memorised the tables up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4, usually age 9. The 2, 5 and 10 tables come in Year 2 and the 3, 4 and 8 tables in Year 3.

Which times tables are the hardest?

Usually the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, and facts such as 7 × 8 and 6 × 9. By our count only 28 different facts remain once the easy tables and the order of multiplication are taken into account.

What is the fastest way to learn times tables?

Understand each fact first, by building it from a known one, then practise for a few minutes every day. Short daily practice works better than long weekly sessions.

Is TT Rock Stars good for learning times tables?

Its own site describes adaptive games for ages 6 and up, with no chat, ads or in-game purchases. It is strong for practice; a teacher helps when a child does not yet understand a fact or has stopped improving.

Do I need to pay for TT Rock Stars if the school uses it?

According to its FAQ, no: a child whose school has a subscription logs in with the account the teacher created. We are not connected with TT Rock Stars.

What is the Year 4 multiplication tables check?

A statutory on-screen check in June of Year 4, with 25 times table questions and 6 seconds for each. The STA says there is no pass mark and parents do not need to prepare their child specially.

Should my child learn division facts too?

Yes. Every year of the curriculum asks for multiplication and division facts together, so 42 ÷ 7 should be as quick as 6 × 7.

My child is in Year 6 and still unsure. Is it too late?

No. Most gaps come down to a handful of facts. A few weeks of strategies and short practice usually closes them, and it helps straight away with fractions and long multiplication.

When are lessons?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. All times are UK time.

Are you connected with schools or the STA?

No. Modern Age Coders is independent and has no link with any school, the Standards and Testing Agency, the Department for Education, TT Rock Stars or Maths Circle Ltd.

The Year 4 check, upper primary maths, and puzzles for confident children.

The Year 4 check explained

Format, timing and what the score is used for.

MTC practice

Practice that builds recall for the June check.

KS2 maths tuition

Years 3 to 6, where the tables get used.

KS2 SATs maths papers

The Year 6 arithmetic paper leans on these facts.

Primary Maths Challenge

Number puzzles for children who enjoy a stretch.

Coding classes in the UK

All our UK maths and coding pages.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: UK maths year by year, Reception to Year 11

Primary, Reception to Year 6

Secondary, Year 7 to Year 11

Scotland

More guides: UK maths exam boards and specification codes · UK selective school maths tests: 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ · UK university admissions: maths tests and computing applications · UK maths enrichment, competitions and able pupils

Start here

Book a free times tables class

Give us a phone number and we will call at a UK time that works for you. In the first class the teacher finds which facts are secure, which are derived and which are still counted, so you leave with a clear picture.

Prefer to read first? The Mental Maths course lists its phases week by week, and how we teach shows a typical lesson.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com

A WhatsApp message is quickest and free from a UK mobile. Our team replies from India, on a number beginning +91.

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.

Book a priority demo

Three courses that teach times tables properly

Mental Maths for Kids

Elementary Maths

Abacus and Mental Maths

Which times tables should my child know in each year?

The Year 4 check, briefly

Why it is staying

How many times tables facts are there to learn?

Patterns first

Then links

Then the stubborn few

What is the fastest way for a child to learn times tables?

1. The 9s from the 10s

2. The 6s by doubling the 3s

3. Splitting 7 × 8 into 5 and 2

4. The 8s as double, double, double

5. The 12s as 10s and 2s

6. Division from the same fact

Is TT Rock Stars enough, or does my child need a tutor?

Signs an app alone is not working

What we add in lessons

How long should a child practise times tables each day?

For a Year 2 child

For a Year 5 or 6 child

Four rungs from counting to recall

Rung two is the important one

Rung four takes repetition

Nine courses for primary number skills

Number facts

Mental Maths

Abacus and mental maths

Vedic maths

Primary maths

Elementary Maths

KS2 SATs Maths

Reasoning and Readiness

Beyond facts

Problem solving for kids

Coding for kids

Competition maths

How times tables lessons run

Build, then recall

Division together

The hard 28

Works with school

Free first class

Group or 1-on-1

Things our primary students made

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees for times tables lessons

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

What parents ask about times tables

By what age should a child know their times tables?

Which times tables are the hardest?

What is the fastest way to learn times tables?

Is TT Rock Stars good for learning times tables?

Do I need to pay for TT Rock Stars if the school uses it?

What is the Year 4 multiplication tables check?

Should my child learn division facts too?

My child is in Year 6 and still unsure. Is it too late?

When are lessons?

Are you connected with schools or the STA?

More on primary number skills

The Year 4 check explained

MTC practice

KS2 maths tuition

KS2 SATs maths papers

Primary Maths Challenge

Coding classes in the UK

Related pages in this guide

Primary, Reception to Year 6

Secondary, Year 7 to Year 11

Scotland

Book a free times tables class

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

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