What schools expect
By the end of KS1 the National Curriculum expects pupils to:
- Year 1: Recognise and know the value of all UK coins and notes
- Year 2: Find different combinations of coins that equal the same amount of money
- Year 2: Solve simple money problems involving addition, subtraction, and making change to £1
- Year 2: Use £ and p symbols correctly in writing
Important — UK schools don't expect children to combine £ and p in the same sum (e.g. £1.20 + 50p) until later. KS1 money is mostly working in just pence, then introducing pounds at the end.
Real coins beat any app
The single biggest thing you can do for your child's money skills:
Give them real coins to handle.
Worksheets and apps show pictures of coins. That's fine. But many KS1 children struggle to map "a 5p coin on a worksheet" to "this tiny silver thing in my hand" — because they've never held one.
Why this matters:
- Real coins have a feel, weight, and size that worksheets can't convey
- Contactless cards mean many children have never seen money change hands
- School assessments often use real coins; familiarity matters
Even just emptying your purse onto the table once a week is a brilliant maths lesson.
Five real-life moments
Give your child £1. Let them pick something under £1. They have to ask the price, work out if they have enough, and check their change. Adult stays nearby but doesn't intervene.
Even 50p a week. Saving toward something teaches counting, totalling, and patience.
Stick price tags on three or four kitchen items. Set up a play shop. Take turns being shopkeeper and customer. 10 minutes; huge impact.
Empty the change jar. Sort by coin. Count how much in each pile. Add the totals. Excellent for Year 2.
Tell them: "You have a 50p coin. Show me five different ways to make 50p with smaller coins." This is the hardest KS1 skill and the most useful.
Common stumbles
The 5p is smaller than the 1p, even though it's worth more. Many children find this counter-intuitive. Solution: handle real coins regularly.
Most children master counting in 10s before 5s, and 5s before 2s. Practise counting in 5s and 2s — money fluency depends on it.
From 35p to 50p: count up — 5p makes 40p, then 10p makes 50p. So change = 15p. This is faster and matches what the curriculum expects.
When to talk to the teacher
Money is one of the topics where home life shows up most. Children who handle real coins at home tend to find it easy; children who don't tend to struggle longer. That's not unfair — it just means home practice matters here.
Worth a quick chat with the teacher if:
- By the end of Year 1, your child can't reliably identify a 1p, 5p, 10p coin from a real coin collection
- By the end of Year 2, they can't total two coins together (e.g. 20p + 10p)
- They struggle with counting in 5s and 10s in general — money is downstream of those skills
A simple "How is my child getting on with money? Should we be doing more at home?" is enough.
The Royal Mint has a free education page (royalmint.com/learn) with images and real-coin facts.
Well done!
You finished this lesson. You worked hard and learned something new today. 🎉
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