Primarymaths
Vocabularyprogression document
September2025
Introduction
Theuseofaccuratemathematicalvocabularyisessentialforchildren’sunderstandingand communicationofmathematicalconcepts.
Thisprogressiondocumentprovidesanoutlineofwherekeymathematicalvocabularyisintroduced anddevelopedintheWhiteRoseMathsschemesoflearning.
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirst introduced.Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweverit istrackedinYear1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,wordsarelistedonlywheretheyarefirstintroduced.Forexample, althoughtheword‘sharing’isusedthroughoutschool,itislistedinReception.Keyvocabularyis revisitedfrequentlyasstudentsprogressthroughthecurriculum.
Teacherscanusethisdocumenttoensurethatchildrenaresupportedinusingthecorrect mathematicalvocabularyateachstageoftheirlearning.Bydevelopingconfidencewithkeyterms, pupilscanbetterarticulatetheirthinking,reasoneffectively,andbuildastrongfoundationforfuture learninginmathematics.
Placevalue
Year1ReceptionNursery
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
placeholder, Roman, numeral, round, thousands
tenmillion hundred, thousand(s), integer, negative number, millions, powerof10, tenthousand
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
ascending, descending, hundred(s), part, whole exchange, interval, least, multiple, value, compare, counton, digit, fewest, greaterthan, greatest, lessthan, most, one(s), order, partition, represent, ten(s), ordinal numbers(first, second,third, etc) after, before, different, represent, zero amount, backwards, collection, count, few, fewer(than), forwards, howmany, largest, lot(s), more(than), number, numeral, same, smallest, subitise
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Additionandsubtraction
Year1ReceptionNursery
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
1less, 1more, add, addmore, altogether, first, left, now, part, takeaway, whole
calculation, exchange, method, multiple, one(s), operation, partition, relatedfacts, ten(s), value, increase, decrease, sum
orderof operations accurate, approximate, constant difference, strategy efficient, inverse, round, thousand(s) column, addition, column, subtraction, digit, estimate, exchange, hundred(s), inverse, crossingthe 10, crossingthe 100,
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
addition, addtogether, subtraction/ subtract, difference, double, efficient, equalto, factfamily, greater, group, inverse, less, minus, neardouble, numberbond, plus, symbol, systematic, total
Multiplicationanddivision
Year1ReceptionNursery
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
array, divide, repeated, addition double, equalgroups, even, fair, grouping, groups, odd, pair, sharing, unequal, groups
composite number, orderof operations, powersof common multiple, common factor, cubenumber, primenumber, square number factor, factorpair, inverse, triple, efficient commutative, inverse, multiple, product, remainder, scaling divide, even, half, lotsof, multiply, odd, twice, times times-table,
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Fraction,decimalsandpercentages
ReceptionNursery
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
scale, compare, convert numerator, denominator, equivalent, unitfraction, non-unit fraction, third, two-quarters, three-quarters equalparts, half, quarter, whole
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
simplify, simplestform, recurring common denominator, fractionalpart, percentage, thousandth decimal equivalent, decimalplace, decimalpoint, hundredths, improper, fractions, mixed, numbers, proper fractions, round, tenths
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Measure(money)
Nursery
Reception
convert change, cost, worth amount, coin, note, money, pence(p), pound(£), unitise, value
decimal
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
Measure(lengthandheight)
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Nursery
Reception
convert, millimetres, perimeter metres centimetres, ruler height, length, long, longer, longest, measure, short, shorter, shortest, tall, taller, tallest big, bigger, large, little, small, smaller
formula imperial, inches, metric, volume area, kilometres, rectilinear, width
Measure(mass,capacityandtemperature)
Nursery
Reception
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
formula, gallon, ounces, tonnes cubic, centimetres, imperial metric, pints, pounds,
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear 1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
convert celsius, circularscales, degrees, grams, kilograms, litres, millilitres, temperature, thermometer capacity, container, non-standard, volume balanced, balancing scales, empty, float, full, heavier, heaviest, heavy, least, less, light, lighter, lightest, mass, more, most, narrow, sink, tall, thin, weight, wide, big, bigger, large, little, small, smaller
Measure(time)
Year1ReceptionNursery
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
analogue clock, 12-hourclock, 24-hourclock, digitalclock duration, leapyear, am, pm, Roman numerals, five-minute intervals midnight, noon, quarterpast, quarterto, halfpast, hour, month, o‘clock, second, watch, week, after, afternoon, before, clock, day, evening, later, lunchtime, minute, morning, night, night-time, today, tomorrow, week, weekend, yesterday, first, next, now, then
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Shape
Year1ReceptionNursery
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
base, circumference, diameter, dimensions, interior angles, intersect, net, opposite, angles, radius, adjacent, degrees, reflexangle equilateral, regular, irregular, isosceles, parallelogram, quadrilateral, rhombus, scalene, trapezium acute, obtuse, angle, vertical horizontal, parallel, perpendicular, polygon, rightangle edge, lineof symmetry, symmetrical, vertex, vertices
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
properties 2-dshape, 3-dshape, circle, cone, corner, cube, cuboid, curved, cylinder, face, flat, pyramid, rectangle, rotate, set, sides, solid, sort, sphere, square, straight, surface, triangle build, curved, curvy, different, flat, match, pointy, round, same, sharp, stack
Statistics
Year1ReceptionNursery
Year2
Year4 Year3
Year5
Year6
average, dualbarchart, mean, piechart timetable, variable data, estimate, linegraph axis, barchart, cell, horizontal axis, label, scale, two-waytable, title, verticalaxis, blockdiagram, key, pictogram, table, tallychart, collect, record
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced. Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear 1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Positionanddirection
ReceptionNursery
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
anti-clockwise, between, clockwise far, fullturn, halfturn, left, near, quarterturn, right, three-quarter turn, direction above, around, backwards, below, beside, bottom, forwards, map, nextto, position, route, top behind, between, down in, infront, inside, move, on, out, outside, over, through, under, up,
quadrant, coordinates, grid, reflection, translation,
-axis
-axis
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Ratioandproportion
additive, enlargement, multiplicative, proportion, ratio, scalefactor, scaling, simplestform
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced. Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear 1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.
Algebra
algebra, equation, expression, function, input, linear output, rule, solve, substitution, value,
Pattern
ReceptionNursery
Year1
Year2
Year4 Year3
Year5
Year6
decreasing, increasing, sequence continue, copy, mistake, repeat, repeating, pattern, same, unitofrepeat, after, line, next, pattern, spot, star, stripe, swirl, zigzag
Tosaverepetitionofvocabulary,thewordsaredocumentedwheretheyarefirstintroduced.
Forexample,theword‘carnivore’isusedthroughouttheschemeshoweveritistrackedinYear
1asthisistheyeargroupthiswordisfirstintroducedin.