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Built for pupils across the UK

Alto works across the UK, but curriculum expectations differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Choose your nation on the map to bring its section into view, then select a subject to explore the curriculum expectations and how Alto supports them.

Each subject is mapped against the published curriculum for all four nations, with links to official sources. The information explains where Alto supports curriculum expectations, including any important differences or limitations.

Alto practises a wide range of key addition and subtraction facts to 20, including related subtraction facts, bonds to 20 and a selection of missing-number questions. The aim is to build fast, accurate recall of important number relationships.

Alto practises selected mathematical facts and relationships useful in upper primary and secondary maths. Core content includes powers of ten, decimal units, common fraction–decimal–percentage equivalents, metric relationships, squares, square roots, cube numbers, primes and factor pairs. Extension practice adds further facts.

Alto and the curriculum in England

Times Tables Number Facts Number Facts 2 Maths Mentals Spelling Grammar and punctuation

Curriculum expectations: Recall multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12.
When: By the end of Year 4.

Tell me more about England

Published expectations: recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12
How Alto fits: Coming soon
Assessment: Statutory. The Multiplication Tables Check, Year 4.
Changing: A new curriculum is expected to be published in 2027 and taught from 2028. The check is kept.

Source: DfE Multiplication tables check assessment framework; National Curriculum programmes of study, Year 4 mathematics. Check again before September 2027.

Curriculum expectations: Fluent recall of addition and subtraction facts to 20.
When: By the end of Year 2.

Tell me more about England

Published expectations

Year 1: Represent and use number bonds and related subtraction facts within 20, including missing-number problems.

Year 2: Recall and use addition and subtraction facts to 20 fluently, and recognise and use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction.

How Alto fits

Alto practises a wide range of key addition and subtraction facts, including bonds to 20 and a selection of missing-number questions. It supports the statutory expectations without drilling every possible calculation within 20.

Changing

A revised curriculum is expected to be published in 2027, with implementation planned from 2028.

Source: DfE National Curriculum, Mathematics, Years 1–2.

Curriculum expectations: Decimal relationships, fractions, percentages, metric conversions, factors, primes, squares and cubes.
When: Mainly Years 4 to 6, with roots and more advanced powers continuing into Key Stage 3.

Tell me more about England

Published expectations

Key Stage 2 includes decimal place value, common fraction–decimal–percentage equivalents, metric conversions, factors, square and cube numbers, and recognising prime numbers.

Year 5 explicitly requires pupils to recall primes up to 19 and to recognise and use square and cube numbers, including squared and cubed notation.

Powers, roots and further number relationships develop in secondary maths.

How Alto fits

Core practises selected relationships, including squares from 2² to 15² and 20² with their roots, cube numbers from 2³ to 5³, common equivalents and primes to 20. Extension adds further squares, cube roots, powers of two and primes.

Square roots and squares beyond 12² extend beyond the specific primary expectations. Eighths and thirds support more advanced equivalence work, although the curriculum does not require every equivalent in Alto’s bank to be recalled automatically.

Alto practises factual recall rather than the full calculation and reasoning requirements.

Changing

A revised curriculum is expected to be published in 2027, with implementation planned from 2028.

Source: DfE National Curriculum, Mathematics, KS2–3.

Maths is not mapped for England yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Mentals is not mapped for England yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Spelling is not mapped for England yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Grammar and punctuation is not mapped for England yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Alto and the curriculum in Scotland

Times Tables Number Facts Number Facts 2 Maths Mentals Spelling Grammar and punctuation

Curriculum expectations: Use multiplication and division facts to the 10th multiplication table.
When: Within Second Level, P5 to P7. Levels are not tied to a year, so there is no deadline.

Tell me more about Scotland

Published expectations: Uses multiplication and division facts to the 10th multiplication table. The 12th table is Third level, S1 to S3. Neither the 11th nor the 12th is a primary expectation in Scotland, and a pupil here is not falling short by not knowing them at primary.
How Alto fits: Coming soon
Assessment: No times-tables check. The National Standardised Assessments for Scotland (NSA) run at P1, P4, P7 and S3. P1 is literacy and numeracy; P4, P7 and S3 are reading, writing and numeracy separately. Adaptive, marked automatically, no pass or fail, and no time limit. Multiplication sits inside the broader Number organiser alongside the other three operations: there is no separate times-table component and nothing comparable to a timed recall check. NSA is not a renamed SNSA. SNSA still names the English-medium assessments, and NSA is the collective name for those plus the Gaelic MCNG assessments, brought onto one system in October 2022.
Changing: The Benchmarks are replaced from August 2028.

Sources: Education Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence benchmarks, Numeracy and Mathematics. The assessments: the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland guidance, and the Scottish Government national report of 19 January 2026 for 2024/25, which states that it is not intended to form the basis of an accountability measure. Read at source on 29 September 2026. Check again before August 2028.

Curriculum expectations: Addition and subtraction number relationships, progressing from facts within 10 to broader mental calculation.
When: Early and First Levels, broadly P1 to P4. Levels are not fixed year-group deadlines.

Tell me more about Scotland

Published expectations

Early Level includes partitioning numbers to 10, mental addition and subtraction within 10, and simple missing-number problems.

First Level extends mental calculation, number relationships and the use of inverse operations.

How Alto fits

Alto practises a wide range of key addition and subtraction facts to 20, with a selection of missing-number questions. Some facts extend beyond the initial Early Level expectations.

Changing

Scotland is revising its Numeracy and Mathematics curriculum through the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, with updated guidance planned for implementation from August 2028.

Source: Education Scotland, Numeracy and Mathematics Benchmarks.

Curriculum expectations: Fractions, decimals, percentages, metric relationships, factors, primes and powers.
When: Mainly Second and Third Levels, broadly P5 to S3. Levels are not fixed year-group deadlines.

Tell me more about Scotland

Published expectations

Second Level develops decimal and fraction relationships, percentages, measurement and number operations.

Third Level extends work with factors, primes and powers, including identifying prime numbers to 100 and evaluating whole-number powers. Square roots are addressed explicitly at Fourth Level.

How Alto fits

Core practises selected equivalents, metric relationships, squares, square roots, cube numbers from 2³ to 5³, and primes to 20. Extension includes cube roots, further primes and powers.

Some core content, particularly primes and square roots, is relevant to later curriculum levels. Alto supports retrieval of useful facts but does not develop the wider understanding and application expected.

Changing

Scotland is revising its Numeracy and Mathematics curriculum through the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, with updated guidance planned for implementation from August 2028.

Source: Education Scotland, Numeracy and Mathematics Benchmarks.

Maths is not mapped for Scotland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Mentals is not mapped for Scotland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Spelling is not mapped for Scotland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Grammar and punctuation is not mapped for Scotland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Alto and the curriculum in Wales

Times Tables Number Facts Number Facts 2 Maths Mentals Spelling Grammar and punctuation

Curriculum expectations: Fluently recall multiplication facts up to at least 10 × 10, and use these to derive related facts.
When: By Progression Step 3, around age 11.

Tell me more about Wales

Published expectations: fluently recall multiplication facts up to at least 10 × 10 and use these to derive related facts. Step 2, around age 8, asks only for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10. The 11th and 12th tables are beyond what the curriculum asks for in Wales, and a pupil here is not falling short by not knowing them.
How Alto fits: Coming soon One limitation is already known: Alto is in English only. For Welsh-medium schools, number-fact practice is the most suitable starting point, and we would like to hear what a Welsh-language version should include.
Assessment: No times-tables check. The National Reading and Numeracy Personalised Assessments are statutory for Years 2 to 9. Numeracy is split into Procedural and Reasoning, and Numeracy (Procedural) covers numerical facts and procedures. It does not report fact by fact: feedback is at skill level against the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, with a sample question rather than the live one, so a teacher can see whether each question presented was right or wrong, its difficulty and how long it took, but not which multiplication facts a pupil knows. It is not timed: learners work at their own pace, 28 questions in 25 to 30 minutes, no calculators, and it is not a test of rapid or automatic recall.

Sources: Curriculum for Wales, Mathematics and Numeracy, descriptions of learning, progression steps 2 and 3, read at source on 25 September 2026. The assessments: the statutory administration handbook and Hwb guidance, given effect by the Education (Arrangements for Assessing Reading and Numeracy in the Curriculum for Wales) Regulations 2024, read at source on 29 September 2026. Check again before September 2027.

Curriculum expectations: Recall of number facts within 20, alongside understanding of addition, subtraction and number relationships.
When: Primarily Progression Steps 1 and 2, broadly ages 5 to 8. Progression steps are not fixed deadlines.

Tell me more about Wales

Published expectations

The Literacy and Numeracy Framework, which provides non-statutory guidance, includes using mental strategies to recall number facts within 20 at Progression Step 2.

The broader curriculum also develops understanding of how numbers relate and how operations can be applied.

How Alto fits

Alto practises a wide range of key addition and subtraction facts to 20, supporting recall alongside the wider development of mental calculation and mathematical understanding.

Changing

The Welsh Government plans statutory year-by-year guidance for mathematics, with consultation expected in autumn 2026 and publication in spring 2027.

Source: Welsh Government, Literacy and Numeracy Framework.

Curriculum expectations: Decimal relationships, fraction–decimal–percentage equivalents, measurement conversions and number properties.
When: Mainly Progression Steps 3 and 4, broadly ages 11 to 14, with some relationships introduced earlier.

Tell me more about Wales

Published expectations

The curriculum develops increasingly sophisticated understanding of place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, measurement and number relationships.

The Literacy and Numeracy Framework, which provides non-statutory guidance, gives more specific examples of equivalence, conversion and number properties. It does not prescribe a single list of these facts for instant recall.

How Alto fits

Core practises selected equivalents, metric relationships, squares, square roots, cube numbers from 2³ to 5³, primes and factor pairs. Extension provides cube roots, further powers and other relationships.

Alto supports factual fluency within a broader curriculum that also expects reasoning and application.

Changing

The Welsh Government plans statutory year-by-year guidance for mathematics, with consultation expected in autumn 2026 and publication in spring 2027.

Source: Curriculum for Wales, Mathematics and Numeracy; Literacy and Numeracy Framework.

Maths is not mapped for Wales yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Mentals is not mapped for Wales yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Spelling is not mapped for Wales yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Grammar and punctuation is not mapped for Wales yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Alto and the curriculum in Northern Ireland

Times Tables Number Facts Number Facts 2 Maths Mentals Spelling Grammar and punctuation

Curriculum expectations: Know the multiplication facts up to 10 × 10. The new Year 5 check tests to 12 × 12.
When: By the end of Key Stage 2. The check falls in Year 5.

Tell me more about Northern Ireland

Published expectations: know the multiplication facts up to 10 × 10. Key Stage 1, Years 3 and 4, asks for the majority of them. The curriculum in force asks for 10 × 10, so the 11th and 12th tables are beyond the statutory minimum today, although the 2027 check tests them. P1 starts at age 4, so a Northern Irish year group is roughly one year ahead of the England year of the same age.
How Alto fits: Coming soon
Assessment: Statutory from 2027, the Year 5 Multiplication Check. The first falls in the summer term of the 2026/27 school year: a short digital check of rapid recall up to 12 × 12, around 25 multiplication facts, in under five minutes. School results are not published and are not used for school accountability, and no threshold or pass mark has been published. The check falls in Year 5, the first year of Key Stage 2, so it comes before the curriculum asks for the facts and tests two tables more. There is no official short form of the name, and it is not England’s MTC under another name.
Changing: A new curriculum is proposed to phase in from September 2028. Its draft Primary 5 wording asks pupils to recall and use multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12. That is a draft, not law.

Sources: the Education (Curriculum Minimum Content) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007, the curriculum in force. The check: the Department of Education letter “Year 2 Phonics and Year 5 Multiplication Check”, 22 June 2026, published 15 July 2026. The 2028 curriculum: the Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 consultation draft, 16 June 2026. Read at source on 29 September 2026.

Not published yet: the exact window in 2027, the exact number of questions beyond “around 25”, any per-question time limit, how answers are entered, whether division appears, the threshold, and the access arrangements. None is assumed here.

Curriculum expectations: Addition and subtraction facts up to 20, including related number relationships.
When: By the end of Key Stage 1, Primary 4 (P4).

Tell me more about Northern Ireland

Published expectations: The curriculum specifies knowing addition and subtraction facts up to 20, alongside understanding the operations and using mental calculation strategies.
How Alto fits: Alto practises a wide range of key facts within this range, including related subtraction, bonds to 20 and a selection of missing-number questions. It supports the curriculum in force and relevant aspects of the proposed 2028 expectations.
Changing: A new Curriculum 2028 is proposed. The consultation closed in September 2026, and the revised requirements are not yet in force. The draft introduces more specific expectations for number bonds and fluent recall of addition and subtraction facts to 20 in the early primary years.

Source: The Education (Curriculum Minimum Content) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007, Schedule 2; Department of Education, Curriculum 2028 consultation.

Curriculum expectations: Decimals, fractions, percentages, metric units, factors, primes, squares and cubes.
When: Mainly Key Stages 2 and 3, Primary 5 to Year 10, depending on the topic.

Tell me more about Northern Ireland

Published expectations

The curriculum includes place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, measurement and number properties, including factors, prime numbers, squares and cubes.

The expectations extend beyond recalling facts to understanding, calculating and applying mathematical relationships.

How Alto fits

Core practises selected equivalents, metric relationships, squares from 2² to 15² and 20² with their roots, cube numbers from 2³ to 5³, primes to 20 and factor pairs. Extension adds cube roots, further squares, powers, primes and other useful facts.

The bank supports the current curriculum and selected expectations in the proposed Curriculum 2028, without covering the full requirements.

Changing

A new Curriculum 2028 is proposed. The consultation closed in September 2026, and the revised requirements are not yet in force.

The draft includes more specific expectations for squares, roots, primes and cubes during upper primary. These proposed expectations would make parts of Alto’s core particularly relevant, but are not yet statutory.

Source: The Education (Curriculum Minimum Content) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007, Schedule 2; Department of Education, Curriculum 2028 consultation.

Maths is not mapped for Northern Ireland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Mentals is not mapped for Northern Ireland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Spelling is not mapped for Northern Ireland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

Grammar and punctuation is not mapped for Northern Ireland yet. It joins this page with the same four-nation treatment as times tables, once its published expectations have been read at source.

What is true everywhere

All four UK nations expect pupils to develop addition and subtraction knowledge and increasingly fluent use of number facts during primary school. England and Northern Ireland specify facts to 20 in their statutory curricula. Wales names recall within 20 in non-statutory guidance, while Scotland describes progression without prescribing the same list of facts.

Alto practises a wide range of key number facts and related operations. It strengthens recall but does not replace teaching, mental calculation strategies or wider arithmetic practice.

What is true everywhere

All four UK nations teach place value, fraction–decimal–percentage relationships, measurement and number properties. These become increasingly important through upper primary and secondary school, although the stages and specific expectations differ.

Alto Number Facts 2 strengthens recall of selected useful mathematical relationships. The curricula do not prescribe a common list of these facts for automatic recall. Some Alto content extends beyond the minimum expectations for younger pupils, so a pupil who has not yet learnt those facts is not necessarily behind.