For parents & teachers

Helping Year 4 prepare for the Multiplication Tables Check

MathsGrip is built for short, regular practice at home or as a supplementary classroom tool. No child account, no leaderboard, no streaks pressuring children to come back. Here's how to use it well.

What MathsGrip does

One job, done quietly.

A child opens the page, practises for around five minutes, and closes the tab. The product picks the next questions; you don't need to.

For parents at home

Three or four sessions a week, around five minutes each. Use the same browser on the same device — that's where progress lives.

  • No email, no password, no parent dashboard to set up
  • The child types answers — no multiple-choice guessing
  • Calm mode first, real MTC speed only on the Mock screen
  • Export a one-page PDF report when you want to see progress

For teachers as a supplement

MathsGrip isn't a school dashboard. It's a free tool you can recommend to families who want to support fluency at home.

  • Share the link in a parent letter or homework grid
  • Children can open it on a school iPad as quiet practice
  • The Fluency Map gives parents a clear picture without comparison to peers
  • No safeguarding surface — no chat, no profiles, no leaderboards
A good routine

Short, frequent, calm.

A pattern that works for most Year 4 children in the run-up to June. Adjust to your child's energy — calmer days are fine.

Mon
Daily Practice
~5 minutes. Calm mode, no timer.
Wed
Focus Facts
~5 minutes. The 8–12 facts that need a rep.
Fri
Daily Practice
~5 minutes. Gentle timer, if confidence is up.
Sun
MTC Mock (optional)
Once or twice a fortnight, not weekly.
What to look at

Helpful signals — and what to ignore.

Number of facts in Repair going down over weeksLook at this
More green on the Fluency MapLook at this
Median response time edging down on the MockLook at this
A single Mock score on a particular dayDon't worry about this
Streak length / how many days in a rowDon't track this
Comparison to a sibling or classmateAvoid this
Common questions

What we hear from parents and teachers.

Why no child account?

Children already have too many logins. We didn't want to add another, and we didn't want to be responsible for storing children's data in the cloud. Local-first means progress lives on the device — simpler, safer, and good enough for the job.

Will my child miss out without a leaderboard?

For times-table fluency, no. Public ranking tends to motivate the children who are already confident and demotivate the rest. Calm, regular practice is what builds recall.

How do I share progress with school?

Settings → Export PDF. It's a one-page summary you can print or send. There's no school dashboard by design.

What if my child gets stuck or upset?

Switch to Calm mode for the next session — no timer at all. Mistakes trigger a short repair, not a red cross. Stop after five minutes, even mid-session.

Can I use this in a classroom?

Yes — as a supplementary station or as recommended home practice. There isn't a teacher view, and there won't be one in the local-first version. For class-wide diagnostics you'll want a different tool.

Try a short session.

Free, local-first, ready in seconds. Nothing to set up.

Start practice Read the research