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National Curriculum Resource Tool

Materials to support teachers and schools in embedding the National Curriculum

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Year 5 - Statistics

New Curriculum

  • solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph
  • complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables.

Non-Statutory Guidance

Pupils connect their work on coordinates and scales to their interpretation of time graphs. They begin to decide which representations of data are most appropriate and why.

Links and Resources

Teachers should use every relevant subject to develop pupils’ mathematical fluency. Confidence in numeracy and other mathematical skills is a precondition of success across the national curriculum.
Teachers should develop pupils’ numeracy and mathematical reasoning in all subjects so that they understand and appreciate the importance of mathematics.

– National Curriculum in England Framework Document, September 2013, p10

Connections within Mathematics

Making connections to this topic in adjacent year groups

Year 4

  • interpret and present discrete and continuous data using appropriate graphical methods, including bar charts and time graphs
  • solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in bar charts, pictograms, tables and other graphs

Year 6

  • interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems
  • calculate and interpret the mean as an average

Cross-curricular and real life connections

Learners will encounter statistics when comparing data and analysing information.

In science, they will be required to represent and interpret data collected in science investigations.

In geography, they will be plotting and interpreting data for international and local weather as well as other geographical data for population, land use etc.

Statistics are also used in everyday life. E.g. when reading bus timetables and information charts.

This article looks at different forms of data and shows how to provide children with the opportunity to develop their analytical skills and look beyond merely representing it in an attractive way.

This article from the NCETM Primary magazine explores how to use mountain data as an inspiration to create and interpret line graphs.

Programmes of study statements Activities
A B C
solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph      
complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables      

Activity A - If the world were a village

There is a video available about this activity

Imagine the world’s population shrunk to just 100 people. How many people would be European? How many would own a car? This activity explores the wide range of data available and considers how best to present it.

Activity B – Presenting the project

A good quality, engaging activity requiring the children to use their reasoning skills whilst reading a range of data charts and diagrams. Can they work out whose birthday it is?

Activity C – The mathematics of Mountains

Some lovely ideas from the NCETM Primary magazine to create and interpret data from line graphs, using nature as inspiration.

Useful Resources

  • Real life examples of timetables
  • Rulers
  • Dice
  • Access to a variety of data

Examples of what children should be able to do, in relation to each (boxed) Programme of Study statement

complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables

I can find the information in a table or graph to answer a question

Table showing fares

The table shows the cost of coach tickets to different cities.

What is the total cost for a return journey to York for one adult and two children?

Solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph.

Screen shot of graph

What is the average height of children of different ages?

Are there differences for boys and girls?

This screen shot is from the Interactive Teaching Programme ‘Data Handling’, using the ‘Average Height’ data set.

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