Math // Measurement

Pounds & Pence Notation

Recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p) and combine amounts to make a particular value

Ages
6 to 7
Type
Language
Builds on
1 topic
Leads to
2 topics
Standards
1 code

Quick check

If the learner picks up coins worth 50p, 20p, and 10p, can they write the total using the p symbol — and tell you if that's enough to buy something costing 75p?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Write £1.50 or 150p correctly
  • Combine coins to make a given total, e.g. 50p + 20p + 5p = 75p
  • Read prices written with £ and p symbols

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

1 topic
  • Coin ValuesRequired

    Measurement // Ages 5 to 6

    Using £ and p symbols extends Y1 recognition of coin values

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Pounds & Pence Notation

Ages 6 to 7 // Language

Leads to

2 topics
  • Adding money and giving changeRequired

    Measurement // Ages 6 to 7

    Finding coin combinations requires knowing coin values and symbols

  • Giving ChangeRequired

    Measurement // Ages 7 to 8

    Requires fluency with £ and p symbols

Topic // Research-informed

Teaching notes

From the Marble Skill Taxonomy. These notes have not been validated in classrooms, so treat them as a starting point for your own judgement.

The approach

Year 2 children recognise and use the £ and p symbols, read and say amounts of money two ways (150p and 'one pound and fifty pence'), and combine coins to make a stated target amount by tracking value. The central notation rule is that £ and p are never written together: '£1.50p' is wrong — write 150p, or £1 and 50p, or £1.50. At Year 2 pounds and pence are recorded separately and the same amount has more than one correct written form (150p is the same money as £1 and 50p). Taught through real shop/price contexts, listening for correct use rather than asking for symbol definitions.

Common misconceptions

  • Writes £ and p together (£1.50p, £50p)
  • Muddles the two symbols or which side the symbol goes
  • Reads 150p and £1 and 50p as different amounts (misses the equivalence)
  • When combining coins, counts the number of coins rather than their value toward the total

Useful representations

  • Price tags and till displays showing £ and p
  • Real coins combined to make a target amount
  • A 'say it / write it' pairing (150p to £1 and 50p)
  • A part-whole model of an amount split into coins

Teaching practices

  • Use £ and p in real contexts — price tags, shopping role-play — and listen for correct use
  • Read amounts aloud both ways (150p / one pound fifty) and match them to written prices
  • Teach the notation rule explicitly: never write £ and p together (not £1.50p)
  • Combine coins to hit a target amount, saying the running total by value
  • Record pounds and pence separately at Year 2

Activities to try

  1. 1

    Build a price with coins and record it correctly

    Why it works: An amount of money can be built from coins by adding their values to a target, and the same amount has more than one correct written form, but £ and p are never written together.

    1. Look at a price tag (e.g. 75p, or £1 and 50p) and choose real or on-screen coins to make exactly that amount
    2. Say the running total by VALUE as each coin is added — e.g. '50... 70... 75' — not by the number of coins
    3. Write the amount down in a correct form, then write it a second way if possible (150p / £1 and 50p)
    4. Check your written amount against the rule: never put £ and p together
  2. 2

    Shop role-play: pay, read tags and spot a wrong price

    Why it works: Money language is used in context — reading, saying and paying amounts — and a confident user flags '£1.50p' as wrongly written because £ and p should not appear together.

    1. Take part in a shop/market-stall exchange where a shopkeeper names a price ('one pound and fifty pence') and asks you to make and hand over that amount in coins
    2. Read a price tag aloud (e.g. read '150p' and offer an equivalent spoken form)
    3. Judge a price written as '£1.50p': say whether it looks right and explain what is wrong with it
  3. 3

    Match and write amounts; catch the notation error

    Why it works: Recognising correct notation and equivalent forms, and selecting coins that sum to a target, consolidate the rule that £ and p are recorded separately.

    1. Write a given price (e.g. hear '75p' spoken, write the amount) using correct notation
    2. Match a spoken or written form to its equivalent: draw a line from '150p' to '£1 and 50p'
    3. Combine coins to reach a stated total such as 75p (e.g. 50p + 20p + 5p)
    4. Decide whether '£1.50p' is written correctly and, if not, rewrite it

Topic // Standards

Curriculum standards

Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document
Maths/Y2/M/3

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