We don't give up on a child.
the founder
Until 7 + 8feels easy.
Online abacus classes for kids in Australia.
Live on the soroban, ten children at most, a certified instructor, and a note to you after most classes.
Near you, wherever you live in Australia: every class is live online, in your time zone, and your child joins from home.
Free, about half an hour, live. Nobody asks you to pay or decide anything on the call.
rough work
Tonight's homework
- 7 + 8 =14
- 7 + 8 =16
- 7 + 8 =
- 9 + 6 =?
Counting on fingers under the table. An hour for ten sums. And the quiet decision, somewhere around age seven, that they are just not a numbers person.
None of that is a verdict. It is a method nobody has taught them yet.
Built around Australian schooling
- Years 1 to 2
- Ages 5 to 7
- Years 3 to 6
- Ages 8 to 11
- NAPLAN & selective prep
- Years 3, 5 and beyond
For Australian families
Times tables to 10 × 10 by Year 4, NAPLAN numeracy in Years 3 and 5
Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum asks children to recall the multiplication facts for 3, 4, 5 and 10 in Year 3, and every fact up to 10 × 10 in Year 4. NAPLAN numeracy, sat online each March, checks the same skills in Years 3 and 5.
Years 1 to 2
Year 1 and Year 2
Ages 5 to 7
Every rod holds a five and four ones, so 6, 7, 8 and 9 are seen as five-and-something. Partitioning, which Australian classrooms teach early, becomes something a child can touch.
Number facts to 20 recalled rather than counted on fingers.
Years 3 to 4
Year 3 and Year 4
Ages 8 to 10
Multiplication is practised as moves on the rods and then pictured. This is the stage where most children start calculating on a mental abacus, usually after about a year of regular practice.
Facts to 10 × 10 secure by the end of Year 4, and a calmer Year 3 and Year 5 numeracy test.
Years 5 to 6
Year 5 and Year 6
Ages 10 to 12
Multi-digit mental arithmetic under time pressure: the arithmetic layer of opportunity class and selective school tests, such as the NSW Selective High School Placement Test taken in Year 6.
Arithmetic that no longer eats into the time the reasoning questions need.
Children who freeze in timed tests usually need one small success they can feel. Each of the ten levels ends in a short graded test, so those successes come regularly rather than once a year.
True after-school slots in AEST and AEDT, building the mental maths and times-table fluency that primary school and NAPLAN numeracy reward.
Most Australian families start between Year 1 and Year 4. A Year 5 or 6 starter moves through the first levels faster.
A note from the founder
Some children take to the beads in a week. Some need a month of patient repetition before a number clicks. Both are fine.
What we do not do is give up on a child. Classes stay at ten children at most, so every hand is seen. After most classes you get a note about what went well and what to practise.
We keep going, level by level, until your child solves sums with confidence and math stops being the hard part of the school day.
That is the promise I built Cliffpoint on.
The founder
- Ten children at mostIn every class, so every hand is seen.
- A note after most classesWhat went well and what to practise. You read it in your parent portal.
- Every level testedA timed test closes each one. You see every answer in your parent portal.
We don't give up on a child.
From parents, unedited
I have never seen him so excited about math.
Thank you so much, teacher. It is due to your patience and dedication that my child has shown significant improvement. We truly appreciate your efforts.
My son's math skills improved dramatically after just three months of classes. His concentration has improved in all subjects too.
I was skeptical at first, but the results speak for themselves. My daughter can now calculate faster than I can with a calculator!
We are delighted to share that our daughter has completed her level today with full marks! This achievement wouldn't have been possible without your constant support.
After six months of classes, my daughter's confidence in mathematics has soared. She now enjoys math challenges!
Messages parents sent us. The words are theirs, unedited.
Bring the sum that went wrong
Write a sum from tonight's homework. It is marked the way the soroban teaches it, one rod at a time.
No sum to hand? Try
47 + 38 =85
- set itSet 47 on the soroban.
- five friendTens: 3 won’t fit on the lower beads, so bring down the five-bead and take away 2.
- ten friendOnes: 8 won’t fit, so take away 2 and carry 1 to the tens.
The beads, move by move.
Two fingers, said out loud, until it happens without thinking. That is the first class.
First, a free demo class.
About half an hour, live, on a real soroban, with you beside your child. No card needed.
Then two classes a week.
One hour each, live, and about fifteen minutes of practice a day.
A note after most classes.
So you know what to practise at home.
A timed test closes each level.
Then the certificate, with your child's name on it.
Ten levels. Ten certificates.
Every school year has a prize day. A few children walk up; most clap. Here, no child sits in the audience: every level ends with a timed test, every answer visible to you, and a certificate when it is passed. We keep going until your child earns it.
Level 1, Foundation
The bead values, the fingering, and the three formulas everything afterwards is built on. By the end of it single-digit work is happening in the head, not on the desk. Every child begins here, including the ones who already like maths.
Levels 1 and 2: about the first 7 months.
Cliffpoint Abacus Academy
Certificate of Achievement
This is proudly presented to
Your child’s name
Level 1, Foundation
The bead values, the fingering, and the three formulas everything afterwards is built on.
It stays in this browser.
Questions parents ask
What Australian parents ask us most, state by state.
What time are classes for families in Australia?
Weekday slots start after school in AEST or AEDT, and Western Australian families get times that work in AWST. There are weekend options too. Once we have matched your child to a batch on the demo call, the time stays fixed from week to week.
What are the fees for abacus classes in Australia?
Monthly, in Australian dollars, so nothing arrives as a foreign-currency charge. You get two live classes a week (eight a month) in a batch of no more than ten, and the exact fee comes in writing with your demo time. The abacus and workbooks are a one-off purchase posted to your address.
Will it help with NAPLAN numeracy and school maths?
Abacus training builds exactly the skills the NAPLAN numeracy papers in Year 3 and Year 5 lean on: mental arithmetic, times tables, and calm speed under time pressure. It strengthens the calculation underneath the Australian curriculum rather than replacing schoolwork, so it complements whatever your child's school sets.
Does it help with opportunity class and selective school preparation?
It helps with the arithmetic layer. Opportunity class and selective school tests reward children who calculate quickly and accurately enough that their attention stays on the reasoning. That speed and calm is what the mental abacus builds. We teach mental arithmetic, not test tricks, so treat it as a foundation rather than a substitute for specific test preparation.
What happens when daylight saving starts or ends?
New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia change their clocks; Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not. Batch times are set in your local time, and if the October or April change moves anything for your state, we tell you before it happens.
Do kids with ADHD struggle with maths?
Some do, often with working memory and sustained attention rather than with understanding. We are teachers, not clinicians, so we cannot assess or treat ADHD. What we can say is that abacus work is short, hands-on and structured, and some children find that easier to stay with. If your child has a diagnosis, tell us on the demo call and we will be honest about whether a batch suits them.
Notes for parents
Cities, articles and more for families in Australia
For Australian parents
States, NAPLAN and selective tests
- Whichever state your school is in
- New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia each put the Australian Curriculum into practice their own way. The arithmetic underneath (number facts, times tables, mental strategies) is the same everywhere, and that is the part the soroban builds.
- NAPLAN without teaching to the test
- NAPLAN numeracy tests children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. We do not coach the test. Children who calculate quickly simply have more of the test's time for the questions that need thinking.
- What sits in a month
- Two live one-hour classes a week in your state's time, about fifteen minutes of home practice on other days, a graded test at the end of every level, the soroban and workbook posted to you, and a fee in Australian dollars, in writing.
Read what an abacus is, follow the free step-by-step lessons, try the free virtual abacus, read how our mental maths classes work, or see the ten-level programme.
Online, so location is not a barrier
Abacus classes near you
Western Sydney, Melbourne’s south east or a Perth suburb: “abacus classes near me” ends at the same live online batch, with no after-school drive.
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Perth
- Adelaide
- Canberra
- Gold Coast
- Newcastle
- Parramatta
- Blacktown
- Castle Hill
- Point Cook
- Tarneit
- Wollongong
Plus Western Sydney, the Hills District, Melbourne's west and south east, South East Queensland, the ACT, and everywhere in between.
Classes run live over video. With a stable NBN connection and a quiet corner, your child can join from any postcode in Australia.
For parents
Latest articles
Articles for families across Australia. Research-backed writing on abacus learning, mental maths, and choosing the right class for your child.
Maths Mentals: What They Are and How to Help Your Child Get Faster
What maths mentals are, why they are timed, what a reasonable speed actually looks like by year level, and how to help without turning the kitchen table into a test.
Mental Maths for NAPLAN Numeracy: A Calm Prep Guide for Year 3 and Year 5 Parents
What NAPLAN numeracy really rewards, why mental arithmetic is the quiet advantage, and a no-drama way to build it before March, for Year 3 and Year 5 kids.
Kumon Alternatives: Where Abacus Fits, and Which Child Each Suits
Kumon and abacus both build strong arithmetic, in very different ways. A fair, side-by-side look at how each works and which kind of child each one suits.
We confirm a time within a day.
Your child's first class is free
- You bookYour child's age and how to reach you. Two short steps.
- We confirm a timeWithin a day, with the fee for your country in writing.
- The free demoAbout half an hour, live, on a real soroban, with you beside your child.
- A seat, if you want itOffered by invitation after the class and held for 14 days.
Book a free demo class
A live 30-minute lesson with the instructor who would teach your child. You watch the whole class.
500+ students over 7+ years · certified instructor · live, never recorded
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