We don't give up on a child.
the founder
Until 7 + 8feels easy.
Online abacus maths classes for kids in the United Kingdom.
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 the United Kingdom: 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 UK schooling
- KS1
- Ages 5 to 7
- KS2
- Ages 7 to 11
- 11+ prep
- Year 5 to 6
For families across the UK
Number bonds in Year 1, the times-tables check in Year 4, SATs in Year 6
Primary schools in England check mental arithmetic at fixed points, and abacus practice lines up with each one. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow their own curricula: the checkpoints differ there, the arithmetic does not.
KS1
Year 1 and Year 2
Ages 5 to 7
Beads stand in for the number line. A child pushes up the five-bead and four ones and sees 9 before they can explain it, which is how number bonds to 10 and 20 stop being guesses.
Number bonds to 20 recalled rather than counted on fingers.
Year 4 check
Year 3 and Year 4
Ages 7 to 9
Multiplication arrives on the soroban as visible moves, then as facts the child can picture. This is the window for the Multiplication Tables Check: 25 questions, 6 seconds each, every table up to 12 × 12.
Six seconds starts to feel like plenty, because the answer is seen rather than worked out.
SATs and 11+
Year 5 and Year 6
Ages 9 to 11
The KS2 SATs open with a 30-minute arithmetic paper, and many 11+ papers include timed mental arithmetic. A child working on the mental abacus by now calculates in their head and has minutes left to check.
A calmer arithmetic paper, and more time left over for the reasoning questions.
A child who has decided they are bad at maths usually needs a win they can feel, not more worksheets. Each of the ten levels ends in a short graded test, so those wins arrive every few months.
After-school slots that sit alongside the school week, building the mental maths that KS2 SATs and 11+ preparation reward.
Most UK families start in Year 1 to Year 4, ideally before the Year 4 check. A Year 5 or 6 starter moves through the early 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 UK parents ask us most, before and on the demo call.
How do classes fit around UK school terms and holidays?
Live classes run weekly in after-school weekday and Saturday morning slots, so they sit alongside the UK school week rather than disrupting it. Specific handling of half term, end-of-term and main school holidays is confirmed on the demo call once we match your child to a batch.
What are the fees for abacus classes in the UK?
Tuition is quoted and billed in pounds sterling on a clear monthly schedule, so there are no currency conversion charges on your statement. The exact fee comes in writing with your demo time, and nobody asks you to pay or decide on the call. The physical toolkit (the abacus and workbooks) is a separate one-off purchase, and postage is invoiced to your UK address.
How does it sit alongside KS2 SATs and 11+ preparation?
The KS2 SATs arithmetic paper and the numerical reasoning and mental arithmetic sections of common 11+ and independent school entrance papers all reward speed and confidence with mental calculation. Abacus training is built around exactly that.
What time zones do you teach in for UK families?
All UK batches run in GMT during the winter and BST during British Summer Time. Most families pick an after-school weekday slot or a Saturday morning. Once enrolled, the time stays consistent week to week so it slots cleanly into the family routine.
How do I improve my child's mental maths at home?
Little and often beats long sessions. Five minutes a day on number bonds or one times table, said out loud and in mixed order, does more than an hour at the weekend. Ask for estimates in the shop or on a journey, and let your child check them. If you want something visual, our free online soroban lets them move the beads themselves.
Does it work for children in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Scotland follows the Curriculum for Excellence, Wales the Curriculum for Wales, and Northern Ireland its own curriculum and transfer test. None of that changes the arithmetic a soroban trains, and the batches run in UK time for every nation.
Notes for parents
Cities, articles and more for families in the United Kingdom
A note for UK parents
What abacus does, and does not do, for a child in a UK school
- It sits alongside school, not instead of it
- Your child keeps the methods their school teaches: column addition, the grid method, short division. Abacus adds a second route, a picture of the number they can move in their head. Most children end up using both: the written method when the question asks for working, the mental one to check it.
- The checkpoints it helps with
- The Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check, the arithmetic paper at the start of the Year 6 SATs and the timed mental arithmetic in many 11+ papers all reward the same thing: fast, accurate calculation without counting on fingers. That is the skill a soroban builds, one level at a time.
- What it will not do
- It is not 11+ verbal reasoning coaching or a complete SATs course. If your child needs those, abacus makes the arithmetic part of the preparation lighter, but it does not replace it, and we will say so on the demo call.
- How the week works
- Two live hour-long classes a week, after school or on a Saturday morning UK time, with about fifteen minutes of practice at home on the other days. Batches never go above ten children, and the soroban and workbook are posted to your UK address.
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
Searching “abacus classes near me” from a London flat or a village in the Dales lands you in the same live online class. No school-run detour: the class comes to your kitchen table.
- London
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Leeds
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- Sheffield
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Belfast
- Cardiff
- Coventry
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- Brighton
- York
Plus Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent, Essex, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and beyond.
Classes run live over video. With a stable broadband connection and a quiet corner, your child can join from any postcode.
Searching for the Japanese method specifically? Read what a soroban is and how it works.
For parents
Latest articles
Articles for parents across the United Kingdom. Clear, research-backed writing on abacus learning, mental maths, and choosing a class that fits your child.
Maths Olympiad UK: A Parent's Guide to Primary Competitions
Which maths olympiads UK primary children can actually enter, what the questions reward, and how to prepare a 6 to 12 year old without pressure.
The Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check: A Parent's Guide to Calm, Confident Prep
What the MTC actually tests, why the 6 second timer is the hard part, and a calm plan to build the fluent recall your Year 4 child needs, without tears.
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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