Pounds & Pence Notation
Recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p) and combine amounts to make a particular value
What a learner can do afterwards
- 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
The lesson
Money is written in two ways. Pence alone use the letter p, like 60p. Pounds and pence together use the £ sign, like £1.50. 100 pence always makes £1, so 100p and £1.00 mean the exact same amount.
Zara counts her coins: a 50p, a 20p, and a 5p. She adds them one by one: 50p, then 50p + 20p = 70p, then 70p + 5p = 75p. The sticker she wants costs 75p, so she has exactly enough.
The dot in £1.50 splits pounds from pence. Always keep two digits after the dot, so write £1.05, not £1.5.
£ counts whole pounds, p counts pence, and 100p always makes exactly £1.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.