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Subtract from a 3-digit number using column subtraction with regrouping

I can subtract from a 3-digit number using column subtraction with regrouping.

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Year 3

Subtract from a 3-digit number using column subtraction with regrouping

I can subtract from a 3-digit number using column subtraction with regrouping.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

Start with the numbers with the smallest place value first.
Regroup when the ones or tens digit of the subtrahend is greater than the ones or tens digit of the minuend.
If the tens digit of the minuend is a zero, a hundred is regrouped before a ten is regrouped.

Keywords

Column subtraction - Column subtraction is a way of subtracting numbers by writing a number below another.
Regrouping - The process of unitising and exchanging between place values is known as regrouping.

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to regroup in the ones and tens when the tens digit is zero.

Explain that pupils may need to regroup from the hundreds first, and then regroup in the ones. They still need to start with the numbers with the smallest place value. When crossing out, pupils need to cross out the '10' tens and replace with 9

Pupils will need to have some familiarity with subtracting from 2-digit numbers, including regrouping in the ones. Pupils may need more experience of regrouping with base ten blocks or other manipulatives before moving onto the column subtraction algorithm.

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).