Maths Help

"My child hates maths" — here's where you actually start

Most parents who come to us say the same thing: "My child just doesn't have a maths brain." That's almost never true. Here's what's actually going on — and what to do about it.

Hate is a symptom, not a personality trait

When a child says they hate maths, they're usually telling you one of three things:

None of these is a maths problem. They're confidence problems, gap problems, or teaching problems.

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The mistake most parents make first

They buy a workbook. Or they sit down at the kitchen table and try to explain it themselves.

Both usually backfire. The workbook feels like more of what school already isn't working. And you explaining it — even if you're good at maths — carries all the emotional baggage of home. Kids perform differently in front of parents. They shut down faster. They feel more embarrassed getting it wrong.

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What a reset actually looks like

A good tutor's first job isn't to teach. It's to find out exactly where the understanding broke down.

Maths is a subject where everything builds on what came before. A child struggling with fractions in Year 6 might actually have a gap from Year 4 that was never fixed. No amount of Year 6 practice will solve a Year 4 problem.

The starting point is always a proper assessment — not a test, but a conversation. What does the child actually understand? Where does it get fuzzy? That's where you begin, not at the current school topic.

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What to look for in a tutor

One good hour a week, done properly, beats three rushed hours every time.

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The timeline nobody tells you

Progress in maths is not linear. Here's what the first two months typically look like:

That moment around week four to six — that's when the hate starts to lift.

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Where to start right now

If your child is struggling, do these three things this week:

You don't need to solve everything tonight. You just need to find the right starting point.