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28/08/2026

How many people do you think are in this stadium?

Make an estimate before you read on.

Maybe you looked at the picture and thought there were around 5,000.

Maybe you went higher. Maybe lower.

Maybe you worked from roughly how many people you could see in one section and then scaled it up.

There isn't one particular way I want you to do this.

What I'm interested in is how you estimated it.

Because that's actually a really important part of maths.

Estimation isn't just about getting close to the right answer. It's about developing a feel for numbers.

It's being able to look at something and think "that seems about right" or "hang on, that's way off."

And that's a really useful skill for children to develop as the maths gets harder.

Because when they're working with much bigger numbers, decimals, percentages or calculations with several steps, having a sense of what the answer should look like, or what it definitely shouldn't be, gives them something to check against.

So the next time you're out somewhere, have a go.

How many people are there?

How much do you think that shopping will cost?

How long do you think the journey will take?

You don't need to turn it into a maths lesson.

Just ask for the estimate.

That's where a really interesting conversation often starts.

27/08/2026

“Mum, I just don’t get it.”

For some parents, that sentence won’t sound particularly worrying.

It might be something your child has said about maths dozens of times before.

But imagine hearing it again in September…

New teacher.
New year.
New topics.
And suddenly the maths feels harder than it did before.

You might find yourself wondering:

Is this just a tricky topic?

Have they forgotten something over the summer?

Or have they actually been struggling with the foundations for a while?

That’s the bit that can be difficult to spot.

Because children don’t always look like they’re struggling when they have gaps in their maths.

Sometimes they just work more slowly.

Sometimes they rely heavily on a particular method.

Sometimes they avoid asking questions because they don’t know what to ask.

And sometimes they’ve become very good at saying, “I hate maths.”

This is why I believe in dealing with those gaps before they become bigger problems.

My programme is built around strengthening those underlying calculation skills and helping KS3 students understand what they’re doing — not simply teaching them another method to remember.

And if you want to go into September feeling a little more informed about what to look out for, start with my free guide.

It will give you some of the common misunderstandings I see and help you recognise them when they crop up.

The free guide is available in the comments or via the link in my bio.

23/08/2026

One of my favourite things to do when I have a bit of downtime is get out in the garden, and this year I've been giving my pots a bit of extra TLC.

And honestly, the difference is incredible!

A few weeks ago, some of these plants looked like they were on their last legs. I had hardly any tomatoes, everything was looking a bit sad and droopy, and there were plants I'd pretty much written off.

Now look at them.

Some of them have bounced back completely. Others have never looked better.

And it got me thinking about something I see all the time in tutoring.

Sometimes it's not that something can't thrive. It's that it hasn't had quite the right conditions to do so.

Give these plants enough light, warmth, plenty of water and the right environment, and look what happens.

Children are no different.

After years of teaching one-to-one, I've learned an enormous amount about what helps children make progress in maths. I still teach one-to-one, and I still really enjoy it. There are things about individual tuition that are incredibly valuable.

But I've also seen where it has its limitations.

Sometimes a child needs more than an hour a week.

Sometimes they need more regular opportunities to revisit something.

Sometimes they need to build the foundations properly rather than constantly moving on to the next thing.

And sometimes they need support that fits around everything else that's going on, rather than another lesson where they're expected to keep up.

That's a big part of why I've created my new programme.

It's not about throwing more maths at children.

It's about creating the right conditions for them to become more secure, more flexible and more confident in their maths.

Because sometimes the difference between “I just can't do this” and “Oh… I think I get it” isn't ability.

Sometimes they just need the right environment to grow.

(And before anyone worries — yes, I'm allowed to water my pots! We're not on a hosepipe ban here in Shropshire. 😉)

20/08/2026

Is your child going into Year 10 and suddenly GCSEs don't feel quite so far away?

It might not be something you’re worrying about all the time.

But perhaps there’s that little thought in the back of your mind…

What if they get to GCSEs and suddenly realise there are things they were supposed to understand years ago?

Because that’s often how it happens.

A child can be getting through their maths lessons. They can be getting reasonable marks. They can even seem like they’re “doing fine”.

But underneath that, there can be little gaps.

Things they’ve learned to work around.

Methods they can follow but don’t really understand.

Calculations that take far more effort than they should.

And then, as the maths gets harder, those little gaps start to matter more.

That’s why I’m such a big believer in early intervention.

Not piling more GCSE work onto a child before they’re ready.

But strengthening the foundations underneath the maths, so that when the harder stuff arrives, they have something secure to build on.

That’s the thinking behind the programme I’ve created for KS3 students.

And if you’re not sure whether your child has any of those gaps, my free guide is a really good place to start.

It highlights some of the small calculation misunderstandings I see regularly, so you know what to look out for when they’re back at school.

You don’t need to panic about GCSEs yet. But you can make sure the foundations are there before they arrive.

Download the free guide via the link in my bio and I'll pop it in the comments too.

19/08/2026

The little drop in temperature this week has got me thinking...

As the weather starts to cool down, it’s actually a really natural opportunity to think about one of those maths ideas that can feel surprisingly confusing for children:

Negative numbers.

Although thankfully we're not into minus temperatures just yet!

A number line can make a huge difference here.

And for negative numbers, I particularly like using it vertically, rather than always drawing it across the page.

Because then you can actually see:

⬆️ the numbers getting bigger
⬇️ the numbers getting smaller
0 sitting in the middle and the negative numbers continuing below it.

So instead of trying to remember a rule about whether numbers get bigger or smaller, a child can actually see where the numbers are and how they change.

A thermometer can be a starting point for lots of quick questions:

What temperature is it now?

What would happen if it dropped by 3 degrees?

How much has the temperature changed?

Which temperature is higher?

Nothing that needs to turn into a maths lesson.

But those little experiences of seeing how numbers behave are exactly what help mathematical ideas become more secure.

And if negative numbers are something your child has struggled with before, this is one of the small ideas I explore in more detail in my free guide.

It’s designed to help you spot the sorts of calculation misunderstandings that can quietly cause problems later on.

You don't need to sit down and teach it. Just knowing what to look for can make a difference.

You can download the guide via the link in my bio.

16/08/2026

You see the medal.

You don't see the years it took to get there.

I was watching Matthew Hudson-Smith win the European 400m title in Birmingham this week, and I couldn't help thinking about the children I work with.

I first saw him run at the World Championships in London in 2017.

He was already incredibly talented. But that race didn't quite come together.

Then came injuries, setbacks and a period where his career could very easily have gone in a completely different direction.

But he kept working.

And gradually, the results came.

World bronze.
World silver.
Olympic silver.

And now, European champion again — on his home track, with a stand bearing his name.

There's a line from his story that really sticks with me:

For years, he was chasing times and expectations.

Eventually, it became much more about executing the race.

And I think there's something really important in that for children learning maths.

Especially in those years before GCSE.

It's very easy to look at a child who is struggling with calculations and think about the result.

The mark they got.

The question they couldn't do.

The test they didn't quite reach the expected level on.

But the result is only the bit we can see.

Underneath it are all the things that actually make the difference:

Understanding place value.
Building reliable calculation strategies.
Learning from mistakes.
Developing fluency.
Becoming more confident.
Knowing what to do when something doesn't work.
And, most importantly, having enough time to practise those things properly.

You don't build a great 400m runner by telling them to run faster.

And you don't build a confident mathematician by simply giving them harder questions.

You build the foundations.

You practise.

You adjust.

You keep going.

And then, one day, the thing that looked difficult starts to look possible.

We tend to celebrate the result.

But it's the work that came before it that made the result possible.

That's the bit I'm interested in. ❤️

13/08/2026

Does your child avoid analogue clocks but have no problem reading the time on their phone?

I've had a surprising number of older students tell me that telling the time is something they'd like to get better at.

They can read the time on their phone or laptop without a second thought.

But put an analogue clock in front of them and suddenly they have to stop, count, work it out — or just avoid answering.

And this is exactly the sort of thing that can go under the radar.

They're coping. They're finding ways around something they're not quite sure about, so nobody necessarily realises there's a gap.

And actually, you don't need to turn it into a big maths lesson.

Try helping them see the clock as four chunks of 15 minutes, rather than 60 individual minutes.

It makes the language much easier to visualise:
quarter past → half past → quarter to

But there's some really useful maths hiding in there too.
Four lots of 15 make 60, so you've got a ready-made model for multiples of 15, factors of 60 and fractions of an hour.

That's the sort of connection I love.

Because being good at maths isn't just about instantly recalling every fact. It's about being able to use what you already know when you don't instantly know the answer.

That's a huge part of what we work on in Strength in Numbers — making those connections so children have something to draw on when they're unsure, rather than simply getting stuck.

So if your child is perfectly happy with digital time but struggles with an analogue clock, this is one worth trying.

Save it to come back to, and follow for more practical maths tips you can try at home.

11/08/2026

There’s something about the back-to-school signs appearing in July and August that can make September suddenly feel very real.

For some children, that might be exciting.

For a child who has found maths difficult, though, it can bring a whole different set of thoughts:
What if I can't do it?
What if I fall even further behind?
What if I'm asked a question and don't know the answer?
What if everyone else understands and I'm the one who doesn't?

Those worries can feel enormous when you're the child experiencing them.

And sometimes they don't come out as “I'm worried about maths.”

They might come out as avoiding the conversation when you start talking about September.

Not wanting to think about new stationery, school shoes or getting ready for the new year.

Changing the subject when school comes up.

Or just seeming noticeably more tense or resistant as the summer goes on.

Not because they're being difficult.

Sometimes it's because September means going back to something that has already felt hard.

And if you've spent a whole year feeling on edge in maths — worrying about getting things wrong, avoiding putting your hand up, or constantly wondering whether you'll be the one who doesn't understand — it's understandable that the thought of going back can bring those feelings with it.

That's why I don't think we should wait until a child is really struggling before we intervene.

Year 9 is particularly important.

It's the year just before the GCSE programme begins, so it's a valuable opportunity to rebuild confidence, address those gaps and change the experience of maths before GCSE maths becomes the next thing they have to face.

That's why I created my free guide.

It gives you some things to look out for in the way your child approaches maths, together with practical ideas to help you start supporting them at home.

If the back-to-school signs have made you wonder whether something is going on underneath the surface, you can get your free copy through the link in my bio or the link in the comments.

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One of the things I love about the school holidays is having a bit more space to do the things I don't always have time ...
09/08/2026

One of the things I love about the school holidays is having a bit more space to do the things I don't always have time for during term time. And this week I've been much quieter and taken some time for myself:

A bit of gardening 🌱
Walks with Poppy 🐾
A good book 📚
A puzzle to get stuck into 🧩
And, inevitably, a little bit of thinking about maths tuition in between!

It’s nice to slow down a bit — and remember that there’s a whole person behind the tutor too. 😊

06/08/2026

Have you heard the word fluency when people talk about maths... and wondered what it actually means?

This is one of the clearest explanations I've come across, which is why I wanted to share it.

For me, fluency has never been about being quick or simply recalling facts.

It's about understanding maths well enough to make connections.
It's recognising that the same idea can look different depending on how it's presented. It's having more than one strategy available and being able to choose the one that makes the most sense in that moment.

And perhaps most importantly, when a fact doesn't come instantly to mind, it's having enough understanding to work it out using what you already know.

That's exactly what I've built Strength in Numbers around.

Rather than teaching children lots of isolated tricks, it focuses on strengthening the foundations and helping them make those connections, so maths becomes something they can reason through, not just remember.

❤️ Follow for more practical insights into how children really learn maths.

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