How to Overcome Maths Anxiety: A Guide for Students and Parents

Maths anxiety is a real condition in which fear or panic interferes with a student's ability to think clearly about mathematics. It affects an estimated 30% of secondary school students in the UK and has nothing to do with intelligence. With the right support, it is very much possible to overcome.

What is maths anxiety, and is it different from just disliking maths?

Disliking maths is common. Maths anxiety is something more: a specific emotional and sometimes physical response that kicks in when maths is involved — in a lesson, during homework, or under exam conditions. Signs include:

A blank mind when faced with a maths problem, even if the student understood it minutes ago

Physical symptoms (racing heart, sweating, stomach upset) before or during maths lessons or exams

Avoidance — putting off maths homework, refusing to attempt questions, giving up quickly

A strong belief that "I'm just not a maths person" or "I'll never be able to do this"

The NHS identifies anxiety in children and teenagers as a condition that can significantly affect daily life when it becomes persistent and pervasive. Maths anxiety shares many features with generalised anxiety: it is not a choice, and it cannot be resolved simply by telling a young person to try harder or not to worry.

What causes maths anxiety?

Maths anxiety rarely has a single cause. Common contributing factors include:

Factor | How it contributes
Early negative experiences | A difficult year with a particular teacher, or being put on the spot and getting an answer wrong publicly
Parental attitudes | Research shows that parents who say "I was never good at maths" inadvertently pass on the belief that maths ability is fixed
Time pressure | Being tested on speed rather than understanding can trigger anxiety responses
The cumulative nature of maths | Missing foundational concepts (e.g. fractions or negative numbers) makes later topics feel impossible, which increases anxiety
Comparison with peers | Watching classmates appear to "just get it" while struggling yourself

Understanding the likely cause for your child is helpful because it points to the most useful type of support.

How parents can help at home

1. Watch your language around maths

The most important thing many parents can do is avoid saying "I was never good at maths either." YoungMinds notes that the messages children absorb from parents shape their beliefs about their own capacity deeply. If maths ability is presented as a fixed trait you either have or do not, there is little reason to persist through difficulty.

Instead, try: "Maths was hard for me too, but it gets clearer with practice" or "You haven't understood this yet — that is completely normal and we can work on it."

2. Make low-stakes maths a normal part of home life

Children who only encounter maths as formal, graded schoolwork often develop a performance-based fear of it. Informal maths — estimating distances, calculating a bill, measuring ingredients for a recipe, working out value for money while shopping — helps build numeracy confidence in a low-pressure context. The goal is to separate maths from assessment for a while.

3. Focus on understanding, not answers

When helping with homework, resist the urge to show your child the quick route to the answer. Maths anxiety often deepens when students learn to follow steps without understanding them — they can reproduce a procedure on a good day, but anxiety blocks that mechanical memory in an exam. Instead, ask questions: "What do you notice about this problem? What do we already know? What could we try?"

4. Seek targeted support early

The Education Endowment Foundation's evidence is clear: gaps in foundational maths knowledge compound over time. A Year 8 student who has not fully understood fractions will struggle with algebra; a GCSE student who does not understand proportion will hit a wall in multiple topics. If your child has a specific gap, targeted support from a teacher or tutor — focused on building understanding in that area — will be more effective than general encouragement.

5. Acknowledge that anxiety is real

Telling a young person "it's not that hard" or "you just need to concentrate" is well-intentioned but counterproductive. It communicates that their experience is wrong or exaggerated, which increases shame. Acknowledging that anxiety is real — "I can see this feels really difficult" — creates the safety that makes problem-solving possible.

What works in the classroom too

If your child's maths anxiety is severe and affecting their school performance, it is worth speaking to their maths teacher or head of year. Many schools can put support in place: small-group withdrawal sessions, adapted assessment conditions, or a referral to a school counsellor. These provisions exist precisely because maths anxiety is a recognised and common challenge.

Frequently asked questions

Can maths anxiety get better?

Yes, with the right support. The key ingredients are: reducing the pressure attached to performance, building genuine understanding of foundational concepts, and creating repeated positive experiences with maths. This takes time — often several months — but it is achievable. Many young people who described themselves as "terrible at maths" in Year 8 have gone on to pass GCSE maths comfortably when given targeted, patient support.

Should I get a maths tutor for my child if they have maths anxiety?

A tutor can be very helpful, provided they approach maths in a way that prioritises understanding over speed and answers. A tutor who drills procedures without checking comprehension can inadvertently reinforce anxiety. Look for someone who asks questions, moves at your child's pace, and treats mistakes as information rather than failures. The first few sessions should feel low-pressure and build confidence before tackling harder material.

Is maths anxiety more common in girls?

Research suggests that girls are somewhat more likely to report maths anxiety, though boys experience it too. One contributing factor is stereotype threat — the unconscious awareness of a negative cultural belief ("girls are worse at maths") that can interfere with performance under pressure. Being aware of this can help parents actively counteract it by framing maths as a skill anyone can develop and by highlighting female mathematicians and scientists as role models.

What if my child's anxiety is affecting them more broadly?

If your child's anxiety is not limited to maths — if it is affecting sleep, mood, social life, or other school subjects — it may be broader anxiety that needs support beyond subject-specific tutoring. The NHS provides clear guidance on anxiety in young people and when to seek help from a GP or mental health professional. YoungMinds also has excellent resources for parents navigating this, including a helpline for parents concerned about their child's mental health.

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