Maths anxiety. The term was coined in 1980 by Shelia Tobias and Carol Weissbrod to describe the “panic, helplessness, paralysis, and mental disorganisation” that arises among some people when they are required to solve a mathematical problem. 

Many of us have been there ourselves, as adults and as children. And certainly, maths anxiety is something that many teachers will be used to seeing. But at what age does it first occur? When, and why, do children develop it? And what does that mean for their success when it comes to maths?

According to Loic Menzies, chief executive for The Centre of Education and Youth, we can be quite specific about when maths anxiety first develops: it’s around the age of 7, when pupils are in Years 3 and 4. And as it grows, some children begin to disengage with maths. 

Why do we see this happening in Years 3 and 4 specifically? Well, according to Menzies, this is the point where maths content moves beyond basic numeracy. 

“There are certain skills that you’re learning at the start of key stage 2, which are just that bit more sophisticated than basic numeracy, which can cause hiccups and misconceptions,” he explains.

“This, in turn, can cause a reduction in pupils’ confidence in maths and bring about this maths anxiety. This creates difficulties which come to the fore even more when they begin complex maths like algebra later on in education.”

As well as the shift in content, parents also play a role in the development of maths anxiety. A 2020 study by Mehmet Hayri Sari and Thomas Hunt looked at the correlation between pupils’ maths skills and parents’ attitudes. Up to the age of about 7, there isn’t a particularly strong correlation, but from the age of about 8, there is. It seems that, as maths becomes more complex, parents’ own confidence in supporting their children outside of school wavers, which then increases maths anxiety, and in turn affects maths ability. 

Maths anxiety: why we need to tackle it

So, why does all this matter? And what can schools and teachers be doing, specifically, around this tipping point in Years 3 and 4?

Maths is hugely important. OECD’s Andreas Schleicher once said: “Good numeracy is the best protection against unemployment, low wages and poor health.” And yet, even before the pandemic, maths was one of the subjects in which the gap between pupil premium pupils and their peers was the highest: at GCSE, the equivalent to 17.5 months of learning.

And new research published by Menzies, Baz Ramaiah and Catherine Boulton, A Space for Maths: exploring the need for maths tutoring and the potential role of third space learning, found that those who do poorly in maths early on are less likely to achieve highly at the end of secondary school, compared with pupils who do poorly in English at KS2.

Both maths anxiety and a lack of school intervention are to blame for this discrepancy, Menzies believes. 

“When pupils develop maths anxiety, that can lead to cognitive overload, which means students struggle to grasp any learning. Maths also has a cumulative nature - so not knowing how to multiply fractions, for example, will make it harder to solve an algebra equation,” he explains. “Also in schools, there are fewer interventions around maths, in comparison with English, for example. Schools are quicker to respond to difficulties with early reading than they are with difficulties with early maths.” 

It’s a complex issue, but there are some simple things teachers can put in place in Years 3 and 4 to help to lessen the effects. 

What needs to happen in Years 3 and 4?

Tackling the maths anxiety that both students and their parents feel is crucial, says Menzies.

With children, the key is for teachers to identify where there are common misconceptions. Ask yourself: in which exercises do children start to avoid maths? Once you’ve diagnosed the problem areas, teachers should work specifically on addressing misconceptions in these areas before moving on, he suggests.

“Key to this is creating an environment in the classroom where children realise that they are taking on more complicated maths and problems, and that it’s OK to work through those problems,” he says. “Where possible, one-on-one tutoring can be really great at this. When away from a big group, children can be less worried about failing, and are more likely to be honest about what they’re struggling with.” 

When it comes to building parents’ confidence, it’s all about inviting them into school and familiarising them with the content taught. 

“Teachers might want to think about how they can help parents understand the new methods which are used when teaching maths, for example how we multiply fractions, and what their children are being taught about in school, and reinforcing that,” says Menzies. “We need to encourage them to make sure they are not passing on any of that maths anxiety, and make sure they have the confidence to help their children, even if maths is something they struggle with themselves. It’s all about breaking that intergenerational link.”

There are plenty of programmes that provide families with support with early reading, and this is something we should look to emulate in maths, he says. 

As well as addressing the misconceptions that underpin the struggles some pupils face around maths, we also need to change how maths is perceived in schools, suggests Menzies.

To make maths relevant, primary teachers will often link learning to a real-world context (shopping, for example), believing that this connection to life outside the classroom will make it easier for pupils to grasp concepts. But Menzies says we should be teaching children that maths has lots of layers, and that even if something doesn’t seem relevant now, it will become so in the future.

“Maths is so cumulative: a particular thing might not reveal its function until much later. For example, I only realised when I was applying to study chemistry A level that my lack of maths skills would get in the way, as it did when I was at university trying to learn economics,” he says.

“In maths, you need to build skills layer by layer. Instead of always trying to find a specific example for the little component that’s being taught, you have to create an environment in which learning and getting better at solving this problem is exciting in itself. Pupils need to recognise the importance of building a foundation that will allow them to do even more complicated stuff in the future.”

Why more research is needed

While Menzies recommends taking the above steps, he recognises that there isn’t a wealth of information available for teachers specifically on interventions in maths to tackle the tipping point in Years 3 and 4. 

Crucially, to know what can really work, more interventions need to be carried out, he says. The EEF toolkit on tutoring, for example, includes mostly literacy interventions. 

“There’s a gap in the evidence base that reflects the fact that interventions don’t tend to focus on maths,” he adds. “There’s a strong case for focusing a little bit more on interventions particularly at that age, and then carrying out some really good research to see which of those work best, as at the moment it’s really skewed.”