How to help with GCSE Maths when you're not a maths person

In short: Your job isn't to teach the maths. It's to help your child plan, stay steady and notice progress. Ask them to explain, keep sessions short, and get the topics right with help from someone who knows them.

You don't have to be the teacher

Many parents worry that they can't help because the maths has changed since their school days. The good news is that the most useful things you can do have nothing to do with knowing the answers.

Ask them to teach you

"Can you show me how you did that?" is one of the most powerful questions you can ask. Explaining a method out loud is one of the best ways to learn it, and you'll quickly hear where they're unsure.

Your job isn't to know the answers. It's to help them keep going.Mrs Bukky

Help with the plan, not the content

• Agree a regular time, like 20 minutes after dinner on school nights.
• Keep a short list of the topics to work on, and tick them off together.
• Notice and name progress: "Last week this took you ages."

Know when to bring in help

If the same topics keep coming up and nothing is moving, that's the moment to get someone who can see exactly what's missing. That's what our free check is for.