The Learning Journal

Ideas, strategies and reassurance for parents

Written by our tutors, for the families we work with. Ten pieces in each of our five strands, from early number sense to GCSE exam technique.

Maths

Why number bonds matter more than counting

Counting on fingers is not the problem — relying on it is. Here is why secure number bonds unlock everything that follows.

4 min read

Maths

Times tables without the tears

The Year 4 multiplication check is real, but drilling harder is not the answer. A calmer route to fluent tables.

5 min read

Maths

Fractions: the four ideas children mix up

Most fraction errors come from four confusions. Name them clearly and the topic stops feeling impossible.

5 min read

Maths

Helping your child with word problems

The numbers are easy; the sentence is hard. How to help a child decode a maths word problem calmly.

4 min read

Maths

What 'mastery' in primary maths really means

Mastery is not moving faster. It is being able to explain, apply and connect — here is what that looks like at home.

4 min read

Maths

Long division: a calm, step-by-step approach

The method has not changed, but the way we explain it has. A clear route through long division.

5 min read

Maths

Algebra in Year 7: what changes and how to help

Letters appear and confidence drops. Here is what actually changes in Year 7 maths — and how to steady it.

4 min read

Maths

Maths anxiety: what it looks like at home

Tears at homework time are rarely about laziness. Recognising maths anxiety is the first step to easing it.

5 min read

Maths

Five-minute maths routines that stick

Short, regular and spoken. The routines that quietly build fluency without turning home into school.

3 min read

Maths

Reading a maths question is a skill nobody teaches

Decoding the question is half the marks. Three reading habits that lift maths performance immediately.

4 min read