Research School Network: Maths Anxiety, Working Memory and Classroom Practice Refining How Pupils Learn Mathematics

There was a time when maths lessons made me feel anxious.

At secondary school, I was placed in the ​‘top’ maths set based on my scores. However, my confidence didn’t match. For nearly two years, I sat in lessons close to tears, copying a friend’s work just to get by. By Year 11, the gap in my understanding had grown so wide, I was unlikely to achieve a grade C. One teacher changed that. She gave up time after school to teach key concepts in a small group to build my confidence. Moving to a lower set transformed my experience of maths and I went on to achieve that grade.

Naturally, those earlier experiences shaped my career in primary education. I was determined not to let my own maths anxiety influence my pupils’ experiences, particularly those who may already be more vulnerable to negative experiences of maths.

Reading Derek Haylock’s Mathematics Explained for Primary Teachers during my Primary Education degree helped me realise that I had learned mathematics instrumentally rather than relationally and this changed how I viewed the difficulties that pupils’ faced.

Since then, my focus has been on helping learners make meaningful connections in maths rather than simply learning procedures, so that it reduces unnecessary cognitive load.

Research now shows maths anxiety is more than confidence: it can reduce the available working memory, making it harder for pupils to think clearly in the moment. (Centre for Neuroscience in Education). This matters because maths anxiety can reduce the working memory available for learning. In practice, this places greater importance on reducing cognitive load and supporting understanding through carefully structured lesson design.

In the classroom, this means carefully managing how much is asked of pupils at once, particularly when they are encountering new concepts.

Worked examples, clear modelling and step-by-step scaffolding can help to reduce demands on working memory. This means attention is directed towards the mathematics itself, while also supporting a sense of psychological safety. This aligns closely with Recommendation 2 of the EEF Improving Mathematics in KS2 and KS3 guidance report, which emphasises the importance of using manipulatives and representations to support understanding. 

However, the art of effective scaffolding lies in knowing when and how to remove support so that pupils can begin to think independently, whilst maintaining a sense of security in their understanding.

Creating safe opportunities to think mathematically is therefore essential. Short partner discussions, rehearsal before sharing and normalising mistakes can all reduce perceived risk and help pupils engage confidently with new concepts. This is reflected in Recommendation 5 of the EEF Improving Mathematics in KS2 and KS3 guidance report, which emphasises metacognition and self-regulation. Initially, teachers may need to explicitly model their own thinking, making decision-making visible so pupils can begin to internalise it.

The guidance report also highlights the importance of using assessment to identify misconceptions and inform task design. Structured tasks, including carefully chosen examples and non-examples, help pupils recognise mathematical structure and avoid common errors.

Regular opportunities for pupils to explain their thinking are key, alongside explicit, structured support where needed.

Over time, this builds both understanding and confidence which in turn can support engagement and enjoyment in mathematics.

Overall, this suggests that supporting pupils with maths anxiety is not an additional task, but can be addressed through high-quality teaching: clear explanation, careful sequencing and attention to how pupils experience success.


For me, this is a reminder of how easily confidence and understanding can drift apart – particularly for pupils experiencing social disadvantage, who may be more likely to encounter repeated barriers or negative experiences in mathematics – and how powerful it is when teaching helps bring these two elements back together.

• Are there sections in my lessons where pupils might be experiencing unnecessary cognitive overload?
• How often are pupils given low-threat opportunities to rehearse their thinking before sharing?
• Do the representations and manipulatives in lessons help pupils see structure or simply add more steps?

• Use clear modelling and worked examples before independent practice, supported by manipulatives and representations where appropriate.
• Build in structured opportunities for pupils to rehearse their thinking (e.g. partner talk) to reduce perceived risk and support understanding.
• Identify misconceptions through careful assessment and plan the gradual withdrawal of scaffolding to support confident independence.

Centre for Neuroscience in Education (n.d.) Exploring working memory, maths anxiety and dyscalculia. University of Cambridge. Available at: Exploring working memory, maths anxiety and dyscalculia
(Accessed: 13 May 2026).

Education Endowment Foundation (2022) Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3: Guidance Report (updated). London: Education Endowment Foundation. Available at: EEF Mathematics Guidance Report (2022 update) (Accessed: 13 May 2026).

Haylock, D. (2024) Mathematics Explained for Primary Teachers. 7^th ed. London: SAGE Publications.

Maths Anxiety Trust (n.d.) What is maths anxiety?
Available at: What is maths anxiety? (Accessed: 13 May 2026).