Helping Year 11 students make progress in GCSE maths
For Year 11 students, GCSE maths can feel challenging, particularly when there are gaps in understanding or certain topics are proving difficult. Mock results can help identify where students need extra support, and there is still time to make a difference before the final exams.
At MathsMakers, we work alongside schools and community organisations to provide additional small-group maths tuition to help students strengthen their understanding, tackle weaker topics and build confidence as they work towards their GCSEs.
Making a difference to GCSE results
The impact of our support can be seen in our 2025/26 GCSE results at Nower Hill High School where we supported 53 students:
Of those students:
72% achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above, compared with the national average of 57%.
53% achieved a grade 5 or above, compared with the national average of 41%.
83% improved their grade compared with the end of Year 10.
55% improved their grade compared with their mock results.
Overall, 60% of students met or exceeded their predicted grade, with 30% achieving a grade above their prediction.
These results demonstrate what focused, additional support can help students achieve.
What students value about our support
Good GCSE preparation is about more than working through exam papers. Students need to understand the topics, feel comfortable asking questions and have the opportunity to address areas they find difficult.
Our small-group sessions give students time and space to work at their own pace, ask questions and receive explanations from qualified maths teachers.
Students have told us what they particularly value:
“The smaller classes helped it feel easier to ask questions.”
“They explain the topics really well.”
“The way the tutor explained made me understand.”
“Targeting my weak points.”
“Being able to go through past papers and fixing up errors that i made.”
“The tutor taking time to talking through the question until I understood.”
This feedback highlights the importance of small groups, clear explanations and targeted support in helping students make progress.
Working in partnership with schools
We work closely with schools to make sure our programmes provide additional support that complements classroom teaching.
One of our school partners, shared this feedback:
“We have used MathsMakers for many years now and find their commitment to our students and their progress commendable.Students come away from the sessions feeling more confident and motivated in maths. MathsMakers often put on revision lessons or targeted lessons around mocks and GCSE time which helps confidence of students and alleviate their exam anxiety. MathsMakers staff and management communicate well with us, which lends itself to good teamwork between the mathematics department and MathsMakers. MathsMakers reinforce what we are teaching in lessons, they instill a love of learning mathematics.”
We value these partnerships and the opportunity to work alongside school staff to support students' progress. Good communication between tutors, schools and families also helps ensure students receive consistent support.
Making the most of the time before GCSEs
Mock results provide a useful opportunity to identify topics that need more attention and plan the next steps.
At MathsMakers, our small-group tuition gives Year 11 students the opportunity to:
Focus on topics they find difficult.
Strengthen their understanding and fill gaps in their knowledge.
Work through past papers and practise exam-style questions.
Ask questions and get explanations from qualified maths teachers.
Build confidence in tackling unfamiliar problems.
Our programmes provide focused support alongside school teaching, helping students make progress towards their GCSE goals.
There's still time to make a difference.
If your school or organisation would like to find out more about our GCSE maths support, please contact us at contact@mathsmakers.org.
