Around 6% of people are estimated to have dyscalculia, yet researchers say it remains underdiagnosed and under-recognised in the UK.¹
In 2026, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology reported that access to assessment remains limited and children with dyslexia are significantly more likely to receive diagnosis and specialist support than those with dyscalculia.¹
If your child is diagnosed with dyscalculia, it can explain persistent difficulties they may have experienced with maths. Parents can then work with their school to identify how those difficulties affect learning and what support may help in practice.
We reviewed current research and available school guidance to help you understand what schools can provide and what dyscalculia accommodations may involve, so you can make informed decisions about your child's support.
Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty that particularly affects how a person understands and works with numbers. Its current 2025 definition identifies a pronounced and persistent difficulty with numerical magnitude processing and understanding as its most commonly observed feature.
In simpler terms, a child may find it difficult to grasp the quantities and values that numbers represent and how they relate to one another.
For a child, dyscalculia may affect:
number names and number order
comparisons between numbers and quantities
estimates of quantities
place value
Children with dyscalculia can do well in many other areas, as their difficulties with numbers do not reflect their intelligence or overall academic ability.
Broader maths learning difficulties are more common than dyscalculia and can have different causes, while maths anxiety may occur alongside dyscalculia without indicating the condition on its own.
If you suspect dyscalculia, a maths screening test can identify characteristics that may warrant further investigation, but it cannot provide a diagnosis. The British Dyslexia Association recommends a formal diagnostic assessment by an appropriately qualified assessor.
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For children attending schools in England, dyscalculia-related needs can fall within the wider system for special educational needs (SEN). Schools can put SEN support in place if they identify that a child needs additional or different help with learning, without waiting for a formal dyscalculia diagnosis.
Under the special educational needs and disability (SEND) Code of Practice, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to ensure children receive the special educational provision they need.
Schools organise SEN support through a four-part cycle, known as the graduated approach:
Assess: Your child's teacher and the school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) look at their progress, areas of difficulty and strengths, alongside your views and your child's.
Plan: The teacher and SENCO agree with you and your child on the support, its expected impact and a date to review progress.
Do: Your child's teacher remains responsible for their learning and works with any teaching assistants or specialists involved.
Review: The teacher and SENCO review the impact with you and your child and adjust the support where needed.
Schools also have a separate duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for children who meet its definition of disability. Under the Act, disability means a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Whether a child with dyscalculia meets that definition depends on how the condition affects them. Schools must take reasonable steps to prevent substantial disadvantage for children who meet that definition.
You can ask your local authority for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment at any time if you think your child may need an EHC plan. The authority will look at what the school has already tried. It may then decide that an EHC plan is needed.
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Open conversations between teachers and families can help them see what is working and where a child may need different support.
Children with dyscalculia may need different adjustments depending on how their difficulties affect learning. There is no single set of accommodations attached to a dyscalculia diagnosis, so the school should choose support around your child's identified needs and review whether it is helping.
In practice, school support may include:
During maths lessons: Teachers may allow your child to use number lines, times-table squares, calculators or other concrete resources where appropriate. Some children may also work with a teaching assistant in a small group or receive support from a specialist teacher.
For written work and practice: Paper with larger squares can make it easier to organise and record numerical information, while teachers can adapt how they present tasks and instructions to reduce unnecessary barriers.
During tests and assessments: Your child may need additional time or another adjustment that allows them to show what they know without changing what the assessment is designed to measure.
Current research on dyscalculia shows that structured, targeted teaching of foundational arithmetic and number concepts can help, with support tailored to the individual child and reviewed regularly.
Formal tests have their own rules, so additional time or another classroom adjustment does not automatically apply in every assessment.
For GCSEs and other qualifications covered by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), schools must follow its access-arrangement rules, establish the child's individual need and meet the relevant evidence requirements. The arrangement should also reflect how the child normally works at school.
Key Stage 2 tests follow separate guidance from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA). Depending on the arrangement, schools may need to apply for permission, notify the STA or make the decision themselves if the support reflects the child's normal classroom practice.
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You can make conversations with your child's school more useful by bringing specific examples of recurring difficulties you have noticed and asking what teachers are seeing in class. You and the school can then build a clearer picture of the barriers affecting your child's maths learning and the support that may help.
The following four questions can keep the discussion focused:
What difficulties are you seeing at school, and what may be contributing to them?
Which support or adjustments have you tried so far?
What outcome are we working towards, and how will we know whether the support is helping?
When will we review progress?
For children receiving SEN support, schools should talk with parents regularly and meet them at least three times each year to set clear outcomes and review progress. Regular reviews give you and the school a chance to compare what you are both seeing and agree whether the support needs to change.
Where progress remains limited despite support matched to your child's needs, the school should consider involving specialists and involve you in that decision.
If you still have concerns about the SEN support your child receives, speak to the SENCO first to try to resolve them. You can follow the school's complaints procedure if the issue remains unresolved. Your local Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Service can also provide information and advice about SEND.
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At Mathnasium, students work at a pace that takes the pressure off, with encouragement and support from instructors to help them focus on understanding maths.
Mathnasium is a maths-only learning centre dedicated to helping students of all skill levels excel in maths.
Children who find maths difficult may have secure understanding in some areas and gaps in others, so instruction starts from what each child already knows and what they need to learn next.
While we do not diagnose dyscalculia, which requires an appropriately qualified specialist assessor, we provide structured maths support based on each child's individual learning needs.
We deliver this support through the Mathnasium Method™, our proprietary teaching approach designed to build maths mastery through deep understanding.
Our approach includes:
Assessment and customised learning plans. Every child begins their Mathnasium journey with a diagnostic assessment that identifies what they already know and where gaps remain. We use the insights to create a bespoke learning plan that addresses those gaps, builds on existing knowledge and provides greater challenge where appropriate.
Teaching for understanding. Our specially trained instructors use mental, verbal, visual, tactile and written techniques to explain how and why maths works and develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. Different ways of presenting a concept give children more than one way to make sense of the maths.
Face-to-face instruction. Children work face-to-face with specially trained instructors in a caring and fun group environment, following their own learning plan at a pace that suits them. Families can choose between in-centre and live online instruction, depending on the options available through their centre.
Confidence and engagement. Sessions include games and earned rewards that encourage children to participate actively and engage with maths. As their skills and understanding develop, children can also grow in confidence and develop a more positive attitude towards maths.
The impact extends beyond the classroom:
94% of parents report an improvement in their child's maths skills and understanding
93% of parents report their child's improved attitude towards maths after attending Mathnasium
90% of students saw an improvement in their school grades
With over 1,250 centres worldwide and over 40 across the UK, there is likely a Mathnasium centre near you.
Families across Notting Hill, North Kensington, Kensal Rise, Queens Park, Bayswater, Kensington and Holland Park trust Mathnasium of Notting Hill to help their children build lasting maths confidence.
If your child needs additional help with maths alongside the support they receive at school, our team is ready to help.
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References:
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. (2026, March 13). Dyscalculia: Scientific evidence and policy implications. UK Parliament. https://post.parliament.uk/dyscalculia-scientific-evidence-and-policy-implications/
Mathnasium of Notting Hill is a math-only learning centre for K-12 students in London, LON. Trusted by over a million parents, Mathnasium uses personalized learning plans and the proprietary Mathnasium Method™ to help students catch up, keep up, and get ahead on their math journey.
Our specially trained tutors deliver face-to-face instruction in a supportive and fun small-group environment, working with students both in centre and online to develop a deep understanding of math, build confidence, and improve academic performance.
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