Something significant is happening in classrooms across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider Middle East — and it is gathering pace fast. As GESS Dubai 2026 draws closer, the region's largest annual gathering of educators and school decision-makers is once again focusing minds on a pivotal question: how do we make maths genuinely work for every child?
With over 7,500 educators and procurement leads expected to convene in Dubai in November 2026, the conversation is shifting decisively away from rote drilling and towards skills-based, digitally-driven learning. Game-based maths platforms — particularly those built around multiplayer engagement and neurodivergent-friendly design — are no longer a curiosity. They are rapidly becoming a procurement priority.
At XTables Champions, we have been watching this shift unfold with real interest. This article is our considered response to what we are seeing: a region-wide transformation in how primary schools approach maths fluency, and what it means for teachers, SENCOs, and parents who want every child to thrive.
The GESS Dubai Moment: Why 2026 Matters
GESS Dubai has long been the bellwether for EdTech procurement across the MENA region. What makes 2026 particularly significant is the convergence of two major forces: a post-pandemic urgency to close maths attainment gaps, and a generational shift in how children learn.
School leaders attending GESS are increasingly reporting that traditional maths interventions — worksheets, timed tests, textbook drills — are failing a meaningful proportion of their pupils. Children who experience maths anxiety, those with SEND needs, and neurodivergent learners are disproportionately affected. The result is a growing cohort of children who disengage from maths before they ever build the foundational fluency they need.
The EdTech solutions earning serious attention at events like GESS are those that address this engagement problem head-on — not by making maths easier, but by making it genuinely compelling.
What 'Skills-Based EdTech' Actually Looks Like in Practice
The phrase 'skills-based learning' risks becoming jargon, so it is worth being concrete about what MENA school leaders are actually looking for.
When educators in the UAE or Saudi Arabia describe their ideal maths platform, common themes emerge:
- Genuine engagement — children choose to play, rather than being compelled to practise
- Multiplayer and social elements — learning that mirrors the social world children already inhabit
- Inclusive design — platforms that do not exclude children with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, or maths anxiety
- Measurable fluency outcomes — teachers and SENCOs need to see progress, not just participation
- Low-barrier access — tools that work across devices and do not require extensive teacher training to deploy
This is not a wishlist unique to the Middle East. These are precisely the pain points that primary teachers and SENCOs in the UK have been raising for years. What is new is the scale and speed at which MENA schools are now acting on them.
Why Multiplayer Game-Based Learning Is Resonating So Strongly
One of the clearest signals coming out of regional EdTech adoption reports is that multiplayer game-based learning is outperforming solo drill-and-practice tools on engagement metrics. The reason is straightforward: children are already deeply familiar with multiplayer gaming as a leisure activity. When a maths platform speaks that same language — familiar game mechanics, social competition, real-time collaboration — the psychological barrier to engagement drops dramatically.
For children with maths anxiety, this matters enormously. Anxiety is often triggered by the isolating, high-stakes feel of traditional maths assessments. A well-designed multiplayer environment reframes the experience: the child is part of a team, the stakes feel manageable, and success is shared. Over time, repeated positive experiences begin to recalibrate a child's emotional relationship with numbers.
This is the philosophy at the heart of XTables Champions. Rather than building a generic flashcard app with a game skin, we have integrated maths fluency practice directly into the kinds of games children already love — with a strong multiplayer dimension that keeps engagement high session after session. The result is a platform that works particularly well for the children who need the most support: those with maths anxiety, SEND needs, and neurodivergent profiles.
Overcoming Maths Anxiety: What Middle Eastern Educators Are Getting Right
It is worth acknowledging something that MENA educators are doing particularly well: talking openly about maths anxiety as a real barrier to learning, not a character flaw or a sign of low ability.
In conversations with educators across the region, there is a refreshing willingness to interrogate the emotional dimension of maths learning. Questions like *why does this child shut down during number work?* and *what does safety feel like in a maths lesson?* are increasingly part of the pedagogical conversation.
For SENCOs and class teachers, this means the tools they adopt need to do more than deliver content. They need to:
- Create low-stakes entry points so anxious learners can begin without fear of failure
- Build confidence gradually, celebrating incremental progress
- Avoid time pressure as the primary motivator (timed tests are a known anxiety trigger for many children)
- Give children agency over their learning pace
XTables Champions was designed with exactly these principles in mind. Every element of our platform — from the way feedback is delivered to the way multiplayer sessions are structured — has been considered through the lens of what makes a child with maths anxiety feel safe enough to try.
What This Means for Schools Evaluating EdTech Right Now
Whether you are a Year 4–6 teacher in Dubai, a SENCO in Riyadh, or a school leader preparing your technology procurement ahead of GESS Dubai 2026, the practical question is the same: which platforms will genuinely move the needle for your most vulnerable learners?
Our honest advice is to evaluate any maths EdTech tool against these questions:
- Does it work for children who already dislike maths — not just those who are mildly disengaged?
- Is the game design genuinely compelling, or is it a thin wrapper around a drill?
- Does it include multiplayer or social features that sustain engagement beyond the first few sessions?
- Has it been designed with neurodivergent and SEND learners in mind, rather than retrofitted with accessibility features?
- Can teachers and SENCOs see meaningful data about fluency progress?
If a platform scores well on all five, it is worth a serious look.
Talk to XTables Champions About Bringing Game-Based Maths to Your School
If the shift happening across MENA primary education resonates with what you are seeing in your own school, we would love to have a conversation.
XTables Champions is specifically built for the children who find maths hardest — those with anxiety, SEND needs, and neurodivergent profiles — using multiplayer game-based learning that genuinely engages them. We work with schools and educators who want every child to build real maths fluency, not just the ones who already love numbers.
Whether you are a school leader, a SENCO, a class teacher, or a parent, we invite you to get in touch and see how XTables Champions can support your learners. Visit xtableschampions.com to learn more or to speak with our team directly. We are ready to talk.