--- title: "After MTC 2025: Ease Year 4 Anxiety | Times Tables Games | XTables Champions" description: "The Year 4 MTC is over. Now is the perfect moment to plan SEND-friendly times tables support for next year's cohort. Here's what I'd do first." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "name": "XTables Champions", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "url": "https://xtableschampions.com" }, { "name": "XTables Champions", "logo": "https://qtrypzzcjebvfcihiynt.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/base44-prod/public/68cac2c61c34894625d63273/cae3abbca_logo.png", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "url": "https://xtableschampions.com" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://math-magicians-academy-25d63273.base44.app/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "mtc 2026 prep maths anxiety year 4 send support", "item": "https://math-magicians-academy-25d63273.base44.app/mtc-2026-prep-maths-anxiety-year-4-send-support" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the Multiplication Tables Check and when does it take place?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is a statutory assessment for Year 4 pupils in England, introduced by the Department for Education. It takes place each June and tests children's recall of times tables up to 12x12. Each child answers 25 questions on screen, with six seconds per question. The check is designed to identify pupils who need additional support with multiplication fluency." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does maths anxiety affect a child's MTC performance?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Maths anxiety can cause a child who understands their times tables perfectly well in a relaxed setting to freeze or make errors during the timed, on-screen check. The combination of a countdown timer, individual exposure and the sense of being assessed can trigger a stress response that overrides recall. This is why children who appear confident in classroom practice sometimes underperform significantly on the day." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When should schools start preparing their Year 3 cohort for the MTC?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Most experienced teachers and SENCOs suggest that gentle, low-stakes times tables exposure should begin in Year 3, well before the check becomes a named pressure. Building familiarity through games and varied practice in Year 3 means children arrive in Year 4 with fluency already developing, rather than encountering the check as their first real engagement with multiplication at speed." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What makes a times tables app SEND-friendly?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A genuinely SEND-friendly times tables app is one that was designed with neurodivergent and anxious learners in mind from the ground up, not one that retrofitted accessibility features onto a standard product. Key markers include a calm, uncluttered interface, the absence of shaming mechanics like public failure states or punishing timers in early practice, options for varied input, and engagement that doesn't rely solely on timed drilling. Multiplayer and game-based formats can also significantly help children with ADHD by providing sustained engagement." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why do multiplayer games help children with times tables more than solo drilling?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Multiplayer game formats keep children engaged through social motivation and moment-to-moment unpredictability, which is particularly beneficial for learners with ADHD or high anxiety. In a solo drilling app, every hesitation is tracked and visible. In a multiplayer game, the social experience comes first and the mathematical practice is embedded within it. This reduces the sense of individual exposure and makes sustained practice far more achievable for children who struggle with repetitive tasks." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How can parents support MTC preparation at home without increasing anxiety?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The most helpful thing parents can do is avoid recreating test conditions at home. Playing times tables games together, using apps that feel fun rather than pressured, and speaking positively and matter-of-factly about multiplication (rather than framing it as something difficult or scary) all help. It is also worth letting the school lead on the formal preparation and asking the teacher what you can do to complement, rather than duplicate, what is happening in the classroom." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What should SENCOs look for when choosing a times tables intervention tool?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "SENCOs should look for tools that have been genuinely designed with SEND learners in mind, not simply marketed to them. Questions worth asking include: does the product have input from SEND specialists in its design? Does it offer different modes or pacing options? Does it avoid mechanics that could humiliate or overwhelm a struggling learner? And critically, does it create genuine engagement rather than relying on obligation or external pressure to get children to use it regularly?" } } ] } ] --- [ XTables Champions Part of the ESSTA Kids family ](/Welcome) [About Us](/About)[Rewards ](/OurRewards) Tips & Tricks [Games](/Games)Login [ XTables Champions Part of the ESSTA Kids family ](/Welcome) [Learn](/levels-and-progression) [Games](/GamesOverview) [All Games](/GamesOverview)[Connect Four](/connect-four)[Guess Who?](/guess-who)[Times Tables Bingo](/times-tables-bingo)[Snap!](/snap)[Play with Friends](/games/play-with-friends)[Play against Champion](/games/play-against-champion) [Every Learner](/times-tables-for-every-learner) [Adaptive Learning](/adaptive-times-tables-learning) [Schools](/ForSchools) [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs)[SENCO Support](/SchoolSencoInfo)[Homework Setting](/SchoolHomeworkSetting)[Whole-Class Games](/SchoolWholeClassGames)[Level Matching](/SchoolLevelMatching) [Wellbeing](/wellbeing-and-safeguarding) [Pricing](/pricing) Log In / Sign Up [Back to all articles](/Blog) # After MTC 2025: Ease Year 4 Anxiety | Times Tables Games 24 June 2026 The Multiplication Tables Check window has just closed, and right now I know a lot of Year 4 teachers, SENCOs and senior leaders are sitting with their results, asking themselves the same question: what do we do differently for next year's cohort? If that's you, here's my honest take: the single most important thing you can do right now is look at how your current Year 3 pupils are already relating to times tables emotionally, not just numerically. Maths anxiety is not a Year 4 problem. It builds quietly, and by the time it shows up on an MTC screen, it has often been there for a year or more. ## Why This Post-MTC Window Actually Matters Every June, once the statutory check wraps up, there's a brief but genuinely valuable moment of reflection in schools. Teachers have fresh data, honest impressions of which children froze under pressure, and a whole year ahead of them before the next cohort sits the check. When I looked into what schools are searching for and discussing right now, this post-MTC period consistently shows a surge in questions around MTC preparation, SEND maths support and times tables intervention tools. That tells me the motivation is real and timely. The challenge is that a lot of that search traffic leads to generic drilling apps that weren't built with anxious or neurodivergent learners in mind. Timed flashcard practice, leaderboards that shame slower processors, and rote repetition without engagement are, for many children, exactly the wrong approach. ## What Maths Anxiety Actually Looks Like Before the MTC When I read through what teachers and SENCOs describe, a few things come up again and again. A child who knows their 3s on the walk to school but blanks completely when the screen starts counting. A pupil with ADHD who can talk you through a multiplication but loses focus after four questions. A Year 3 child who has already decided they are "bad at maths" before the check is even on their radar. **The anxiety is rarely about the numbers. It is almost always about the pressure, the time, and the feeling of being watched and judged.** That distinction matters enormously for how you structure the preparation. If your intervention looks and feels like a test, it will reinforce the very association you're trying to break. ## Five Practical Ways to Reduce Maths Anxiety Before the MTC Here's what the evidence, and honestly the conversations we keep having with educators, points to as genuinely useful: 1. Start early and keep it low-stakes. Year 3 is the right time to build familiarity with times tables in a relaxed, exploratory way. Normalise the idea that multiplication is just a pattern, not a performance. 1. Use play as the primary vehicle. Children retain mathematical facts far more readily when they encounter them inside experiences they actually enjoy. Games, challenges, multiplayer formats where the social experience comes first and the maths is embedded inside it. 1. Separate fluency practice from timed testing for as long as possible. Speed will come with familiarity. Pushing speed before familiarity creates panic. 1. Make sure your SEND and neurodivergent pupils have a tool that was actually designed for them. Most mainstream maths apps were built for neurotypical learners and bolted on accessibility features as an afterthought. That gap is real and it shows. 1. Talk to parents early. By the time Year 4 starts, many parents have already picked up on their child's anxiety and have no idea what to do. A simple letter or evening conversation in the autumn term can shift the dynamic at home as well as school. ## Why Multiplayer Games Work Especially Well for Anxious and Neurodivergent Learners This is something I find genuinely interesting. When I looked into the reasoning behind why multiplayer formats help children with ADHD or high anxiety in particular, it comes down to attention and stakes. In a solo drilling app, every moment of hesitation is visible and counted. In a multiplayer game, there is always something happening, always a reason to stay engaged, and the social connection provides a motivational layer that pure repetition simply cannot. For children who struggle with sustained attention, the moment-to-moment unpredictability of a game keeps the brain switched on. For anxious children, the shared experience of playing with a friend or classmate reduces the sense of individual exposure. The maths becomes part of something fun rather than the thing being tested. As our founder Gal Darrash puts it, "We kept hearing from teachers that their most disengaged kids would suddenly light up the moment there was a game involved. That was the whole starting point for how we built this." ## What This Means for Your Year 3 Planning Right Now If I were a SENCO or a Year 4 lead looking at this year's MTC results and planning for the next cohort, here is how I would use this window. First, look at which children in your current Year 3 are already showing signs of avoidance, frustration or disengagement around multiplication. Don't wait for Year 4 to start. Second, think carefully about the tools you're putting in front of them. Does the interface feel calm and accessible? Is there any genuine element of fun, choice or social play? Was it designed with neurodivergent learners in mind, or does it assume a fairly uniform learner? At XTables Champions, we built the app specifically because that gap existed. SEND-friendly design is not a feature we added. It is the reason the product exists. The multiplayer games are built around titles children already know and love, so the engagement is immediate rather than earned through coercion or reward stickers. We're a young company and we're honest about that. But what we keep hearing from the schools we're speaking with is that the combination of genuine game mechanics and a calm, accessible interface is making a real difference for exactly the children that standard times tables tools leave behind. ## Talk to Us About Your Year 4 Cohort If you're a SENCO, Year 3 or Year 4 teacher, or a senior leader who has just reviewed your MTC results and wants to think carefully about how to support anxious or neurodivergent learners in the year ahead, I'd genuinely love to connect. Get in touch with the XTables Champions team via [xtableschampions.com](https://www.xtableschampions.com) and tell us about your cohort. We're not here to pitch you. We want to understand your situation and show you honestly whether what we've built could actually help. That conversation starts with you reaching out, and we'll take it from there. ## Frequently Asked Questions What is the Multiplication Tables Check and when does it take place? How does maths anxiety affect a child's MTC performance? When should schools start preparing their Year 3 cohort for the MTC? What makes a times tables app SEND-friendly? Why do multiplayer games help children with times tables more than solo drilling? How can parents support MTC preparation at home without increasing anxiety? What should SENCOs look for when choosing a times tables intervention tool? ## Ready to help your child? Join thousands of families using XTables Champions to make multiplication click. Get Started Free XTables Champions Game-based times tables for children aged 6 to 11. No timers, no tears. For parents, schools and tutors. 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Part of ESSTA Kids. #### Platform - [Schools](/ForSchools) - [Levels & Progression](/levels-and-progression) - [Our Programme](/Programme) - [Rewards](/OurRewards) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [About Us](/About) - [Learning Philosophy](/LearningPhilosophy) - [Contact](/Contact) #### Community - [Insights](/Insights) - [For Parents Blog](/Blog) - [Tips & Tricks](/TipsTricks) - [Success Stories](/SuccessStories) - [Events & Competitions](/Events) - [Live Results](/Results) - [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs) #### ESSTA Kids Expert learning programmes for children who need extra support. [Visit esstakids.com →](https://esstakids.com) © 2026 XTables Champions, An ESSTA Kids Programme. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](/PrivacyPolicy)• [Terms & Conditions](/TermsConditions)• [Sitemap](/sitemap.xml)