Mathbuns
Why UK primary schools don’t drill enough (and what we’re doing about it)
I’ve lived in three countries. Taught kids in two. And I notice something British schools get wrong: they don’t drill basic math enough.
Not because teachers are lazy. Because the system assumes fluency happens by osmosis. It doesn’t.
The Polish and Russian way
In Poland and Russia, primary school is relentless on one thing: automaticity. By Year 3, kids can add and subtract without thinking. By Year 5, they multiply in their heads. Not because they’re smarter. Because they drilled.
Every day. 10 minutes. Same thing: number bonds, times tables, mental arithmetic. Boring as hell. Brutally effective.
British schools do the opposite. They spiral through topics. Problem-solving first. Fluency assumed. Which means:
- A Y5 kid can’t multiply 7 × 8 without counting on fingers
- They spend 15 minutes on a problem that should take 2 (because they’re slow at the basics)
- By Y6, they’re drowning in fractions and geometry, but the foundation is sand
Why this matters
Fluency is the superpower. Not the only thing. But the foundation everything else rests on.
When a kid knows their times tables automatically, they:
- Solve problems faster (more time for thinking, less time for arithmetic)
- Build confidence (they’re not stuck on the mechanics)
- Learn algebra without panic (because algebra IS times tables with letters)
When they don’t, they’re stuck. Frustrated. Convinced they’re “not a math person.”
We built mathbuns to fix this
We started with a simple question: What if kids could drill for 5 minutes a day, and parents could see exactly where they’re struggling?
No app store nonsense. No ads. No gamification that makes math feel like a slot machine. Just:
- Drill: 10 questions, adaptive difficulty, instant feedback
- Quizzes: Parent sets a quick check (5–10 questions) to see if they learned it
- Weekly reports: Email showing accuracy, peak difficulty, sessions completed
We’re testing with families right now. The signal is clear: kids who drill 3–4 times a week improve by 15–20% in 4 weeks.
Not because they’re suddenly smarter. Because they’re building automaticity.
What’s next
We’re talking to schools. Not to replace their curriculum. To fill the gap. 15 minutes a week of focused drill, logged, tracked, visible to parents and teachers.
The question isn’t “should we drill?” (the data says yes). The question is “how do we make it frictionless enough that families actually do it?”
That’s what we’re building.
Join us
If you have kids in primary school (Y2–Y6), try mathbuns. It’s free. Takes 5 minutes. You’ll see exactly where they’re stuck.
And if you’re a teacher or school leader, reach out. We’re validating whether schools would pay for this. (Spoiler: we think they will.)
The math gap is real. But it’s fixable. One drill at a time.
Łukasz — I built mathbuns because my own kids were stuck on basics while their school moved on to harder topics. Now we’re testing with 100+ families. Come drill with us.