These were the words I heard Mia, a five-year-old in Reception class, say one morning when she made a mistake during a counting activity. Five years old. I stopped in my tracks. How could someone so young already believe that maths wasn't for them?

As a primary teacher and maths specialist, this moment has stayed with me - not just for the sadness it brought, but because it was a shocking revelation to me of how early and deeply these beliefs can take root. Since then, I’ve seen many times that when a child decides they “can’t do maths” they start to avoid it, engage with less confidence, and close themselves off to developing skills that are vital not just for school, but for life.

Mike Askew and Rob Eastaway, in their brilliant book Maths for Mums and Dads(1), describe their golden rule of parenting: never tell your child that you hate maths. It sends a powerful message that maths is something to be feared, avoided, or that only a select few can understand.

But being a “maths person” isn’t about speed or solving complex equations in your head. It’s about seeing patterns, thinking logically, asking questions, and having the confidence to give things a go. What we define as success in maths shapes who gets to feel successful.

If we want to raise adults who can navigate mortgages, budgeting, data, and policy with confidence, they need to believe - now - that maths is for them. That belief begins in the earliest years of school.

Primary teachers are uniquely placed to shape these attitudes. We must challenge the myth of the “maths person,” or better still, stop it from forming. By presenting maths as creative, flexible, and meaningful, and by giving all children agency in their mathematical learning, we help them see themselves not as outsiders to the subject, but as exactly the kind of people who do maths.

(1) Eastaway, R., & Askew, M. (2014). Maths for Mums & Dads. Square Peg Random House.