Third Space Learning

The final GCSE Maths exam paper of the series lands on Wednesday 10th June. With Paper 1 and Paper 2 behind them, Year 11s have one week to make their last bit of revision count. Edexcel Paper 2 has given teachers a clearer steer on where to focus that time. In this blog, GCSE maths specialist Christine Norledge breaks down what came up on maths Paper 2 and what it suggests for Paper 3.

An AI teaching assistant is a software tool that uses artificial intelligence, typically generative AI and machine learning, to support teachers and students with structured instructional tasks. It can deliver personalised learning, provide actionable feedback in real time, and handle administrative tasks, freeing human teaching assistants to focus on relationships, SEND support and pastoral care.

When the DfE committed £23m to bring AI tutoring to up to 450,000 disadvantaged pupils by 2027, the criticism came quickly and from several directions. But two debates are being treated as one. The first is about AI tutoring as a category: what it is, what works, and what doesn’t. The second is about the DfE pilot specifically: whether this is the right intervention, for the right pupils, delivered in the right way. Both debates are worth having.

May 22, 2026 | 16 min read Now that the confidentiality period for the key stage 2 2026 SATs papers has ended and SATs week already feels like a distant memory, it’s finally time to take a proper look at the content of this year’s maths papers and dig into the detail behind the questions. In this article, we’ll break down the 2026 KS2 SATs maths papers question by question, looking at domain coverage, recurring themes and the areas pupils found most challenging.

On Thursday 14th May, students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland sat GCSE maths Paper 1 2026 – the first non-calculator paper of the Edexcel GCSE maths series. Number content ran lighter than the six-series average on both the foundation tier and higher tier, leaving significant gaps for Papers 2 and 3 to cover, particularly standard form, factors and multiples, and bounds or error intervals at Higher tier.

For most schools, the 2026 KS2 SATs are done. We’ll be publishing our full analysis once the timetable variation period ends on 22nd May. Until then, here are the early reflections from our teacher-led review of this year’s maths SATs. The picture from teachers is a familiar mix of relief, frustration and a few raised eyebrows.

Ask any school leader what they think of AI in education right now, and you’ll get a careful, qualified answer. There’s interest, but also a reasonable level of scepticism. Schools have seen enough overpromising tech to want real evidence before they commit pupil time to anything new. AI tutoring is still new, which means independent evaluations of it are few and far between. So when one does land, it’s worth reading carefully.

For most secondary schools, the challenge with academic intervention is finding a slot that doesn’t cost something else. Pulling students out of lessons trades subject time. Before-school sessions depend on attendance. After-school support competes with buses, part-time jobs and fatigue. Form time is increasingly being used as an alternative, and a small number of schools now run one-to-one AI tutoring during the tutor slot.

65% disadvantaged students, starting points well below the national average, and not enough skilled tutors to go around. Here’s how one four-school trust is using AI maths tutoring to stop choosing who gets intervention – and why it’s already changing what their maths department can do.

High-impact tutoring is a research-based practice that accelerates student learning through intensive, individualised instruction. When schools implement high-impact tutoring effectively, it leads to significant learning gains across year groups and subjects, making it one of the most powerful intensive interventions available for improving outcomes across year groups.