A gentler first step for children who don't want to start

Not every child sits down happily for a 20-minute block. Some have had a bad run in Maths, some find it boring, and some are tired of being told what to do. Pushing harder rarely helps. So we have built something different for the very first step.

How it works for your child

Instead of a check-in or a full session, your child sees one question: "Want to try something short?" They can say yes or "Not today". Both answers are fine.

If they say yes, they pick one of two small goals:

• Fix a question type that loses marks. An easy question on one topic, with the tip already open, and then one more like it to do alone.
• Learn one way to check an answer, such as checking a division by multiplying back.

They choose 7 or 10 minutes, or a bit longer if they want. At the end they see what they learned, for example "You did the second one on your own." There are no points or prizes, just that. They can try the other goal, or stop. Stopping costs nothing.

If they say "Not today", we ask once why. They can pick "It feels too hard", "It doesn't feel useful", "It takes too long", "It wasn't my choice" or "It's hard to use", or skip the question.

What you see as a parent

Your page shows the reason your child gives most often, how sure we are, and one thing you could try. That might be keeping blocks to 7 minutes, or letting your child pick the goal. You can also add what you think gets in the way.

After three tries that don't work out, we stop suggesting sessions and pause the weekly plan, so nothing piles up. We show you a short guide for talking it through. When you are both ready, press "Start again". We never tell you to make your child carry on, and we never send your child messages to pull them back.

Why it is switched off for now

A feature aimed at reluctant children needs extra care. Before it goes on, our curriculum, privacy and product leads will check every word and every rule. Then a small closed trial has to show that it doesn't cause more arguments at home, more late-night use or more pressure. Until then, nothing changes for your child.

Live today

The "What we see" box on your child's page now shows how sure we are: "Early guess", "Some evidence" or "Fairly sure". It depends on how many sessions the advice is based on.