In our last blog, we made the case for why maths needs a clearer story and introduced an idea from our research with 600+ young mathematicians: maths gives you the edge. We unpacked the intrinsic edge of sharper thinking and the extrinsic edge of greater opportunity, and why saying it clearly, and often, matters in an AI world.
But to say this well, we need to understand what “the edge” means to our pupils.
This blog shares what we heard from high-attaining KS3 pupils: what motivates them, what puts them off, and the kinds of language that actually lands.
The word scramble
If you talk to young people regularly, you’ll know the shared challenge of motivating pupils to keep going with maths.
Even teachers who can wax lyrical about the wonders of maths end up falling back on the same set of arguments when trying to motivate pupils. We tell them it’s good for them, that they’ll use it later on, that it’ll feel satisfying once they grasp it, maybe even that “it’ll help you in the exam”. But they’re things we reach for when we’re out of ideas, and we know they’re often not right for the pupils in front of us.
Our research suggests that for many high-attaining pupils, there are a set of arguments that work. They know maths is useful, they know they’re good at it. They need encouraging to keep going in a way that taps into their deeper motivations.
What high attaining pupils told us
1. They value challenge
A large group of young mathematicians are motivated by puzzles and intellectual stretch. Many pupils described the satisfaction of grappling with something difficult and getting to the other side.
Two of the strongest-performing lines in message testing (where 600+ pupils aged 11-14 rated lines for how motivating or true they felt) were about cognitive ambition:
“Giving you the power to crack codes, find patterns and solve problems.”
“Making your mind sharper.”
For these pupils, “the edge” is the feeling of your mind switching on through sharper thinking, better pattern-spotting, and the satisfaction of cracking something hard.
2. They accept the grind when the effort feels like an investment
Many pupils were matter-of-fact that maths isn’t always enjoyable. It can be repetitive and sometimes monotonous, but this didn’t put them off. Like any serious pursuit, the reward comes from hard work and dedication rather than a single session. No one expects to be the star player after one sports training session and the same is true for maths.
What resonated was messaging that acknowledged the effort honestly and framed it as worthwhile:
“You might not love every moment of every worksheet, but when you finally crack a problem that’s stumping everyone else, you know you’ve got something.”
“The edge” is about how the grind is building something real in you, not just getting you through the next test.
3. They are already future-focused
By Years 7–9, many high attainers are thinking about careers, earning potential and real-world impact. This was particularly pronounced among pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. For these pupils, the extrinsic edge is something they can see as genuinely life changing.
Pupils responded strongly to messaging that connected maths to future opportunity:
“Maths isn’t just about exams — it’s your ticket to jobs that pay well and value what you can do with your mind.”
And:
“From computer coding to designing cars that drive themselves… mathematical minds are in high demand.”
For these pupils, “the edge” is around maths as something that expands options, opens doors, and changes what feels possible later. Knowing these deeper motivations can help us understand who stays with maths beyond GCSE and who doesn’t, and why that gap often falls along socioeconomic lines.
Break it down
The “edge” works across multiple domains and different pupils are drawn to it through different lenses.
For some, the edge is challenge: that buzz when a messy problem turns into a clear solution through noticing patterns, and getting mentally sharper.
For others, the edge is pay-off: the sense that sticking with the grind is an investment in who they’re becoming.
And for many, the edge is opportunity: maths is a lever that keeps doors open and widens what’s possible.
The phrase holds all of that; our job is to unpack it, showing pupils the different domains “the edge” applies to so they can see themselves in it. A pupil who lights up at the idea of designing AI systems needs to hear something different from a pupil who’s motivated by the feeling of cracking a hard problem. Both are true and both are the edge.
This doesn’t mean the phrases above should be used as a script. But this is tested language that can be woven into moments that already exist.
When a pupil is finding something difficult: “This is the kind of thinking that gives you an edge later on.”
When effort is flagging: “This is the kind of effort mathematicians put in – it’s how you build a mind that spots patterns others miss.”
When a pupil asks about future relevance: “Mathematical minds are in high demand. You’re developing one.”
These are small shifts in framing. But for a high-attaining pupil still deciding whether maths is worth the commitment, they can make a real difference.
Looking ahead
We believe in what maths can do for young people’s lives. The world our pupils are living is more pressured, more uncertain, more unequal in ways that don’t always show up in attainment data. They’re asking what feels relevant, what will open doors later and what is worth the effort.
Our research tells us these young people already sense that maths gives them something real. They just need us to say it out loud, clearly and often, in language that meets them where they are.
The full messaging guide is here.