Maths works like a ladder: every new topic stands on the previous one. So when a child "suddenly" stops keeping up in a Czech school, it's rarely about talent — usually one rung further down was never quite solid. Here is where school maths breaks most often, and how one-to-one tutoring rebuilds it.
Where school maths breaks most often
Years of tutoring show the same critical points again and again:
- Fractions and decimals (grades 6–7). A child who never truly got fractions will struggle everywhere afterwards — percentages, equations, physics.
- Percentages (grade 7). In reality just fractions wearing different clothes.
- Equations and expressions with variables (grades 8–9). The numbers "disappear" for the first time — and with them, many children's confidence.
- Word problems. The most common complaint of all: I can calculate, I just don't understand what to calculate. For children in a second language, doubly so.
- Geometry: perimeters, areas, volumes, Pythagoras — lots of formulas that blur together without real understanding.
The good news: all of it is fixable. Not by memorising more, but by going back to the rung where understanding first slipped.
Why "explaining it again" at school isn't enough
A classroom teacher has a curriculum to follow — they can't stop for a month on fractions for one child. A one-to-one tutor can: the first lesson locates where the problem actually begins (often two topics earlier than it seems), and the individual plan is built from there.
From then on your child follows their own checklist: the tutor tracks what has been mastered, and you receive short notes after every lesson — what was covered and what to practise next. If a lesson doesn't work for your child, you don't pay for it.
The curriculum and the language
Two things surprise foreign families in Czech schools. First, the order of topics differs from schools abroad, so a child may have skipped one chapter entirely while repeating another. Second, the language of maths: zlomek (fraction), obvod (perimeter), slovní úloha (word problem). Our tutors introduce Czech terminology right while solving problems — bilingually at the start if needed. More on the combined approach: Czech and maths tutoring for foreign children.
Practicalities
- Online via Google Meet or in person in our classrooms in eight Czech cities.
- More than 300 tutors — matched to your child's temperament and pace.
- One lesson package can be shared within the family: maths for one child, Czech for another.
- Free materials: A3 formula overview sheets, worksheets, notes from every lesson.
- Booking and coordination in English (Ukrainian and Russian too).
- Families in a difficult situation can use the Pomáháme programme.
And if the entrance exams are approaching, the tutoring extends naturally into CERMAT format training: CERMAT preparation plan.
Frequently asked questions
My child says they're "just not a maths person". Is that real?
Almost never. Behind it there is usually one unmastered topic and an accumulated fear of mistakes. Fix the rung and the "inability" disappears.
How long does it take to close the gaps?
It depends on their size. After the diagnostic first lesson the tutor will tell you honestly — no "all fixed in two weeks" promises.
Are lessons in Czech or English?
Mathematical terminology is taught in Czech (that's what school requires), while explanations can be bilingual at the start.
What if the tutor isn't a good fit?
We'll match a different one — and you don't pay for a lesson that didn't work.
First steps
Write to info@doucse.cz or call +420 494 900 173 (Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 14:00–18:00) — English is fine. Tell us your child's grade and the topic where they got stuck, and a coordinator will reply within 24 hours with a tutor and a plan.
