Can an AI Tutor Reduce Maths Anxiety? Inside Third Space Learning’s “Skye”

Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

Author

Kieran Mackle
February 09, 2026

Can an AI Tutor Reduce Maths Anxiety? Inside Third Space Learning’s “Skye”

Good Morning!

This week’s episode tackles a question many schools are quietly asking: can AI deliver high-impact maths tutoring at scale, without sacrificing learning quality?

I’m joined by Candida Crawford from Third Space Learning to explore Skye, their AI maths tutor designed to replicate the most powerful parts of one-to-one tuition. Throughout the episode, we go behind the curtain on what “AI-powered” really means and what the present and future might hold for teachers and students alike.

Hope you enjoy…

Can an AI Tutor Reduce Maths Anxiety? Inside Third Space Learning’s “Skye” by Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

Episode 270: What happens when high-impact maths tutoring meets agentic AI?In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, Kieran is joined by Candida Crawford (Third Space Learning) to explore Skye, a “Third Space” AI maths tutor built to deliver one-to-one style spoken tutoring at scale.

creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/kieran-mackle/episodes/Can-an-AI-Tutor-Reduce-Maths-Anxiety--Inside-Third-Space-Learnings-Skye-e3eo0kq/a-acf6nuq

TDaPE North West

The window for submitting a session to TDaPE North West might be closing but tickets for the conference on the 28th of March are already on sale here.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter or listening to the podcast for a while, you’ll know the vibe: less “ten tips”, more space to reflect on and think about teaching.

That’s exactly what TDaPE North West is for. A day built around pedagogy, curriculum, maths, and the stuff that actually survives contact with a real classroom — especially when you’re tired, it’s mid-term, and the children have decided today is the day.

No hard sell. If you’re already at capacity, don’t add another thing to your life. But if you’ve been craving time and space to think — and to be in a room with other people who care about the craft — buy a ticket and come along.

Huge thanks to everyone who shared last week’s episode — it genuinely helps grow our community of thoughtful primary educators. If you’ve got a colleague who enjoys reflecting on teaching, learning, or leadership, feel free to forward it their way.

That’s all for this week. I’d love to hear what landed for you (and what didn’t) — you can leave a comment wherever you listen, or just hit reply and tell me what you’re thinking.

Until next time — thanks for reading listening.