We are a small team of dedicated individuals, passionate about young people’s relationship to maths.
Book an intro call →
About Thrive Maths
We understand how hard maths can be – so we’re here to walk the walk with your child, right up until their final exam.
Leah McCarthy, the face behind Thrive Maths.
Before I was a teacher, I spent five years in investment banking at Citigroup. I left to follow a heart-led decision: to help young people not just get better at maths, but build a genuinely positive relationship with it.
I trained at Aiglon College, Switzerland and have held Qualified Teacher Status since 2002, teaching mostly in London and Hertfordshire. For 7 years, I taught at St George's School, Harpenden, delivering the scheme of work Thrive Maths students are now pre-taught ahead of their lessons.
It grew the way most things worth trusting do: through word of mouth, with one family telling another. I still teach one day a week at a Harpenden secondary school, but Thrive Maths is my main focus.
I have organically grown a small team around me, consisting of undergraduate tutors and A level student tutors, all who embody the Thrive Maths ethos.
I am the single point of contact for every family, and I'm responsible for all lesson planning and oversight of all students' progress. This way, nothing is generic – sessions are built around exactly what your child is learning in school.
I’m also a parent of an ex St George's student – so when I talk about tiers, Check Points or what a grade actually means for sixth form, I’ve walked that walk as a parent as well as a teacher.
Work with Leah →
Thrive Maths started as an extension of the online teaching I developed during the pandemic.
What we believe
The short version of a long philosophy.
Mastery, not surface knowledge.
Understanding a method deeply enough to solve a problem you've never seen before is an integral part of exam preparation.
Resilient, not passive.
We build learners who persevere and bring their own ambition to the work, rather than waiting to be told what to think.
Kindness and rigour aren’t in tension.
Being warm with a student but also holding them to a high standard are the same act.
Every student's story matters equally.
A grade 4 achieved against the odds is celebrated as much as a grade 9.
We won't force any student through a session.
Tutoring only works with a student's own commitment.
We find gold in mistakes.
We mine marked assessments to extract the learning from student’s own errors.
The students who teach the students.
All tutors are supportive, engaging, passionate about maths and great communicators. They are continually developing their practice and professional identity, choosing tutoring as a professional endeavour alongside their studies. All tutors hold DBS checks and are embarking on their third year of tutoring.
Meet the team
HARRISON
A Levels: Further Maths A*, Maths A*, Chemistry A*, History A
Degree: Artificial Intelligence at Bristol University
Harrison played badminton for Hertfordshire, dreams of driving an F1 car around Monaco and wants to travel to space before he is 30 years old.
YASH
A Levels: Further Maths A*, Maths A*, Chemistry A*, Computer Science A*
Degree: Computer Science at Warwick University
Yash dreams in code, won the Rotatory Young Citizen Award for peer-tutoring and helping others and can bench press 100kg.
MOLLY
A Levels: Maths A, PE A*, Geography A*
Degree: Geography at Durham University
Molly has competed at national dance competitions, was head student at Roundwood Park School and is an intrepid traveller.
EVIE
A Levels: Maths B, PE B, Geography B
Degree: Geography at Leeds University
Evie is a qualified gymnastics coach, hopes to live and work in Australia and paddle boards at every opportunity.
EWAN
A Levels: Further Maths A*, Maths A*, Physics A*, German A
Degree: Mechanical Engineering at Bath University
Ewan hopes to build rocket ships, is travelling to South America for his gap year and enjoys working out.
How We Support Parents
You're not just watching from the sidelines.
A lot of what we do happens off to the side of the maths itself – whether that’s translating a Check Point score into what it actually means for a GCSE grade, discussing On Course To Achieve grades, or weighing up a set change opportunity.
We actively encourage parental involvement in the tutoring process. Parents have visibility of work completed in sessions via our online teaching platform, allowing you to regularly check in on your child’s progress and effort levels. In addition, parents have access to a weekly lesson record with links, notes on areas of weakness, and topics flagged to be revisited.
Leah’s experience extends well beyond GCSE. She has overseen university applications, and is familiar with which degree courses require A Level Maths (even where it's not obvious!). She's also often the person talking families through the higher versus foundation tier decision – which she treats as case-by-case, since the right answer depends entirely on the individual child. Leah can bring objectivity to parental communication with schools regarding set changes, exam tiers, provision for additional needs and more.
Transparency, honesty and communication are integral to everything we do.
Learn more →
Ready to talk it through?
Book an intro call to chat about where your child is right now, and whether Thrive Maths is the right next step.
Book an intro call →