What is teaching for mastery?
Mastering maths means pupils of all ages acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. The phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ describes the elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering maths. Achieving mastery means acquiring a solid enough understanding of the maths that’s been taught to enable pupils to move on to more advanced material.
Teaching for mastery is currently more widespread in primary schools across England, with around 9,000 primary schools engaging with their local Maths Hub, and over 850 primary teachers training as Mastery Specialists.
The Five Big Ideas underpin teaching for mastery in both primary and secondary schools.
What is the Teaching for Mastery Programme?
The NCETM and Maths Hubs have been running the national Primary Teaching for Mastery Programme since 2015 and secondary schools have also become involved with teaching for mastery as the Secondary Teaching for Mastery Programme expands. The programme is open to all state-funded schools in England.
This video explaining the programme was made in 2018, but all the principles still apply now.
Mastery Specialists spearhead the Teaching for Mastery Programme across the country. Teachers who train as Mastery Specialists are given a year’s intensive training in the principles of teaching for mastery, underpinned by its Five Big Ideas, and in professional development leadership. In the following year, they further develop teaching for mastery in their own schools. And they share the approach with neighbouring schools by leading Teaching for Mastery Work Groups.
All of the 40 Maths Hubs across England offer professional development to help teachers develop a mastery approach in their own classroom, department and school. Any teacher or school wishing to take part in a Teaching for Mastery Work Group should get in touch with their local Maths Hub. The hub will then be able to give more details about which Work Group is most suitable for the school, and when recruitment for the next Work Group is open.
What else do I need to know about teaching for mastery?
If you are interested in the research behind teaching for mastery, there are a number of research papers available in the NCETM’s website page of Supporting Research, Evidence and Argument.
For primary school maths teachers and leaders, our webpage on the essence of mastery outlines some of the key principles of teaching for mastery. This progress report also reflects the positive impact of the programme in its first years.
The NCETM provides a wide range of mastery resources including assessment materials, professional development materials, calculation guidance and marking guidance for both primary and secondary teachers.
Can I find out more about schools that have been involved in teaching for mastery at primary?
Read these case studies to learn about how primary schools tackle pupils’ mindsets, and how involvement in the Teaching for Mastery Programme drives pupil outcomes in maths.
Mastery in action – including whole-class teaching, a step-by-step approach, and teachers having high expectations of pupils using mathematical language – is available to see in these lesson videos.
Discover Teaching for Mastery
