Recruiting now - express interest by 5pm on 30 June 2025 to participate!
This is an exciting opportunity for your school to engage with a highly-regarded programme starting in October 2025 that supports non-specialist teachers develop their identity and practice as a mathematics teacher, while helping to address the challenge of recruiting maths teachers.
The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) is partnering with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) to evaluate the Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (SKTM) Programme for Secondary Non-specialist Maths Teachers. In particular, the trial will assess the impact of the SKTM Programme on non-specialist teachers and the pupils of their Year 8 class. To participate you must have expressed interest by 30 June 2025.
Who can take part?
To participate, schools must meet the following criteria:
• Be a state-funded secondary school or college within England
• Have a non-specialist teacher, who has not undertaken Initial Teacher Training in mathematics and is teaching a Year 8 class (if the class is shared, the non-specialist teacher needs to teach at least 50% of the lessons)
• Be able to release the non-specialist teacher for all training sessions
• Not be taking part in EEF’s research trials on “Peer to Peer Coaching” or “Making Fluent and Flexible Calculations (HFL education)” in the same period of time.
What is involved?
Who is running the programme? Who is evaluating it?
Designed by the NCETM and funded by the DfE, SKTM will be delivered by accredited local leaders of mathematics education, through Maths Hubs. Sheffield Hallam University is running an independent evaluation of the SKTM Programme, with funding from the EEF. The evaluation will examine the impact of the programme on pupils and teachers, alongside its implementation in schools.
What does the programme involve?
The SKTM Programme comprises six days’ worth of training for non-specialist teachers, spread across an academic year. Teachers engage in 18 topic-based sessions and work collaboratively on maths tasks (within a workbook) to explore subject knowledge, pedagogy, and common misconceptions among pupils. Teachers are also tasked with school-based challenges that encourage them to apply their training in their classrooms.
How does the trial work? What are the timelines?
The purpose of the trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of the SKTM Programme. It will examine the impact on the programme on Year 8 pupils’ mathematics attainment, self-efficacy and their experience of opportunities to think, reason and discuss within their lessons.
Further information can be found on the SKTM flyer/School Information Sheet (SIS)
Still not sure about joining the programme?
The Ofsted Maths Report Guidance for Non-specialists highlights the need for secondary schools to make sure that non-specialist teachers receive the necessary professional development to teach maths effectively.
Podcast episode: The PE teacher in the maths department - featuring a discussion with Nic Trubridge, the NCETM’s Director for School and Professional Development, a non-specialist maths teacher and his head of department.
What will you learn?
What are the benefits of participating?
Over half of the schools in England have participated in an EEF trial. Participating schools, working with their local Maths Hub, will be contributing to the evidence base for interventions aiming to address the shortage of mathematics teachers within England.
This SKTM Programme aims to improve participants’ subject and curriculum knowledge of secondary mathematics, with a particular emphasis on mathematical structures. Participants will increase their use of a range of pedagogic approaches consistent with teaching for mastery, leading to an improvement in pupils’ knowledge of, understanding of, and attitudes towards mathematics.
There will be a payment made to all schools involved in this trial who complete the evaluation activities (see SKTM flyer/School Information Sheet).
What is the cost?
The SKTM Secondary Non-specialist Teachers Programme is fully funded by the Maths Hubs Programme so is free to participating schools.
How will my data be used?
• The NCETM and SHU will treat all data securely, confidentially and in accordance with data protection law.
• Personal data will be collected and used to conduct the evaluation, with pseudonymised data being shared for archiving and further research at the end of the project.
• Your school, staff, and pupils will not be identified in any report arising from the research.
Next Steps
Interested in participating?
Read the SKTM Flyer/School Information Sheet and express your interest: