Teaching for Mastery

The Teaching for Mastery Programme comprises a range of projects and activities at the heart of all Maths Hubs’ work.

What is Mastery

Mastering maths means pupils 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.

Five Big Ideas in Teaching for Mastery

A central component in the NCETM/Maths Hubs programmes to develop Mastery Specialists has been discussion of Five Big Ideas, drawn from research evidence, underpinning teaching for mastery. This is the diagram used to help bind these ideas together:

Development Work Groups

Sometimes known as Teacher Research Groups or TRGs, Development Work Groups involve a small number of local schools coming together to collaborate on professional development. They are led by classroom-based Mastery Specialists. The Work Groups provide professional development and specialist support to schools, enabling the introduction of teaching for mastery in a sustainable way.

Mastery Specialists

Primary and secondary teachers are trained by the NCETM and the Maths Hub to become experts in mastery. They take a mastery approach in their own classrooms and support colleagues in their own and other schools.