WHAT IS INVOLVED?
There are currently hundreds of Mastery Specialists supporting colleagues in their own schools and beyond to develop mastery approaches to maths teaching. Mastery Specialists are classroom-based practitioners who develop expertise in mastery and lead Work Groups to support other schools and teachers locally.
The Mastery Specialist Programme for primary teachers started in 2015/16. Each year well over a hundred primary teachers complete a programme of high quality, professional development with the NCETM, to become trained Mastery Specialists.
In every subsequent year, each of these teachers leads a Teaching for Mastery Work Group. This involves working with participant teachers from primary schools within their Maths Hub area, so that these schools can introduce or continue to embed and refine teaching for mastery practices in their schools.
In the first year of the programme, three residentials (one each term) provide an opportunity to develop understanding of the Five Big Ideas of teaching for mastery in depth, and to focus on the specialist subject knowledge required to design lessons that unfold maths for all children.
Between residentials, specialists will be able to apply their learning to the context of their own classroom and school, reflecting with others on what the impact of learning has been on pupils.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Participants should be experienced Primary practitioners with the capacity to lead change in their own schools, and to develop as leaders of professional development in other schools. They must be working in a state-funded school in England. Their headteacher must commit to supporting them and to developing teaching for mastery in their schools.
Applications are now closed for 26/27 (Cohort 12) Primary Mastery Specialist training programme. If you’re interested in joining in the future, please register your interest and we’ll be in touch, when applications open in Spring 2027.