As a teacher educator working with a range of organisations, I am in a privileged position to see the impact of teacher professional development and training across a teacher’s career – from trainee teachers setting foot in the classroom for the first time, through to those who have teaching experience spanning decades.
The creation of a range of Subject hubs by the DfE has certainly contributed to raising the standard and availability of subject-specific professional development opportunities and developing specialist expertise. However, very few professional development initiatives have had quite such a specific and measurable impact as the Mathematics Teaching for Mastery Programme led by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) through 40 Maths Hubs across the country.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Report from 2023 (released in December 2024) shows significant increases in English pupil attainment at Year 9 since 2019 and in Year 5 over the last decade which can almost certainly be partially attributed to the successes of the Teaching for Mastery Programme and the pedagogical approaches that are increasingly prevalent in our classrooms. The fact that England bucks the trend compared to many other (highly revered) countries that have experienced a dip in attainment over ‘the Covid years’ since 2019 suggests that we are certainly doing something right.
In my role as a Secondary Mastery Specialist with Kent & Medway Maths Hub since 2020, I have worked closely with numerous schools to develop, embed and sustain Teaching for Mastery and have seen ‘on the ground’ the positive impact that subtle changes in pedagogical approaches can have on pupils’ mathematical outcomes and their confidence and enjoyment in the classroom. This academic year, I took the step into ITT with KMT as Maths Faculty Lead, and it is through this that I have sought to weave the principles and essence of Teaching for Mastery through Subject Studies sessions.
The importance of embedding this early into a teacher’s career cannot be underestimated and ITT offers a prime opportunity to instil research-informed, effective pedagogical approaches. Without early exposure to Teaching for Mastery, teachers new to the profession might default to some perceived less effective ‘traditional’ methods which may perpetuate cycles of superficial learning. We’re not yet at a stage where the new generation of teachers have been educated using these Mastery methodologies themselves, meaning they don’t always come naturally. That is not to say that Teaching for Mastery is a completely revolutionary way of teaching – much of the NCETM’s Five Big Ideas framework is ‘just good teaching’ but it is supplemented by some very deliberate strategies and choices in the way that teaching and learning is structured and communicated.
There is also the matter of capacity. As any teacher knows, time is a most valuable and scarce commodity. By embedding Teaching for Mastery into ITT when trainees have a greater capacity to practice, plan and deliver lessons, observe others and research into effective pedagogies, with extensive guidance both in and out of school, it makes sense to utilise this capacity to establish excellent pedagogical habits and routines through Teaching for Mastery. An important step towards this is building in opportunities for deliberate practice in low threat environments. “Teaching is challenging work; novice teachers face significant challenges early in their teaching and are unlikely to learn the skills necessary to overcome these challenges if their learning is left to chance” (Deans for Impact, 2016).
As a result, we have ensured through our KMT curriculum that significant time is spent working collaboratively with peers with opportunities for feedback and refinement. The ITaP (Intensive Training and Practice) blocks are perfect for this, for example a very successful day was spent as a whole Maths Faculty (including Business, Economics and Computing trainees) focusing on ‘Support & Challenge’ which involved opportunities for micro-teaching. Many of the Teaching for Mastery principles that I saw being deliberately practiced in this low-stakes setting, I subsequently saw being successfully translated into the classroom during later formal observations (even in those non-Maths subjects in our faculty); and when as a Secondary Mastery Specialist I can provide trainees with specific and actionable feedback on, for example, how a visual representation could have further supported learning or an opportunity to apply Variation Theory might enhance live modelling, it can only be of benefit to our trainees and their pupils.
We also have significant opportunities to ensure that our trainees understand the positive effect that embedding Teaching for Mastery principles into their teaching can have on creating fully inclusive classrooms. With significant challenges in education currently around fully supporting all pupils in the classroom and closing the attainment gap in this post-Covid era (EEF, 2022), there needs to be an increased emphasis on embedding pedagogical strategies where “pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, enabling all to master the concepts necessary for the next part of the curriculum sequence” and “if a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly, and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent them falling behind” (NCETM, 2022).
This underpins the principle of adaptive teaching. Gone are the days of ‘differentiating’ countless different ways, increasing the risk of placing unintentional glass ceilings on attainment. Much of the language used in the Nasen Teacher Handbook: SEND (2024) – “Whole-class teaching… small steps… building on prior knowledge… explicit language… clear guidance… physical resources” – is echoed in the essence of Teaching for Mastery and suggests that great teaching for pupils with additional needs is great teaching for all. If an autistic child understands Number differently to a neurotypical child, or if an EAL child can communicate their understanding through manipulatives and representations, whilst developing their linguistic skills, why not make those learning opportunities that all students can benefit from? It makes sense to carry all students together on their mathematical learning journey, to learn from each other through back-and-forth interactions and develop a real collaborative sense to their education that can drive an enjoyment of mathematics.
In these uncertain times where the continued funding of collectives like the Maths Hubs may be in doubt, we have a responsibility to continue to build on the solid foundations that have been laid over the past ten years by the NCETM. ITT providers need to be working increasingly closely with Maths Hubs and Mastery Specialists on the frontline – some of which has already begun – and together we must coherently continue the efforts to raise maths standards nationally.
Peter Atkinson is KMT Maths Faculty Lead and Kent & Medway Maths Hub Secondary Lead Practitioner.