Primary TfM (Teaching for Mastery) Sustaining Work Group

Project Code: NCP 24-11

The Yorkshire and the Humber Maths Hub are delighted to offer you this new opportunity to take part in this National Collaborative Project (NCP). This Work Group is for Primary schools who are establishing teaching for mastery approaches so that all pupils develop deep knowledge, understanding and confidence. Even after the year in an embedding Work Group, there is often still a need to focus on the continued improvement, consistency and refinement of a TfM approach (for example improving a school’s professional development model to secure teachers’ subject knowledge). This project brings together all the Work Groups across the network that are working on helping primary schools to sustain their teaching for mastery approach for mathematics.

Who is it for?

Primary schools working on establishing teaching for mastery that were first supported in a development Work Group and then in an embedding Work Group (and, in some cases, initially a Mastery Readiness Work Group). However, this opportunity is available to all schools that have, in any previous year, been a part of a development WG (formerly known as a TRG group) even if they haven’t also taken part in an embedding Work Group..

What is involved?

  • Leadership focus:  During the year the Work Group will discuss and reflect on practice associated with the pedagogical/policy issues identified as priorities in the opening workshop. In any session, the group would seek to support the leaders to work through their current context, how they might implement change, and later in the year reflect on the impact of the change. All schools will write an action plan which will be refined and adjusted over the year.

  • Collaborative planning focus: teachers from the participant schools plan together and create sequences of lessons. The teachers will continue to plan collaboratively within school and across schools both face to face and online – reflecting on their practice, observing each other and refining plans as a result of feedback and discussion.

  • Subject knowledge development: the planning will provide a vehicle for teachers to develop their subject knowledge through using the Primary PD Materials; the leaders will create the right culture for this to be a regular feature of the professional development offer in their schools.

Intended outcomes

  • Teachers will plan, teach and reflect collaboratively, within school and across other settings, drawing on their deeper subject knowledge in order to provide a coherent mastery curriculum.

  • Subject leaders will establish and lead effective planning approaches within their school and identify and support teachers who require more input than others regarding teaching for mastery.

  • School leaders will continue to ensure a sustainable model for collaborative planning and ongoing specialist subject knowledge development for all teachers and have systems in place to identify and support teachers needing additional development.

  • Pupils will experience coherent, well designed lessons and there will be fewer pupils failing to meet ARE and an increased depth of understanding in the focused areas addressed by the Work Group.

Sessions

Each school will send a lead participant, normally the subject leader responsible for leading and sustaining developments in maths. At different points in the year, other teachers will participate in aspects of the Work Group workshops. Teachers will attend six sessions (one per half term) facilitated by a Maths Hub Work Group Lead with the work being led by the lead participants from each school. We also offer online opportunities for participating schools, in 2023-24 these ranged from ‘Preparing for Ofsted’ and ‘Dyscalculia and Maths Anxiety’ elective sessions.