Mastering Maths

Important news

Criteria for taking part have been made more advantageous for colleges.

Each college setting may now nominate two teachers. One will be  randomly allocated to the intervention group and the other to the control.

This means that each college setting signing up two teachers will definitely have a teacher taking part. The probability of a teacher being randomly allocated to intervention or control remains the same.

More details below (and find out more at the information sessions)......

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Upcoming information events (Zoom)

21st, 22nd, 23rd May at 4:15. Join using link: http://bit.ly/44q7F0A  

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Sign up to take part in the Mastering Maths research here. 

The Research Study

The Mastering Maths research study, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, involves the Mastering Maths programme, run by the University of Nottingham and an evaluation of the programme led by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). 

Read the press release in FE Week on 1st March here.

What is the Mastering Maths programme?

The programme aims to improve GCSE Maths outcomes for post-16 students in Further Education (FE) college settings. It adopts research-informed approaches, underpinned by five key principles which were developed as part of the Centres for Excellence in Maths programme by the FE sector . The key principles concern developing deep understanding of mathematics and teaching that takes into account the needs of students in the sector.

Who can take part?

Two maths teacher from each college setting, from all over England, will be recruited to take part. FE colleges and sixth form colleges are eligible.

These teachers should be teaching at least one GCSE Maths class, should not have participated in the CfEM efficacy trial as a Lead Teacher or full intervention teacher, and should not be taking part in the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics’ (NCETM) Teaching for Mastery “Trailblazer” or “Cohort 1” cohorts.

What will happen?

Each teacher taking part in the research study will be randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. One teacher from each college that has nominated two teachers will be in the intervention group, the other in the control group. Both groups will provide data to the evaluators.

The teachers in the control group will continue to teach as they usually do. 

The teachers in the intervention group will:

• attend two days of face-to-face regional professional development, run by teams of experienced Lead Teachers (in late September and early October 2024). 

• take part in five lesson study group meetings run by one of the Lead Teachers

• teach five Mastering Maths lessons to all their GCSE classes

What about incentives? 

For each college that nominates two teachers there will be a total incentive payment of £1,750. This will cover £1,250 at £250 per day to cover the participating teachers' classes for each lesson study meeting (£1,250 for five meetings) on completion of all evaluation activities and a thank you payment of £500 for the collection of student data and survey completion.

Why should I sign up?

You will contribute to a large, important research study in the FE sector. If, as a teacher, you are in the intervention group, using the mastery approach, you will take part in life-changing professional development.​ If, as a teacher, you are in the control group, you will have an opportunity to take part in the programme in the following year.

How do I sign up?

Please complete an Expression of Interest. After you do this, the team at the University of Nottingham will send you a memorandum of understanding and invite you to a Zoom information session.