Primary Teaching for Mastery Work Groups

Who Can Take Part?

This programme is for primary schools in England that engaged with a Teaching for Mastery Work Group in 2025/26 or have previously participated in a Development, Embedding or Sustaining Work Group.

Each participating school will nominate teachers to engage in the Work Group, with school leaders supporting them to lead developments across the school.

Work Groups are designed for year-on-year participation, enabling schools to continue deepening and embedding their Teaching for Mastery approach over time. Each group typically brings together around 12 schools to collaborate and learn together.

This diagram shows the pathway through the TfM journey and is used to identify the most appropriate starting point for your school. (click/tap diagram to show a larger version with more detail of the journey).

What Is Involved?

Schools will continue working with a small group of local schools, supported by an experienced Mastery Specialist. Throughout the year, participants will collaborate to explore effective leadership, observe live teaching for mastery, and refine systems and structures that maximise pupil impact.

Participants will engage in collaborative professional development activities including:

• observing and discussing live lessons

• collaborative planning and reflection

• exploring effective lesson design and curriculum coherence

• developing subject knowledge and professional learning structures

• sharing practice within and beyond their own school

Schools will work closely with senior leaders to focus on key areas of curriculum development and implementation. There will also be opportunities to explore specific areas such as oracy, mixed-age teaching and sustainable professional development.

What Will You Learn?

For Pupils

Pupils will:

• develop confidence and positive attitudes towards mathematics

• experience coherent, well-sequenced lessons built on Teaching for Mastery principles

• strengthen their understanding of key mathematical concepts

• develop greater fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills

• be supported to achieve age-related expectations, with more pupils working at greater depth and fewer falling behind

For Teachers and Leaders

Participants will:

• strengthen their understanding of Teaching for Mastery and effective implementation

• develop a consistent whole-school approach to maths teaching

• deepen subject and pedagogical knowledge

• strengthen collaborative approaches to planning, teaching and curriculum development

• develop systems for sustainable professional development across the school

• build leadership capacity through collaboration with other schools

• engage in rich professional dialogue and reflection to support continuous improvement

Subject leaders will also strengthen their ability to lead curriculum development and support colleagues through collaborative professional learning.