Why become a Secondary Mastery Specialist

Time is precious for teachers and school leaders. That's why we created the Week in Focus: a week-long social media campaign, at key junctures in the school calendar, that delivers bite-sized insights on key topics that we believe will be useful for you, your classroom and your school.

Our social media channels have been packed recently with everything you need to know about becoming a Secondary Mastery Specialist. If you missed the latest #NCETMWeekInFocus on social media, don’t worry! Here we summarise the key benefits of becoming a Mastery Specialist, and you’ve still got plenty of time to apply to be part of this year’s cohort. Read on, and discover why your next career step is waiting…

Develop your career from within the classroom

Secondary Mastery Specialists get to develop their careers in a range of directions, but still enjoy all the great bits about being in the classroom. With a focus on pedagogy and excellent teaching, the training allows specialists to develop their own practice, and that of their colleagues within and beyond their department. 

As well as learning about the subject you love, as a Mastery Specialist you get to spend time with other knowledgeable, passionate colleagues from across the country. Chances are you’ll all still be in touch years later!

Whatever your motivation, becoming a Mastery Specialist enables you to lead without leaving the classroom, and to become part of a cutting-edge national community of like-minded maths teachers.

Why is it for you?

Whatever your motivation, we are sure that you’ll love training as a Mastery Specialist. It might be that you are looking for career development, or that you want to revive your love of maths. There might be particular classes where you want to unlock your students’ potential, or it could be that you want to support your colleagues to grow their own skills and classroom practice.

The impact on your teaching will be tangible, whatever your reason for training. And once you begin working with others and sharing your new knowledge, you’ll never look back!

A network like no other

When we asked some current Secondary Mastery Specialists what they liked best about their role, lots of them told us that they enjoyed being part of the network of specialists operating across the country. From getting to know each other during the residential training sessions, to staying in touch years later as supportive colleagues and friends, the sense of community came through loud and clear.

Getting to spend time with other teachers who love maths and maths teaching as much as you, and being able to discuss maths at length – what’s not to love?

Climbing the career ladder

You can train as a Mastery Specialist whether you’ve been teaching for three years or 30 years. And the windows, doors and whole new roads that then open up will present you with a wide range of different career opportunities.

The Mastery Specialists we spoke to are now key stage and departmental leaders, holding senior roles in Maths Hubs, and working for other organisations including the EEF and on university PGCE courses. If you think you’re ready for your next challenge, becoming a Mastery Specialist is perfect.

Ready to apply?

If you think this sounds like the right next step for you, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our Secondary Mastery Specialist webpage to discover how to apply, and to start your application now. You’ve got until 23 April 2026 if you want to be part of the 2026/27 cohort of trainees.

And don’t forget to follow us on socials to keep up-to-date with all the latest news and updates from the NCETM.

• Facebook – facebook.com/ncetm
• LinkedIn – linkedin.com/ncetm
• Bluesky – @ncetm.bsky.social