The gap tasks
Four suggested gap tasks, each associated with a workshop phase
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Showing results for ",Gap"
Rebalancing the equation: the maths gender gap and why it matters
Charlie Stripp explores the gender gap in maths attainment between boys and girls, and why it matters for girls’ future opportunities, social equity and the nation’s overall potential
Closing the disadvantage gap and strengthening maths department leadership
We find out how partnership with Great North Maths Hub is supporting Jesmond Park Academy to make gradual changes that are having a big impact
Gap tasks: maximising the impact of Work Groups
We visit Gorse Hill Primary School Work Group in Swindon, and find out how gap tasks are driving powerful changes in pedagogy
Securing Foundations at Year 7: exploring a year of impact
Director for Secondary, Carol Knights, shares highlights from an innovative programme aimed at closing the gap in Year 7 maths
Bridging the gap: ensuring that all students can succeed in KS3 maths
How one North East secondary school is 'Securing Foundations at Year 7', with a new Maths Hubs project aimed at supporting all students to thrive in the maths classroom
How Mastering Number supports EAL and disadvantaged pupils
One Lancashire primary school has seen pupil confidence flourish as numeracy skills are embedded from Reception
Oracy in mathematics – a new framework
Associate Deputy Director for Secondary, Jane Hawkins, shares a new framework for oracy in mathematics which presents the foundational principles of oracy in a teaching for mastery context
Raising maths attainment in a federation of schools
How partnership with a Maths Hub helped schools in an area of deprivation see maths results rise year-on-year
Breakdown of each workshop phase
Generic breakdown for each multiplicative reasoning workshop phase
A model for professional development
A suggested programme of professional development (PD) using the materials in this section
Primary Round-up - October 2025
Our latest Primary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - October 2025
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Evaluating the professional development
Creating opportunities for teachers to reflect, discuss and record the impact on their practice and thinking
Secondary Round-up - March 2025
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - March 2026
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Multiplicative Reasoning
A model for professional development, giving teachers the tools and resources to develop multiplicative reasoning skills in KS3 students
Learning in Lockdown 9 – Deb Friis
A maths teacher at an 11-16 school in West Sussex, explains how Year 10's first few weeks back worked
Secondary Maths: Inside the EEF Practice Review
We explore the key findings of the EEF Secondary Maths Practice Review
Impact stories supporting teaching for mastery
Aspects of teaching for mastery under the spotlight
What PISA 2025 tells us as we plan for the new secondary maths curriculum
Nicola Trubridge, the NCETM’s Director for Secondary Mathematics, reflects on the latest PISA findings and what they might mean as the maths education community prepares for a new maths national curriculum
Two pleas to maths teachers at the start of the school year
The NCETM’s Director, Charlie Stripp, has warned of the dangers of putting pressure on pupils to ‘catch-up’
Teaching the hardest topics in GCSE maths
Two teachers from South Yorkshire, who lead Work Groups, tell us why teachers should get involved with ‘Challenging Topics at GCSE’
We need to talk: exploring the Oracy Commission Report
We speak to Geoff Barton to explore the Oracy Commission Report: We need to talk, and its significance for maths teaching
Core Maths: Then, Now and Next
Reflecting on a decade of Core Maths and what comes next, with Professor Paul Glaister CBE
International Women's Day from a mathematical angle
What are you planning with your class to highlight the day?
Introducing multiplicative thinking
Building in small steps to ensure all children develop understanding early on in primary school
TRGs: Collaborative professional development in action
Green shoots of Teacher Research Groups (TRGs) are slowly spreading their fronds of mastery exploration across the country
The Five Big Ideas at Primary – Variation
Variation can be used to support pupils to develop a deep understanding of the maths they are learning
We need to talk (about maths)
The Oracy Commission Report’s recommendations and how this could impact on maths teaching and learning
New diagnostic classroom resources to find out what your Year 7s can do
Addressing two years of disrupted schooling, Checkpoints activities will help you to formatively assess understanding of key topics
The teaching units
The Multiplicative Reasoning teaching units
How student attainment in maths has weathered the COVID storm: lessons from TIMSS 2023
The NCETM Director and the Director for Evaluation and Impact reflect on the latest international maths comparison tests and how this informs developments in the NCETM and the Maths Hubs Network
Raising the status of professional development
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Professional Development – the key to making teaching ‘a career worth having’
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Spotlight on LLMEs – Early Years SKTM
Hear from a Cohort Lead on the Early Years Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Programme
Why mastery makes us optimistic about our next GCSE results
Article by Jenny Laurie, Deputy Head at The St Marylebone CE School, London
Professional development for primary teaching assistants
Ensuring impact, effectiveness and pupil progress
Spotlight on LLMEs – Primary Teaching Assistants
Hear from a Cohort Lead on the Primary Teaching Assistants Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Programme
Spotlight on LLMEs – A level professional development
Hear from maths teacher Adam Creen on what it’s like to lead A level professional development and subject communities for North-East Hants and Surrey Maths Hub
Mixed-age mastery – how and why it works
One North Yorkshire primary school has made teaching for mastery work in four classes which span seven year groups
Primary Archive
An archive of all Primary Round-ups and Magazines
The importance of Core Maths and the support available
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Teaching telling the time: a non-standard approach
After two decades of teaching ‘telling the time’, Kristen Weiss discovers a way to help children better understand the complexities
Establishing strong foundations at Key Stage 3
How one secondary school developed a bespoke curriculum for KS3 students to give them the best start in maths
Research and innovation in the Maths Hubs Network
How smaller CPD projects refine, innovate and improve the Maths Hubs Programme and give teachers an opportunity to pursue special interests
Building maths leadership through trust and Maths Hub collaboration
We explore how leaders in a large trust work with their local Maths Hubs to strengthen maths teaching and improve outcomes for teachers and pupils
Meeting the needs of all without ability setting
Removing setting from maths teaching in a three-form entry primary school
The Bar Model
A representation used to expose mathematical structure
Five ways to use number lines in secondary maths
Practical tips from a secondary maths teacher
Using a high quality textbook to support teaching for mastery
We visit the classroom of Hannah Gray, a primary teacher involved in trialling new Singapore-style textbooks, designed to support a mastery approach
Planning and sequencing for curriculum prioritisation
A maths lead explains how our resource has given her teachers an easy route into the mastery materials as well as excellent pedagogical development
Secondary Round-up - June 2021
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Checkpoints – new diagnostic classroom activities for Year 7
A year’s worth of resources and professional development are being produced to support secondary maths teachers
Teaching maths in Year 6
How to prioritise and secure learning, develop fluency and ensure Year 6 pupils are ready for SATs and secondary school
Secondary Round-up - September 2024
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - June 2026
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
What Maths Hubs are doing
Find out what professional and school development opportunities are being run across the Maths Hubs Network
Securing Foundations at Year 7
Support students who need additional help to make good progress in KS3 and beyond
Checkpoints
Diagnostic maths activities to help teachers develop their assessment of students' prior learning for KS3
Debbie Morgan discusses differentiation
NCETM’s Director for Primary tells us why she thinks teachers no longer need to provide different work for different children
Chetwynd Primary Academy
An interview with Lorraine Tonks, Principal of Chetwynd Primary Academy
The Essence of Mathematics Teaching for Mastery
Underpinning principles, lesson design, and how mastery works in the classroom
Curriculum prioritisation in primary maths
What maths to teach for the rest of 2020/21
Reflecting on the proposed new Level 1 maths qualifications for 16- to 19-year-olds
Why coherence, secure understanding and progression should underpin a new Level 1 maths qualification
NCETM Newsletter - January 2020
Our latest NCETM newsletter is now available
Oracy in mathematics framework
Oracy exemplified in the Essence of Mathematics Teaching for Mastery
Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (Secondary Non-specialist Teachers) Programme
Highly-regarded professional development offering secondary non-specialist maths teachers valuable CPD focusing on subject knowledge and pedagogy
Five resources for planning your post-mock exam lessons
We’ve picked out some sites to help you make the most of your Year 11s’ mock exams and analyse their results
Resources and CPD for the new school year
Autumn term support for maths teaching available from the NCETM and Maths Hubs
Multiplication and Division | Year 4
National Curriculum resources for Multiplication and Division – Year 4
Using the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation materials
A maths lead tells his school's story
Geometry - properties of shapes | Year 5
National Curriculum resources for Geometry - properties of shapes – Year 5
Measures
Comparing different aspects such as length, weight and volume, as a preliminary to using units to compare later
A grey area: the importance of colour in representations
An article by Emma Hill, a maths subject leader and Year 3/4 teacher
What maths shall we do with Year 6 this term?
We’ve gathered suggestions about preparing pupils for transition in this disrupted year
Resources and features from the NCETM in 2020/21
What you might have missed and what’s coming up…
Key Stage 3: never more crucial than now
How NCETM resources and Maths Hubs CPD programmes can help repair any damage to learning caused by the pandemic
A Tale of Two Schools
We visit two very different primary schools, and learn about their reasons for choosing teaching for mastery and its impact
Prepare your Year 6 pupils for SATs
Ensure Year 6 pupils have the understanding they need to progress by using our handpicked resources
Mastery Myth-busting
We dispel some of the common myths about teaching for mastery
Aligning curriculum reform and assessment with teaching for mastery in primary maths
Charlie Stripp and Debbie Morgan respond to a recent TES article by Peter Foulds and David Thomas regarding the primary curriculum and potential reform
Find Out in Five - Building strong foundations in Reception maths
Sue Evans, Director for Reception and Early Years, introduces a new programme designed to help Reception teachers develop expertise in early maths.
Maths CPD chat
#mathscpdchat, previously managed by the NCETM
TSM Spotlight – Copnor Primary School, Portsmouth
How Enhanced support has helped a maths lead at a large primary school in Hampshire to develop a revised maths curriculum
Developing playful mathematics in Key Stage 1
How re-thinking early childhood mathematics experiences in KS1 led to a more playful approach to maths in an East Midlands primary school
‘They’ll give it a go’: how teaching for mastery helped one SEMH school change teacher and student mindsets
A head of maths explains how lesson videos helped her team explore teaching for mastery approaches in a specialist setting
Ten resources for GCSE maths revision lessons
A selection of sites and resources that will help with your lesson and homework planning this revision season
Mastery in mathematics: What it is and why we should be doing it
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
No need to differentiate in primary school maths lessons
Debbie Morgan explains why all children should be included in all aspects of a primary maths lesson
Maths education: the present, the future, and how to get there
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Creating a collaborative culture with teaching for mastery
Discover how Secondary Mastery Specialists are transforming maths teaching in an inner-city London girls’ school
Improving maths across a large junior school without chasing quick fixes
How sustained engagement with a Maths Hub is helping to turn professional development into steady improvement in maths
Curriculum prioritisation in primary maths
A term-by-term framework to support planning and teaching
TSM Spotlight – Matthew Arnold School, Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex
How Intensive support helped one secondary school to improve GCSE Maths results by 20 percentage points
What can TIMSS tell us about maths in England?
Dr Vivien Townsend from the NCETM talks to NFER's Dr David Thomas about TIMSS 2027 and what international data can tell us about maths education
How maths textbooks are making a comeback
Two primary schools explain how they use textbook schemes to support teaching for mastery
Improving maths in multi-academy trusts by engaging with Maths Hubs
A profile of two multi-academy trusts (MATs) reaping the rewards of participation in Maths Hubs teaching for mastery work
Rebalancing the equation: the maths gender gap and why it matters
Charlie Stripp explores the gender gap in maths attainment between boys and girls, and why it matters for girls’ future opportunities, social equity and the nation’s overall potential
Closing the disadvantage gap and strengthening maths department leadership
We find out how partnership with Great North Maths Hub is supporting Jesmond Park Academy to make gradual changes that are having a big impact
Securing Foundations at Year 7: exploring a year of impact
Director for Secondary, Carol Knights, shares highlights from an innovative programme aimed at closing the gap in Year 7 maths
Bridging the gap: ensuring that all students can succeed in KS3 maths
How one North East secondary school is 'Securing Foundations at Year 7', with a new Maths Hubs project aimed at supporting all students to thrive in the maths classroom
How Mastering Number supports EAL and disadvantaged pupils
One Lancashire primary school has seen pupil confidence flourish as numeracy skills are embedded from Reception
Oracy in mathematics – a new framework
Associate Deputy Director for Secondary, Jane Hawkins, shares a new framework for oracy in mathematics which presents the foundational principles of oracy in a teaching for mastery context
Raising maths attainment in a federation of schools
How partnership with a Maths Hub helped schools in an area of deprivation see maths results rise year-on-year
Primary Round-up - October 2025
Our latest Primary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - October 2025
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - March 2025
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - March 2026
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Learning in Lockdown 9 – Deb Friis
A maths teacher at an 11-16 school in West Sussex, explains how Year 10's first few weeks back worked
Secondary Maths: Inside the EEF Practice Review
We explore the key findings of the EEF Secondary Maths Practice Review
What PISA 2025 tells us as we plan for the new secondary maths curriculum
Nicola Trubridge, the NCETM’s Director for Secondary Mathematics, reflects on the latest PISA findings and what they might mean as the maths education community prepares for a new maths national curriculum
Two pleas to maths teachers at the start of the school year
The NCETM’s Director, Charlie Stripp, has warned of the dangers of putting pressure on pupils to ‘catch-up’
Teaching the hardest topics in GCSE maths
Two teachers from South Yorkshire, who lead Work Groups, tell us why teachers should get involved with ‘Challenging Topics at GCSE’
We need to talk: exploring the Oracy Commission Report
We speak to Geoff Barton to explore the Oracy Commission Report: We need to talk, and its significance for maths teaching
Core Maths: Then, Now and Next
Reflecting on a decade of Core Maths and what comes next, with Professor Paul Glaister CBE
International Women's Day from a mathematical angle
What are you planning with your class to highlight the day?
Introducing multiplicative thinking
Building in small steps to ensure all children develop understanding early on in primary school
The Five Big Ideas at Primary – Variation
Variation can be used to support pupils to develop a deep understanding of the maths they are learning
We need to talk (about maths)
The Oracy Commission Report’s recommendations and how this could impact on maths teaching and learning
New diagnostic classroom resources to find out what your Year 7s can do
Addressing two years of disrupted schooling, Checkpoints activities will help you to formatively assess understanding of key topics
How student attainment in maths has weathered the COVID storm: lessons from TIMSS 2023
The NCETM Director and the Director for Evaluation and Impact reflect on the latest international maths comparison tests and how this informs developments in the NCETM and the Maths Hubs Network
Raising the status of professional development
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Professional Development – the key to making teaching ‘a career worth having’
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Spotlight on LLMEs – Early Years SKTM
Hear from a Cohort Lead on the Early Years Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Programme
Why mastery makes us optimistic about our next GCSE results
Article by Jenny Laurie, Deputy Head at The St Marylebone CE School, London
Professional development for primary teaching assistants
Ensuring impact, effectiveness and pupil progress
Spotlight on LLMEs – Primary Teaching Assistants
Hear from a Cohort Lead on the Primary Teaching Assistants Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Programme
Spotlight on LLMEs – A level professional development
Hear from maths teacher Adam Creen on what it’s like to lead A level professional development and subject communities for North-East Hants and Surrey Maths Hub
The importance of Core Maths and the support available
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Teaching telling the time: a non-standard approach
After two decades of teaching ‘telling the time’, Kristen Weiss discovers a way to help children better understand the complexities
Establishing strong foundations at Key Stage 3
How one secondary school developed a bespoke curriculum for KS3 students to give them the best start in maths
Research and innovation in the Maths Hubs Network
How smaller CPD projects refine, innovate and improve the Maths Hubs Programme and give teachers an opportunity to pursue special interests
Building maths leadership through trust and Maths Hub collaboration
We explore how leaders in a large trust work with their local Maths Hubs to strengthen maths teaching and improve outcomes for teachers and pupils
Five ways to use number lines in secondary maths
Practical tips from a secondary maths teacher
Planning and sequencing for curriculum prioritisation
A maths lead explains how our resource has given her teachers an easy route into the mastery materials as well as excellent pedagogical development
Secondary Round-up - June 2021
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Checkpoints – new diagnostic classroom activities for Year 7
A year’s worth of resources and professional development are being produced to support secondary maths teachers
Teaching maths in Year 6
How to prioritise and secure learning, develop fluency and ensure Year 6 pupils are ready for SATs and secondary school
Secondary Round-up - September 2024
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Secondary Round-up - June 2026
Our latest Secondary Round-up is now available
Debbie Morgan discusses differentiation
NCETM’s Director for Primary tells us why she thinks teachers no longer need to provide different work for different children
Reflecting on the proposed new Level 1 maths qualifications for 16- to 19-year-olds
Why coherence, secure understanding and progression should underpin a new Level 1 maths qualification
NCETM Newsletter - January 2020
Our latest NCETM newsletter is now available
Five resources for planning your post-mock exam lessons
We’ve picked out some sites to help you make the most of your Year 11s’ mock exams and analyse their results
Resources and CPD for the new school year
Autumn term support for maths teaching available from the NCETM and Maths Hubs
Using the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation materials
A maths lead tells his school's story
A grey area: the importance of colour in representations
An article by Emma Hill, a maths subject leader and Year 3/4 teacher
What maths shall we do with Year 6 this term?
We’ve gathered suggestions about preparing pupils for transition in this disrupted year
Resources and features from the NCETM in 2020/21
What you might have missed and what’s coming up…
Key Stage 3: never more crucial than now
How NCETM resources and Maths Hubs CPD programmes can help repair any damage to learning caused by the pandemic
A Tale of Two Schools
We visit two very different primary schools, and learn about their reasons for choosing teaching for mastery and its impact
Prepare your Year 6 pupils for SATs
Ensure Year 6 pupils have the understanding they need to progress by using our handpicked resources
Mastery Myth-busting
We dispel some of the common myths about teaching for mastery
Aligning curriculum reform and assessment with teaching for mastery in primary maths
Charlie Stripp and Debbie Morgan respond to a recent TES article by Peter Foulds and David Thomas regarding the primary curriculum and potential reform
Find Out in Five - Building strong foundations in Reception maths
Sue Evans, Director for Reception and Early Years, introduces a new programme designed to help Reception teachers develop expertise in early maths.
TSM Spotlight – Copnor Primary School, Portsmouth
How Enhanced support has helped a maths lead at a large primary school in Hampshire to develop a revised maths curriculum
Developing playful mathematics in Key Stage 1
How re-thinking early childhood mathematics experiences in KS1 led to a more playful approach to maths in an East Midlands primary school
‘They’ll give it a go’: how teaching for mastery helped one SEMH school change teacher and student mindsets
A head of maths explains how lesson videos helped her team explore teaching for mastery approaches in a specialist setting
Ten resources for GCSE maths revision lessons
A selection of sites and resources that will help with your lesson and homework planning this revision season
Mastery in mathematics: What it is and why we should be doing it
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
No need to differentiate in primary school maths lessons
Debbie Morgan explains why all children should be included in all aspects of a primary maths lesson
Maths education: the present, the future, and how to get there
An article from our Director, Charlie Stripp
Creating a collaborative culture with teaching for mastery
Discover how Secondary Mastery Specialists are transforming maths teaching in an inner-city London girls’ school
Improving maths across a large junior school without chasing quick fixes
How sustained engagement with a Maths Hub is helping to turn professional development into steady improvement in maths
TSM Spotlight – Matthew Arnold School, Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex
How Intensive support helped one secondary school to improve GCSE Maths results by 20 percentage points
What can TIMSS tell us about maths in England?
Dr Vivien Townsend from the NCETM talks to NFER's Dr David Thomas about TIMSS 2027 and what international data can tell us about maths education
How maths textbooks are making a comeback
Two primary schools explain how they use textbook schemes to support teaching for mastery
Improving maths in multi-academy trusts by engaging with Maths Hubs
A profile of two multi-academy trusts (MATs) reaping the rewards of participation in Maths Hubs teaching for mastery work
Gap tasks: maximising the impact of Work Groups
We visit Gorse Hill Primary School Work Group in Swindon, and find out how gap tasks are driving powerful changes in pedagogy
TRGs: Collaborative professional development in action
Green shoots of Teacher Research Groups (TRGs) are slowly spreading their fronds of mastery exploration across the country
Mixed-age mastery – how and why it works
One North Yorkshire primary school has made teaching for mastery work in four classes which span seven year groups
Meeting the needs of all without ability setting
Removing setting from maths teaching in a three-form entry primary school
The Bar Model
A representation used to expose mathematical structure
Using a high quality textbook to support teaching for mastery
We visit the classroom of Hannah Gray, a primary teacher involved in trialling new Singapore-style textbooks, designed to support a mastery approach
Checkpoints
Diagnostic maths activities to help teachers develop their assessment of students' prior learning for KS3
Curriculum prioritisation in primary maths
What maths to teach for the rest of 2020/21
Measures
Comparing different aspects such as length, weight and volume, as a preliminary to using units to compare later
Curriculum prioritisation in primary maths
A term-by-term framework to support planning and teaching