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Leadership Opportunities
The Maths Hub programmes are designed to develop teachers as Local Leaders of Maths Education (LLME) who lead various strands of activity for their Maths Hub at a local level. At a national level there are over 1500 active LLMEs leading Maths Hub Work Groups and programmes.
As well as leading Work Groups and programmes, LLMEs are brought together in professional development communities, particularly at a local Maths Hub level.
For many of our LLMEs, leading Maths Hubs work is an alternative career progression path of senior leadership. It can provide opportunity to continue teaching and work collaboratively with other local teachers and schools, as well as being part of a vibrant learning community with the hubs' other LLMEs. Equally for others it can be a stepping stone to achieving senior leadership positions, we have a track record as a hub in helping our LLMe secure leadership positions.
Most LLMEs begin their journey by participating in one or more of the NCETM's centrally-run professional development programmes and as the diagram shows below can assist with school and career progression.
Applications are open for our Primary and Secondary Mastery Specialist Programmes, you can find out more within the sections below and/or apply using the link below:
Primary Mastery Specialist
There are currently hundreds of Mastery Specialists supporting colleagues in their own schools and beyond to develop mastery approaches to maths teaching. Mastery Specialists are classroom-based practitioners who develop expertise in mastery and lead Work Groups to support other schools and teachers locally.
The Mastery Specialist Programme for primary teachers started in 2015/16. Each year well over a hundred primary teachers complete a programme of high quality, professional development with the NCETM, to become trained Mastery Specialists.
In every subsequent year, each of these teachers leads a Teaching for Mastery Work Group. This involves working with participant teachers from six or seven primary schools within their Maths Hub area, so that these schools can start to introduce teaching for mastery themselves.
In the first year of the programme, three residentials (one each term) provide an opportunity to develop understanding of the Five Big Ideas of teaching for mastery in depth, and to focus on the specialist subject knowledge required to design lessons that unfold maths for all children.
Between residentials, specialists will be able to apply their learning to the context of their own classroom and school, reflecting with others on what the impact of learning has been on pupils.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Participants should be experienced Primary practitioners with the capacity to lead change in their own schools, and to develop as leaders of professional development in other schools. They must be working in a state-funded school in England. Their headteacher must commit to supporting them and to developing teaching for mastery in their schools.
Applications are now open for the 26/27 (Cohort 12) Primary Mastery Specialist training programme. Please download the the Information Sheet and read carefully prior to clicking the Apply Now button. This will take you to the NCETM’s Axis system to apply. You will need to register for an Axis account if you don’t already have one.
Download the information sheet
Secondary Mastery Specialist
Since its launch in 2014, the programme has helped over 1,000 Mastery Specialists enhance maths teaching, supported by significant government funding for future expansion. The Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme is now more accessible to classroom teachers, enhancing its impact within maths departments. The programme has improved student outcomes and experiences, and now seeks to broaden its reach. This exciting opportunity allows teachers to advance maths education through teaching for mastery approaches, while also developing leadership and professional skills. Participants will focus on their own development and that of their department, with the option to collaborate with other schools in the future. State-funded Secondary schools are invited to nominate lead teachers for this long-term professional development programme. The goal is to drive lasting change within departments, supported by the involvement of subject leaders.
Who can apply?
Maths teachers with QTS in state-funded secondary schools who have at least two years of teaching experience are eligible to apply to become a Secondary Mastery Specialist. Teachers should have a strong desire to develop both their own classroom practice and their skills in leading professional development within their department
What is involved?
Year One: you participate in several professional development training events and focus on developing your own classroom teaching
Year Two: you continue to participate in training events and focus on developing teaching for mastery approaches within your own department and honing your skills in leading professional development. To support you, you will be enrolled in the NCETM’s Professional Development (PD) Programme during to gain a good understanding of how to lead professional development effectively.
Once training is complete, there is no longer an expectation for Mastery Specialists to deliver programmes to other schools, as a Local Leader of Maths Education. Instead, the minimum expectation is that you continue to work as an advocate of teaching for mastery, within your own school to embed and deepen fidelity, across the Maths department. When the time is right for you and your school, we can discuss opportunities for you to work with us as a Local Leader of Maths Education, supporting other schools on their own Teaching for Mastery journey.
The Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme is fully funded by the Maths Hubs Programme so is provided free to participants and their schools.
Next Steps
Applications are now open for the 26/27 (Cohort 11) Secondary Mastery Specialist training programme. Please download the the Information Sheet and read carefully prior to clicking the Apply Now button. This will take you to the NCETM’s Axis system to apply. You will need to register for an Axis account if you don’t already have one.
Further Education Mastery Specialist
Following the success of the Primary and Secondary Mastery Specialist Programmes, Maths Hubs, working in conjunction with the NCETM, have established a training programme to develop Further Education Mastery Specialists. Further Education establishments can nominate ‘lead teachers’ to take part in an important two-year professional development programme, leading to the designation of Post-16 GCSE/FSQ Mastery Specialist. The programme is aimed at those who teach GCSE Mathematics resit and/or Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQs).
What is involved?
Participating FE establishments will nominate a lead teacher to develop as a Mastery Specialist and follow a minimum two-year programme.
The programme has an initial training year, followed by a second year and beyond in which specialists support others. It equips participants with the knowledge and skills to develop highly effective approaches to the teaching of GCSE Maths resit and Functional Skills Maths, using the principles of teaching for mastery.
During the first year, the emphasis will be on the lead teacher developing their knowledge, understanding and skills of teaching for mastery in their own establishment.
Upon completion of the first year of the programme, participants will join a collaborative cohort of Mastery Specialists according to their provision type. Participants will continue to develop teaching for mastery approaches in their own institutions, working with their colleagues whilst being supported by peers in the collaborative cohort.
What will you learn?
>Your students will develop a secure and connected understanding of the maths they are learning
>Your students will report increased confidence in using maths
>You will develop classroom practices aligned to the principles of teaching for mastery, as exemplified for the post-16 GCSE/FSQ sector
>You will, over time, become part of the Maths Hubs LLME Community
What is the cost?
The Post-16 GCSE/FSQ Mastery Specialist Programme is fully funded by the Maths Hubs Programme so is free to participating schools/institutions.
To express your interest for the training programme starting in 2026/27 academic year, please complete the form below and we’ll be in touch as soon as applications are open, usually in early Spring 2026.
Learn more about the programme
Professional Development Lead
These phase-specific programmes are for expert teachers of maths (all phases from Early Years to post-16) who have existing commitments and responsibility for designing, leading and evaluating maths teacher professional development, and who will lead maths professional development beyond their own institution.
What is involved?
The PD Lead Programme is designed for participants who are working with other teachers to enhance teaching and learning of maths.
Participants benefit from the equivalent of three one-day workshops (face-to-face and online). Participants will design, lead, review and refine a programme of support for maths teacher professional development, drawing upon a range of evidence-informed models and activity. The completion of an Accreditation Evidence Document, which facilitates critical reflection on participants’ learning over the duration of the programme is required.
What will you learn?
- You will develop a refined rationale for the Professional Development you are leading and for the range of professional activity within the programme
- You will critically evaluate your own professional development programme against your intended outcomes
- You will identify key principles of maths CPD design and the implications of these for the programme you design
- You will recognise the key distinction between teachers’ knowledge of maths, and teachers’ knowledge of teaching maths
Participants will also have the opportunity to gain an academic award (PG Cert) for completing an enhanced version of the programme, which will be available for an additional fee.
Applications are open for 2026/2027. You can find out more by downloading the information sheet below and apply using the link below.
Download the information sheet
School Development Lead
The programme is for colleagues working with school and subject leaders in a school or group of schools other than their own. It will benefit those with significant experience of developing maths leadership capacity, or those newer to the role. Usually, participants will have completed the NCETM PD Lead Programme and have some experience of working directly with senior leaders outside of their own setting.
Participants must commit to the full programme and will need the support of the headteacher of their own school and/or MAT.
What is involved?
This programme is designed to enable leaders of maths school development to enhance leadership capacity and capability in the schools they support. It will provide regional support through workshops (face-to-face, run regionally across England, and online), practice development activities, and an online community.
Participants design and lead a school development initiative, aimed at supporting the development of school and subject leaders, as they explore, prepare and deliver changes to their setting’s maths provision.
What will you learn?
- You will develop your knowledge of a range of maths school development strategies and how to use them effectively
- You will strengthen your knowledge of the evidence base that underpins school development
- You will work alongside senior and subject leaders to support sustainable implementation and build capacity
- You will improve the skills and self-awareness required in the role of school development lead
The School Development Lead Programme is fully funded by the Maths Hubs Programme so is free to participants and their schools.
Applications are open for 2026/27. You can find out more by reading the information sheet and can apply using the link below. If you have any further questions please contact us (mathshub@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)
