Early Years Programmes

The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) is working towards partnering with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to evaluate the Mastering Number at Reception and KS1 programme in the 2025/2026 academic year. This is an exciting potential opportunity for your school to engage with a highly regarded programme that aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. Pending EEF Grants Committee sign off, the trial will assess the impact of Mastering Number on Reception pupils and their teachers. You can find out more about the value of participating in a trial here 

https://www.ncetm.org.uk/features/going-for-gold-standard 

Develop mathematical subject knowledge and understand the pedagogy that underpins the teaching of it.

What is involved?

This project is for Early Years teachers who would like to develop their specialist knowledge for teaching maths to Reception pupils. It may be particularly relevant for teachers that have moved phases or have not received maths-specific training.

There are two types of SKTM Early Years pathways: Number, and Spatial Reasoning. Each pathway consists of the equivalent of four days, spread out over a minimum of two terms. Professional learning and practice development continue throughout, with participants implementing new ideas into their daily practice.

What is the time commitment?

Participants will attend the equivalent of four days, where they will collaboratively work on maths tasks facilitated by Cohort Leads.

There is opportunity for structured conversations in order to unpick the maths, the pedagogy modelled within sessions, misconceptions that pupils have, and how the approaches can be transferred to the participants’ classrooms.

Between sessions, participants contribute to their online community, complete school-based tasks, and share their observations through discussions with peers.