Centres for Excellence in Maths (CfEM) ran as a five-year national improvement programme aimed at delivering sustained improvements in maths outcomes for 16-19-year-olds, up to Level 2, in post-16 settings.
Funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and delivered by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and partners, the CfEM project explored what works for teachers and students in the Further Education (FE) and Training sector – focusing particularly on an adapted maths mastery approach suitable for post-16 learners.
Central to the project was the collaboration with and between 21 colleges, who facilitated local provider networks, participated in research, developed resources, and both delivered and participated in a range of professional development activities.
The project ended in March 2023. This online platform provides a legacy of resources and learning from the programme for the sector, developed by FE for FE.
Maths mastery is a teaching and learning approach that aims for learners to develop a deep understanding of maths, rather than being able to memorise key procedures or resort to rote learning. It is underpinned by the notion that all learners, given enough time, effort and the right support, can succeed at maths.
The CfEM approach to teaching for mastery in FE is defined in terms of five key principles, as shown in the diagram. For further information about these principles, click on the diagram, or read Mastery Teaching in Further Education: a handbook for practitioners which provides a more detailed discussion of the CfEM approach.
Four additional practitioner handbooks were created early in the project in relation to the four original themes of CfEM, and can be accessed:
This resources and evidence hub comprises the four sections which are detailed and can be accessed below.
Not all sections are currently populated. We will be adding further content between now and the beginning of May.
