Centres for Excellence in Maths (CfEM) is 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 and delivered by the Education and Training Foundation, the programme is exploring what works for teachers and students, embedding related CPD and good practice, and building networks of maths professionals in colleges.
If you require any further information about the programme, please do not hesitate to contact CfEM@etfoundation.co.uk for further information.
There are four key elements that work in Mastery should consider:
Fundamental to a mastery approach is the belief by students, and their teachers, that with hard work all are capable of being successful at maths. In that sense, a can-do mastery approach should frame all maths education beliefs and practice; we will address this aspect of mastery through our work on motivation and engagement.
A mastery curriculum is one that pays careful attention to
Mastery teaching involves pedagogic approaches that aim to enhance both understanding and fluency. This requires both:
When achieving mastery, students work towards knowing ‘why’ things (will) work when they are doing maths rather than working on simply memorising procedures. This requires teaching mathematics for mastery.
We will work towards a well-designed and resourced mastery curriculum alongside professional development that enables the achievement of mastery.
CfEM Handbook
Other Resources and Tools
Motivation and engagement are often considered in conjunction with concepts such as beliefs, attitudes and emotions (such as self-efficacy and anxiety). There is much research and anecdotal evidence of GCSE re-sit students having negative responses in all or most of these areas. The work that addresses this theme should, therefore, engender positive emotions, provide additional motivation and lead to better engagement with learning maths. This requires a focus on:
The aim will be to develop an approach to improving student motivation and engagement around these key elements.
CfEM Handbook
Other Resources and Tools
Centre spotlights
Contextualisation that relates maths to real-world situations should be a core aspect of maths courses designed to prepare students for using maths in their future workplaces and general life.
The capacity to successfully engage with such maths should be a core learning goal of students many of whom have vocational aspirations.
A well-designed and delivered contextualised approach to maths may be more likely to motivate students as they realise its practical usefulness and relevance to their other studies.
The initial aim will be to develop approaches that seek to:
CfEM Handbook
Other Resources and Tools
There is a wide range of uses to which technology might be used in post-16 maths contexts up to level 2. Three strands of activity are proposed, each of which directly relates to classroom teaching and learning and with one also having a particular focus on providing data that can inform the programme’s wider work.
Alternatively, technology can provide the same data but in a less immediate way providing more time for teacher reflection and preparation. There are possibilities for involving students individually with diagnoses of their own work and taking a more individual approach. This use of technology presents challenges for the effective use of what can be an overwhelming quantity of data. This is an issue that will be considered carefully.
There are many possible connections and overlaps between these themes. For example, it may be that the use of technology in a particular way provides motivation and the potential for greater than usual engagement for certain students.
It is likely, therefore, that there will be a small number of tools developed that are used across all the trials with others being bespoke to an approach in a particular theme. Such details will become apparent as the different approaches are considered and designed.
CfEM Handbook
Other Resources and Tools
The Centre for Research in Maths Education at the University of Nottingham will lead the research, development and implementation of high-quality approaches to teaching maths in the Centres (and their wider networks), and in particular with respect to post-16 maths up to level 2.
This will involve trials of carefully designed approaches organised under four broad themes, leading to the generation of high quality, robust evidence. The key foci for the work of Centres and associated trials are summarised for each theme (mastery, motivating and engaging learners, contextualisation and use of technology and data). These priorities are based on existing literature and current research.
In selecting appropriate and workable approaches to trial in the 19-20 academic year, consideration has been given to appropriateness and workability of approaches leading to the development of a clear framework for college-based trials. Their priority throughout will be maths learning and provision in specifically timetabled maths lessons. This will be reviewed in future years to take account of emerging evidence and other potential avenues for exploration.
The programme is focussed primarily on four themes of activity:
The monthly CfEM newsletter brings the latest updates and resources from the four themes of activity. You can access previous editions of the newsletter below.
Sign up to receive this newsletter (select the ‘Maths and English’ box)
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Brand and style guidelines for use by delivery partners in the production of CfEM resources are now available. Contact Charley Francis for these.
Centres for Excellence in Maths leaflet
The ETF runs many other initiatives and programmes separate to the CfEM programme. These look to improve the maths workforce development in the FE sector, which some might find relevant for the CfEM work being done. These include: