NCETM Mastery Number Programme
OUr Approach: NCETM Mastery Number Programme
We believe that strong number sense is the foundation of success in mathematics. To support this, we deliver a daily short session in addition to our main maths lesson for all pupils from Reception to Year 3, using high-quality materials from the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM).
These short sessions are designed to secure early fluency in number - helping pupils to build confidence, flexibility and understanding in the most essential mathematical ideas.
What does the Mastery Number Programme look like in school?
The NCETM Mastering Number Programme focuses on strengthening children’s understanding of number, relationships and patterns through carefully structured, engaging activities. The programme is based on research showing that regular, focused attention on key number concepts helps pupils develop the kind of automaticity and number confidence that supports success across all areas of mathematics later on.
Reception to Year 3:
Pupils take part in a short, daily ‘Mastering Number’ session that focuses on developing their understanding of number composition, subitising, recall of facts, and a sense of number relationships. In Year 3, the children build on their prior learning and are able to embed the programmes principles, in order to solidify fluency. These sessions are carefully sequenced, progressive and highly interactive. Teachers use visual representations such as rekenreks, tens frames and number tracks to help pupils ‘see the maths’ and make sense of number relationships. Sessions are designed to be short, purposeful and consistent.
How this supports Pupils
- Fluency: Regular practice with number facts and patterns helps children become quicker and more confident with mental maths.
- Understanding: Activities help children develop a secure grasp of how numbers work - not just learning facts but understanding why they’re true.
- Confidence: A daily routine gives children multiple opportunities to succeed, revisit prior learning and build mathematical resilience.
- Foundation for Mastery: By embedding number sense from the start, we prepare children for the wider challenges of mathematics in later Key Stages.
How the Mastery Number Programme fits into our wider curriculum
These NCETM sessions sit alongside our main mathematics teaching (delivered through the Maths -No Problem! approach). Together, they provide a balanced and coherent maths curriculum that supports both conceptual understanding and mathematical fluency.
While Maths - No Problem! builds depth, reasoning and problem-solving across the maths curriculum, the NCETM fluency sessions ensure our youngest learners develop the number confidence they need to access and enjoy that curriculum fully.
To support fluency and recall across the school, we use a range of targeted programmes. In Reception and Year 1, pupils access Numbots to build strong foundations in number through regular practice in mental addition and subtraction. From Years 2 to 4, the focus shifts to times tables, with weekly sessions using Times Tables Rock Stars to develop speed and accuracy. In Years 3 and 4, progress is also tracked through our Medal Maths assessments, providing a clear picture of each child’s times tables knowledge. As pupils move into Years 5 and 6, they complete weekly arithmetic assessments to consolidate their learning and prepare for more advanced problem-solving.