Find Out in Five - the Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme

Applications open soon for the fully-funded Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme. Sign up now for an alert to be the first to find out when applications open, and read on to hear from Jenny Clegg who shares her experience of this popular programme.

Jenny Clegg is second in department at Hele’s School on the edge of Plymouth, a large 11–18 comprehensive. Hele’s is part of the Westcountry Schools Trust (WeST), a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), with 8 secondary and 23 primary schools. Jenny recently completed the Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme, which supports teachers to develop their classroom practice and their skills in leading professional development with others. Here she shares the impact on her teaching, her team and her trust.

1. What first led you to the Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme?

A few years ago, I took part in a short CPD programme which was led by a Mastery Specialist. She was brilliant and I came away thinking that I’d really like to do what she does. Nobody at my school had any connection to the Maths Hub at that point, so it felt like a good opportunity to try something new. 

2. What did the two years of training involve?

Across the two years we had residentials, online sessions and face-to-face days. They’re planned, so you’re taken out of your day to day which really helps you focus. In the second year, there was the opportunity to complete the PD Lead Programme alongside it, so you’re learning how to support your department as well. There’s an accredited element too, so I had to complete work online. It was full on at times, but really worthwhile.

3. What impact has it had on your own teaching?

I’m quicker to fix things now. If I teach something and think I’d do it differently next time, I actually make the change straightaway. I also ask more questions than I ever have done. I’ll chat to colleagues over lunch and ask how they teach something, not in a judgemental way but because I want to learn from them. It’s made me think more carefully about every question I ask, my language, and the way I structure a lesson. It’s given me a lot of confidence.

4. What impact has it had on your department and trust?

We’ve always been a collaborative department, but the programme helped us refine what we already do. During the second year I ran PD sessions, and we looked at our scheme and planned together. On whole-trust days, when all 120 maths teachers were together, a few of us delivered training sessions. This year I’m doing more work across the trust with another colleague who trained as a Mastery Specialist alongside me. It’s helped create more shared thinking and a stronger sense of coherence. I think there’s a Mastery Specialist in every school in our trust now, which builds us a strong team for the whole trust to benefit from.

5. Have you noticed any changes for students?

It’s difficult to pick out one change when lots of things shift at once, especially within a trust. But when I teach parallel groups, I can teach a lesson to one class, reflect on it, and then refine it for the second class. You can see the difference straightaway. Those small adjustments really help. Students really benefit from the clarity and the consistency that comes from us thinking more carefully about how we teach.

Thinking of applying?

“I’d strongly recommend it. Having more than one specialist across a trust builds a strong team with a shared purpose. It improves teaching, creates better conversations and helps everyone move forward together.”