High-quality teaching and an ambitious, well-designed curriculum sit at the heart of our educational work across MAST.

We want every child to experience teaching that is clear, purposeful and responsive, and a curriculum that builds knowledge carefully over time while preparing pupils for the opportunities and challenges of the future.

Our approach combines high expectations with professional trust. We work collectively across the Trust to strengthen teaching and curriculum, while recognising that each school has its own context, community and distinctive character.

We do not seek to make every school identical. Instead, we provide shared principles, expertise and professional support so that every school can deliver an excellent education.

Teaching & Learning Lead

Our work in teaching, learning and curriculum is supported by our Teaching & Learning Lead, who works closely with the Director of Education, Headteachers, senior leaders, subject leaders and classroom practitioners across MAST.

The Teaching & Learning Lead provides practical, school-facing support to help strengthen classroom practice and curriculum implementation.

This includes:

• working alongside teachers and leaders to develop teaching practice;
• coaching and professional dialogue;
• modelling and sharing effective approaches;
• supporting curriculum design and implementation;
• developing subject leadership;
• contributing to teaching and learning reviews;
• identifying and sharing strong practice across the Trust;
• supporting professional development; and
• helping schools translate improvement priorities into consistent classroom practice.

This role provides schools with direct access to Trust-level expertise while also helping to connect colleagues and effective practice across MAST.

Our approach to teaching

We believe that excellent teaching is built on strong subject knowledge, clear explanations, purposeful practice and a deep understanding of how children learn.

Across MAST, we support schools to develop teaching that:

• has high expectations for all pupils;
• builds securely on prior learning;
• makes learning clear and purposeful;
• checks understanding carefully;
• responds to misconceptions;
• provides appropriate challenge;
• uses assessment to inform next steps;
• supports pupils to remember and apply what they have learned; and
• removes unnecessary barriers to participation and success.

We recognise that effective teaching is not about applying a single prescribed method in every classroom.

Instead, we develop professional expertise so that teachers can make informed decisions about the approaches that will work best for their pupils and subject matter.

Our curriculum principles

Schools within MAST retain ownership of their curriculum, but our shared curriculum principles provide a common framework for thinking about what a strong curriculum should achieve.

Across the Trust, we believe curricula should be:

Knowledge Rich
Children should develop a broad and secure body of knowledge that enables them to understand the world, make connections and access increasingly complex ideas.

Sequenced & Progressive
Learning should be deliberately ordered so that knowledge and skills build coherently over time. Pupils should know more, remember more and be able to do more as they move through school.

Inclusive & Accessible
Curriculum ambition should be for every child. We support schools to anticipate barriers and design learning so that pupils with different needs and starting points can participate meaningfully and achieve well.

Future Ready
Our pupils are growing up in a rapidly changing world. Alongside essential academic knowledge, we want them to develop the confidence, adaptability and understanding they will need for the future.

Focused on Problem Solving
Children should have opportunities to think, reason, investigate and apply what they know rather than simply reproduce information.

Developing Character & Citizenship
Education is about more than academic attainment. We want pupils to develop the character, values and understanding necessary to participate positively in their communities and wider society.

Together, these principles provide a shared educational language across MAST while allowing individual schools to develop curricula that reflect their pupils and communities.

Curriculum development

Our central education team works alongside school leaders and subject leaders to strengthen curriculum design and implementation.

Support may include:

• curriculum review and development;
• progression and sequencing;
• subject-specific planning;
• developing long-term curriculum thinking;
• supporting implementation;
• reviewing pupil work and learning;
• assessment within the curriculum;
• identifying gaps or unnecessary duplication; and
• ensuring that curriculum ambition extends to all pupils.

We want curriculum development to be thoughtful and evidence-informed rather than driven by short-term initiatives.

Subject leadership

Strong subject leadership is essential to a strong curriculum.

We support subject leaders to develop the knowledge and confidence they need to lead their areas effectively.

This includes opportunities to:

• understand progression within their subject;
• evaluate curriculum implementation;
• support colleagues;
• analyse strengths and areas for development;
• review pupils’ learning and outcomes;
• access professional development; and
• collaborate with subject leaders from other MAST schools.

Trust-wide subject networks provide an important forum for colleagues to share resources, discuss challenges and develop practice together.

Professional learning

Improving teaching depends upon sustained professional learning.

Across MAST, we provide professional development for teachers and leaders that responds to school priorities, Trust-wide themes and emerging educational evidence.

Professional learning may include:

• Trust-wide training;
• school-based development;
• coaching;
• demonstration and modelling;
• collaborative planning;
• peer observation;
• subject networks;
• professional reading and discussion; and
• opportunities to work across different MAST schools.

We aim to move beyond one-off training events and support professional learning that leads to genuine changes in classroom practice.

Sharing expertise across MAST

One of the greatest advantages of working as a Trust is the opportunity to learn from one another.

Strong practice exists throughout our schools, and we actively encourage colleagues to share that expertise.

Teachers and leaders may work with colleagues in other schools, contribute to reviews, lead professional development, demonstrate effective practice or support curriculum development beyond their own setting.

This creates professional opportunities for staff while ensuring that successful approaches can benefit more children.

Teaching that includes every child

Teaching and inclusion are inseparable.

Our education and inclusion teams work together to help schools develop classroom practice that maintains high expectations while responding effectively to different needs.

This includes supporting teachers with adaptive teaching, scaffolding, classroom environments, communication, the effective use of additional adults and strategies that enable pupils with SEND to participate successfully in the curriculum.

Our ambition is not to reduce the curriculum for children who find learning more difficult, but to improve access to it.

Continuous improvement

Teaching and curriculum are never finished.

Schools continually evaluate what pupils are learning, how effectively the curriculum is being delivered and where practice can become stronger.

Through collaboration, professional development, quality assurance and the direct support of our Teaching & Learning Lead, we help schools continue to refine and strengthen their educational offer.

Our shared ambition is that every child within MAST experiences an education that is ambitious, coherent, inclusive and rich in opportunity — enabling them to Belong, Be Safe and Flourish.