What 'mastery' in primary maths really means

Schools talk about mastery constantly, and it is easy to hear it as "finish the work quickly". The opposite is closer to the truth.

A mastered idea can be used elsewhere

If a child can add 3/4 and 1/4 on a worksheet, they have practised. If they can tell you why the answer is 1 without counting, and then use that to simplify 7/8 + 1/8 in a different context, they have mastered it.

Three signs mastery is forming

• They can explain the method to you in their own words.
• They spot when an answer is unreasonable.
• They can solve the same problem with different numbers, or in a different form.

What to do at home

Ask "how do you know?" rather than "is that right?". The first invites thinking; the second invites a guess. Ten minutes of that conversation beats a page of questions every time.