MEP Math (Mathematics Enhancement Programme) is a free, rigorous math curriculum developed by UK universities based on Hungarian teaching methods, available for download and popular among homeschoolers for its conceptual depth and problem-solving focus.
What Is MEP Math?
The Mathematics Enhancement Programme (MEP) is a comprehensive, completely free math curriculum developed by the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching (CIMT) at the University of Plymouth/Exeter in the UK. Created in 1995, the program draws primarily on Hungarian teaching methods—Hungary consistently ranks among the top five countries globally for mathematics education. Every lesson presents math as a puzzle to be solved, encouraging students to discover patterns and assess problems rather than simply following memorized procedures.
Key Takeaways
- Completely free—all materials downloadable from CIMT website
- Based on Hungarian teaching methods with proven international results
- Covers primary (Reception-Year 6) roughly equivalent to US K-5
- Teacher-intensive: requires active parent involvement, not independent study
- UK-based: uses metric system and British currency symbols
Philosophy and Approach
MEP treats every math problem as a puzzle inviting multiple solution methods. Students learn to assess problems and choose strategies rather than applying memorized algorithms. Wrong answers signal a need to try different approaches—not failure. The curriculum combines mastery-based material with spiral review, meaning concepts build while earlier skills stay fresh. Visualization and manipulatives feature heavily in early years. Students discover patterns when concepts are introduced rather than being told what to notice. This approach develops mathematical thinking alongside computational skill.
What's Included
The primary curriculum covers Reception through Year 6 (roughly US kindergarten through 5th grade), with some secondary materials available. Each level includes detailed lesson plans, practice books, and copymasters for student pages. All materials download as PDFs—print what you need. Lessons designed for classroom teaching typically take homeschoolers 20-30 minutes one-on-one. The program was funded by organizations including PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Garfield Weston Foundation, explaining why such thorough materials remain free.
Implementation Considerations
MEP requires adaptation for American homeschoolers. Materials use UK currency (pounds and pence rather than dollars and cents) and metric measurements throughout—actually helpful for science but different from US daily life. PDFs are formatted for A4 paper, not standard US letter size. More significantly, MEP is teacher-intensive: there are no student textbooks for independent work. Parents must teach each lesson, making it less suitable for families wanting hands-off curriculum. Those who thrive with MEP typically appreciate its depth and find adapting currency and measurements worth the trade-off.
MEP vs. Other Curricula
Compared to Singapore Math, MEP uses a mastery-spiral hybrid while Singapore follows pure mastery. Singapore offers student textbooks for independent learning; MEP requires teacher involvement. Some families supplement MEP with Singapore's Challenging Word Problems for additional rigor. Compared to standard US curricula, MEP goes deeper conceptually while moving more gently in early years—parents frequently report being "shocked" to discover concepts MEP explicitly teaches that other programs assume children already understand. MEP Reception (kindergarten) is particularly beloved for its playful yet thorough approach.
The Bottom Line
MEP Math offers a rigorous, free alternative to commercial math curricula for families willing to invest teaching time. Based on methods from one of the world's top-performing countries in mathematics, the program develops genuine mathematical thinking rather than mere procedure-following. The trade-offs—required parent involvement, UK formatting, and the need for adaptation—work well for some families and poorly for others. If you're drawn to conceptual depth, want your child to see math as puzzle-solving, and can commit to teaching rather than assigning, MEP deserves serious consideration.
