We all know that subject knowledge is crucial for prospective trainee teachers. But how do subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses work? We get the lowdown on who the courses are for, what they cover and where you can find them.

Who are SKE courses for?

SKE courses are designed for prospective trainee teachers who need to improve their subject knowledge before or alongside their initial teacher education (ITE) course.

Typically, these are undertaken at the request of their teacher training provider as a condition of their offer and can attract funding from the Department for Education (DfE) to cover the cost of the course.

Prospective trainee teachers may be asked to complete an SKE course because their degree isn’t related closely enough to the subject that they have applied to train to teach, or there may be a significant gap between when they studied their subject and their teacher training (particularly for career changers).

Some SKE courses are undertaken by in-service teachers, too. Although these do not attract any course funding from the DfE, they can still be valuable to those who have been asked to teach outside of their subject specialism or are looking to improve their employability.

As the majority of courses are undertaken by prospective trainee teachers, we will focus here on SKE courses for them.

What does an SKE course entail?

SKE courses for prospective trainees are available in 13 shortage areas: biology, chemistry, computing, design and technology, English, French, geography, German, mathematics, physics, primary maths, religious education and Spanish.

Although you will already need to hold a degree to take an SKE course, they aren’t intended to replicate degree-level material. Instead, they recap the essential information that you will need to teach.

The length of the course will be stipulated by the ITE provider and can range from 8 to 28 weeks.

Prospective trainee teachers can expect to complete subject knowledge audits during the course and some training providers will be able to tailor the content around the prospective trainee teachers’ knowledge.

Some SKE course providers will assign a subject specialist pathway tutor to support and guide the learner’s progress, so it’s worth checking this when choosing a course.

Where can you study for an SKE course?

SKE courses are offered by a number of providers; some are accredited teacher training providers whereas others are independent companies. They can be delivered 100 per cent online, face-to-face or a blend of both.

Typically, an SKE course will take 20-25 hours a week, with additional homework tasks on top, although this can vary depending on your learning speed. You can also opt to take the courses part-time over a longer period for the short and medium-length courses.

Owing to the busy nature of the first term of teacher training, it is recommended that prospective trainee teachers complete their SKE course before their ITE course begins. However, it is possible for the courses to overlap if the ITE provider gives permission.

Do you have to pay for an SKE course?

If you are completing an SKE course as part of a conditional ITE offer that states you must undertake an SKE course, the DfE will fund the course for you.

You may be eligible for an additional bursary designed to support you during the programme, provided you have a minimum of a 2:2, or if you hold a 3rd-class degree and a master’s qualification.

Should you overlap any of your SKE course with your teacher training, there may be implications for your SKE bursary if you are due to receive one for your teacher training too, as the DfE will not fund more than one bursary at once.

These conditions and the bursary amount can change, so it is recommended that you speak to your SKE course provider for the most up-to-date information.

If you do not meet these conditions, you can opt to pay for the course yourself.

Case study

Niamh holds an upper second-class degree in French, and has A-level German, but in order to teach modern foreign languages at a secondary school, her ITE provider has requested that she complete a 12-week bursary-funded SKE course in Spanish.

Niamh is part-time, so she will be studying online for 10 hours a week for 24 weeks, with a tutor setting weekly homework tasks to check she has understood the content and identify any issues with understanding.

Niamh will receive a bursary while she completes the course and, as there is a two-week overlap with her ITE course beginning, she will receive both her salary as a trainee teacher and the SKE course bursary for those two weeks.

Tes Institute offers subject knowledge enhancement courses delivered 100 per cent online. Find out more about Tes Institute’s SKE courses.