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Subject KnowledgeEnhancement (SKE):A guide for initial teachertraining (ITT) providersVolume 2. 2018/19

2 Tes InstituteCharlie Fitt, SKE Physics learner

ContentsWhat is Subject Knowledge Enhancement? (SKE)4 How can SKE help your trainees?5 Shortage subjects5 Eligibility criteria6 Flexible learning6Making SKE part of your recruitment7 How to decide if an applicant needs SKE8 How long should the course be?8Funding and fees9Why Tes Institute?10How to apply11FAQs12Case study: Kent and Medway Training14Contact us15

4 Tes InstituteWhat is SubjectKnowledgeEnhancement?Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses(SKE) are designed to help improve a traineeteacher’s subject knowledge beforeor alongside their initial teacher training.The courses can range in length from an8-week refresher to a more in depth28-week programme, dependant on boththe needs of the trainee and the courselength available.

Tes Institute 5Courses available:Biology, chemistry, computing, English,French, geography, German, maths, physicsand SpanishHow can SKE help yourtrainees?Your trainees could benefit from anSKE course if: Their degree is closely related,but not specific to their chosensubject They are returning to teach theirdegree subject, after spendingtime working in a different field They don’t have an A-level intheir chosen subject They lack confidence in theirsubjectShortage subjectsTes Institute offers courses in:biology, chemistry, computing,English, French, geography,German, maths, physics andSpanish. As shortage subjects,funding is available for traineesfrom the Department for Education(DfE) to cover the full cost of thecourse, with the administrationhandled by Tes Institute. Eligiblecandidates also have the possibilityof an additional tax-free trainingbursary.

6 Tes InstituteEligibility criteriaYour trainees will be eligible fora funded place on an SKE courseif they meet the ITT eligibilitycriteria and you provide them witha conditional offer of a place on yourprogramme that states they mustcomplete an SKE course in theirchosen subject.Additional eligibility criteria maybe required for the SKE bursaryfunding, please see page 8 for details.In addition, we can now offer fundedSKE courses to PE ITT traineeswho have an A-level in an Ebaccsubject (English, maths, geography,history, the sciences, computing ora language) and meet all other SKEeligibility criteria.Flexible learningAt Tes Institute, courses aredelivered 100% online, allowingtrainees to fit learning around theirother commitments. They canstudy at a time and in a place thatsuits them, and they can overlapthe SKE course with their initialteacher training if necessary. If atrainee chooses to do this they willcontinue to receive course funding(if eligible) but, if they are eligible foran ITT bursary, they will no longerreceive SKE bursary funding duringthe overlap. Due to the workloadinvolved with undertaking an SKEalongside teacher training, werecommend that the overlap is keptto a minimum.Sarah Bridges, Tes Institute qualified teacher

Tes Institute 7Funding and feesFunding is available from the DfE to cover the full cost of the courseas long as you include a condition in the trainee’s offer letter statingthat they must complete a subject knowledge enhancement course.If your trainee has a degree score of 2:2 or above then they mayalso be able to access a tax-free training bursary of up to 5,600,depending on the course length.SubjectProgrammelengthSKEcourse fee(fundingavailable*)Max. SKEbursaryBiology, chemistry, computing,English, French, geography,German, maths, physics or Spanish8 weeks12 weeks16 weeks 1,600 2,400 3,200 1,600 2,400 3,20020 weeks24 weeks 4,000 4,800 4,000 4,80028 weeks 5,600 5,600Biology**, chemistry, computing,French, German, maths, physicsor SpanishChemistry, maths or physics*DfE funding is subject to conditions and not guaranteed. For full entry criteria and funding details, view theDfE SKE Funding Manual 2018/19.**The maximum course length we offer for biology is 20 weeks.

8 Tes InstituteMaking SKE part ofyour recruitmentChoosing your SKE provider should be part ofyour recruitment plans.Tes Institute’s ethos is to help ITT providers and schools to attract,train and retain the best teachers, with a number of in-house servicesthat start with SKE. Our SKE courses can help you to: Widen your pool of possible candidates to include those with thepotential to be great teachers but who hold a non-subject specificdegree, a lower classification of degree or lack confidence in theirchosen subject Recruit more trainees in shortage subjects that are difficult to recruit Provide your trainees with a boost in subject knowledge, pedagogyand confidence before they begin ITT Recruit strong candidates with life and industry experience who needto refresh their curriculum knowledge

TesInstituteInstitute 9Tes7How to decide if an applicant needs SKESKE can also be the basis of an ITT offer. In the case of a singlelanguage graduate for example, the course could be offered onthe condition of improving their second language.It’s the responsibility of both the trainee teacher and the ITTprovider to decide whether SKE is needed - this can be based onthe individual’s degree module breakdown, A-level results and/or a discussion about their past experience. If you are still unsurewhether SKE is needed, ask the trainee to complete a practiseGCSE or A-level paper to identify areas for improvement.Please note that SKE courses are not designed to teach yourITT trainee a subject from scratch but to enhance their existingGCSE level subject knowledge.How long should the course be?ITT providers are expected to play a prominent role in decidingon the length of an SKE course. As a rule of thumb an 8-weekcourse would be aimed at trainees who are relatively proficientin their subject area but need a top up, whereas a 24 to 28 weekcourse would be more appropriate for those looking for a more indepth development of their KS3–KS5 knowledge.A trainee can extend the length of their SKE programme oncestarted, if the learner feels it is necessary to do so and only withthe permission of their ITT provider (but not beyond 28 weeks).

10 Tes InstituteWhy Tes Institute?We have delivered over one millionSKE learning hours to help more than 4,000trainee teachers improve their subjectknowledge, making us the largest providerof SKE courses in England.Tes Institute offers a holistic approach toteaching, allowing teachers with little orno experience to develop and teach withconfidence.

Tes Institute 11Choosing Tes Institute for SKE also makes your life simple: we handle alladministration including bursary payments and any supplementary bursarypayments on your behalf.What makes an SKE from Tes Institute different?Our SKE courses are delivered 100% online and on-demand via anaward-winning platform called Learn, so your trainees can study in theirspare time and fit the course around their existing commitments.Regular tutor support and feedbackAll trainees are appointed a subject specialist pathway tutor who willmentor and coach their subject knowledge and skill development.They will also provide you with regular checkpoint reports that detail yourtrainee’s progress and comprehensive feedback at the end of the course.These reports will give you an insight into your trainee’s developmentat key stages of their SKE course, as well as outlining any areas fordevelopment that can be built into their teacher training if needed.How to apply for an SKE courseOnce you have given your candidates a conditional offer they canapply directly on our website, tes.com/SKE.

12 Tes Institute12 Tes InstituteFAQsThese questions are commonly asked by ITTproviders and should help to answer any otherqueries you have about SKE.Does an SKE course costanything for the ITT provider?It doesn’t cost the ITT provideranything and Tes Institute willorganise all of the administrationfor applicants who are eligiblefor bursaries.How will It be assessed andwill we receive feedback?The course is comprised of aseries of sessions, with eachone taking around two weeksto complete, based on a traineespending 20-25 hours perweek learning. Each session isassessed through one summativeassessment and you will receivea regular report detailingstrengths, weaknesses and areasfor further improvement for thetrainee.What support will the traineereceive?Every trainee is assigned asubject specialist Pathway Tutorwho will review work online,provide regular feedback andanswer subject knowledgequeries, as well as monitoringLearning Diary entries andother contributions.What’s the differencebetween online and face-toface learning?SKE learning can be deliveredonline, face-to-face or as a blendof both. While each method hasits own merits, it is generallydown to the individual’slearning style as to which suitsthem more. When choosing aprovider it is important that the

TesInstituteInstitute 1313TesProgrammefeestrainee is fully supported andregular feedback is given toboth them and their provider.All of Tes Institute’s SKEcourses are delivered online toprovide maximum flexibility.Your trainees are able to fit thecourse around their existingpersonal and professionalcommitments: whether theyare currently abroad, atUniversity or in a job, learningcan be done 24/7 across theworld, from any device thatcan access the internet.How do Tes Institute’s SKEcourses work?At the start of the courseeach trainee will complete asubject audit which will helpthe dedicated pathway tutor totailor the learning around theirneeds. Course content is keptconstantly up to dateand is delivered in a variety ofways including: pre-recordedinteractive lectures, readingrelated articles, self-assessmentexercises, subject-focusedactivities for discussion onclass forums and LearningDiary reflections. Each traineewill also be able to collaboratewith their peers on the forums,and will have to completeassessments, designed toconsolidate their learning,throughout the course.When do the courses start?There are multiple startdates throughout the yearwith courses starting everyfortnight. Our website has upto date information.What if the trainee has noteaching experience?Applicants can complete a TesInstitute SKE course prior totheir ITT training year. Thecourse offers development ofthe trainee’s subject pedagogyskills and helps in developingideas and activities to use inthe classroom. It also startsto build the skills neededto become an outstandingteacher.

14 Tes InstituteCase studyStuart Russell from Kent and Medway Trainingtalks about his experience of developing apartnership with Tes Institute for SKE courses.“As an established, large and successful SCITT, the pastfew years have lead to us achieving our highest ever levels ofemployment and trainee teacher outcomes at the end of thetraining period. We feel that one of the key contributors tothis has been our developing partnership with SKE and TesInstitute. Outstanding teachers have to have excellent subjectknowledge for teaching, so enabling trainees to have access tothe SKE courses at an early stage provides them with a reallystrong foundation to build on.Enabling trainees tohave access to the SKEcourses at an earlystage provides themwith a really strongfoundation to build on.While the courses are subjectspecific, they are always clearlylinked to pedagogy and thetrainees are constantly able tolink theory with practice.We have recommended anincreasing number of trainees tothe SKE courses each year, and