Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses can help you to open the door to QTS and PGCE teacher training. If you are applying for biology, chemistry, English, French, German, Maths, Physics, Primary Maths or Spanish and you have a non-subject specific degree, or lack confidence in your subject, online subject knowledge enhancement courses are perfect for you.
If West Midlands Consortium believes that you will make a great teacher but thinks that you lack some specialist subject knowledge, we may ask you to complete a SKE course. The course will build your confidence by refreshing and expanding your existing subject knowledge and pedagogy in maths or any of the other shortage subjects before you become a teacher. With start dates every month you could become a subject confident trainee teacher by registering your details today.
Fully funded SKE courses are now available for PE ITT trainees, provided that they have an A level in an Ebacc subject (English, Maths, Geography, History, the Sciences, Computing or a Language) and meet any other SKE eligibility criteria. If you meet this criteria, you can undertake an SKE course in any of our ten shortage subject SKE courses and subject to approval receive funding from the DfE.
Once you have a conditional offer of a place on a teacher training course you should be eligible for government funding to cover the cost of your SKE course. Funding is provided by the Department for Education (DfE) for any eligible applicants.
SKE courses for teacher training are delivered 100% online allowing you to learn at a time and place that suits you. This means that you are in control of your own learning and will benefit from being able to fit study around your commitments at work and at home. Upon successful completion, both you and your training provider will receive a report highlighting your strengths and areas for further development during your Initial Teacher Training along with a certificate of completion.
SKE courses can overlap with the start of ITT and you may choose to continue your SKE course while undertaking initial teacher training. If you decide to do this, you must complete your SKE before you can be awarded QTS and you will only receive one training bursary once your ITT course has started.
It is also possible for you to defer your ITT programme to allow for your SKE course if the length of the SKE required means you cannot complete the course before or alongside your ITT programme. In this circumstance your ITT provider/School Direct lead school can offer you a conditional deferred place on their ITT programme for the following year. However, this does not guarantee future ITT allocations will be granted to your ITT provider.