Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to encourage more universities to provide chemistry subject knowledge enhancement courses which are 24 weeks or longer.

Initial teacher training (ITT) providers and School Direct (SD) schools are responsible for identifying whether an ITT applicant needs to undertake a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course and the length of any course required. This decision is based on the ITT provider or SD school’s assessment of the applicant’s subject knowledge and the requirements of the ITT course they have applied to.

ITT providers and SD schools can commission SKE courses from any source or they can deliver SKE courses themselves. All universities are able to offer SKE courses. The National College for Teaching and Leadership promotes these courses through its online SKE course directory and “Get into Teaching” website. The course directory includes 53 SKE courses in chemistry provided by 20 universities, including the University of Worcester. Officials are working with the Royal Society of Chemistry to promote chemistry SKE in the coming academic year.