Recommendation 46

HM Government Deferred

The current Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) programme supports recruitment to ITT subjects with the greatest sufficiency challenges. SKE is available for ITT applicants who have a conditional place on an ITT programme leading to achieving Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or, have a SKE course recommended as part of their High Potential Initial Teacher Training (HPITT) Programme. SKE training is flexible, and can be delivered online, face-to-face, or a mixture to suit candidate needs. SKE courses are in 4-week blocks ranging from 8 to 28 weeks dependent on the identified knowledge. The short courses (8 and 12 weeks) are typically a subject knowledge refresher. The longer courses are usually for participants with more limited subject knowledge, for example where they have an A-level in their ITT subject but not a degree. The existing SKE framework runs until September 2025. The Department is keeping options in relation to SKE delivery from October 2025 onwards under review and continues to seek feedback from providers on the delivery model and scope of the programme. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has a statutory duty to coordinate the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing 2020. In October 2022, MaPS launched the Improving Financial Wellbeing through Teacher and Practitioner Training and Targeted Provision programme. Through this £1.1 million grant programme, the Money and Pensions Service funded seven organisations to develop and test approaches to supporting teachers, and practitioners working with children and young people in vulnerable circumstances, to deliver financial education. The Department will work with the Money and Pensions Service to explore how the findings8 from their teacher training programme can be disseminated effectively within the sector, to promote consistent and evidence-informed practice. The Department published teacher training resources in 2020, to support high quality teaching of RSHE which includes content about the risks related to online gambling, including the accumulation of debt; how data is generated and used; and how to keep personal details safe online, which are essential skills in a financial context. The Department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. Financial education also forms part of the National Curriculum for citizenship and mathematics. Schools are free to teach additional financial education as part of Personal, Social, Economic and Health education. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is looking at the whole of the curriculum and how it fits together to ensure that there is space for schools to provide a broad experience. The Review will consider RSHE in that context. Schools are able to make local decisions that some subjects are compulsory for all pupils. In general, decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, headteachers, and teachers themselves, as they are in the best position to judge their own requirements. The government has committed to introducing a Teacher Training Entitlement which would support teachers to access more, high-quality CPD across a range of topics.