Department for Business Innovation and Skills publish Mathematics Subject Knowledge Enhancement Programme Guide Academic Year 2013/2014
20 March 2014
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
published the
Mathematics Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) programme
guide 2013/2014.
In this programme guide, BIS notes that some people who apply
for initial teacher training (ITT) with the potential to become
outstanding maths teachers may not have enough specific subject
knowledge to begin a mathematics ITT course. They set out who
might want to do Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses,
including:
- those who have studied maths to a highly advanced level, but
over time have lost some of the 'basics' needed to teach at
secondary level
- those who have studied a degree related to maths, rather than
an exact match
- those who have changed career and may have a related degree
with a lot of knowledge.
SKE programmes are described as:
- pre-ITT programmes to help applicants gain the depth of subject
knowledge needed to train to teach their chosen subject
- only applying to mathematics
- only for pre-service, post-graduate programmes
- specifically supporting programmes which allow trainees to
teach maths to GCSE and level 3
ACME
responded to the consultation on SKE programmes for 2013/2014 and
beyond in June 2013. Some of the main points are
summarised below:
- Importance of SKE programme:
ACME urged NCTL to reconsider proposals, which if implemented ACME
believes would significantly reduce this very cost-effective route
to increasing the supply of well-informed and committeed teachers
of mathematics. For many secondary teachers, SKEs are, and should
remain, the appropriate first step in their subject-specific
professional development.
- SKE course length: There is a continued and
important need for 6 week, 13 week and 26 week SKE courses in
mathematics.
- SKE provision: These need not be linked with
specific ITE providers, but should be centrally coordinated, and
developed with due attention to quality assurance, geographical
spead, and economies of scale.
- Teacher supply: The chronic undersupply of
competent and confidence mathematics teachers will not be addressed
without provision of SKE courses, nor will effective and consistent
delivery of new, demanding curricula and qualifications be
possible.
- SKEs in parallel to ITE: If students are
expected to complete a lengthy SKE course in parallel with their
ITE course, either the core training or subject knowledge
development would inevitably be significantly compromised.
- Online and distance learning: There is mixed
evidence about the effectiveness of online and distance learning
methods for such purposes. However, the experiences of the National
Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and
the Further Mathematics Support Network (FMSN) suggest that, for
mathematics, these approaches are more effective in developing
further the knowledge of learners already embedded in a mathematics
(and mathematics education) culture, than they are in inducting
learners into that culture in the first place.
- Allocation of SKE courses: Allocating SKE
provision in proportion to the size of ITE provision is not a good
model since it ignores variable demand. In fact, there is no need
for upfront allocation of SKEs. An alternative model would be
to maintain a central register of available 6, 13 and possibly 26
week courses, with ITE providers directing appropriate applicants
to it and making offers of places conditional on successful
completion of such a course. Uptake would then be on a first-come,
first-served basis, with longer courses requiing early application
if ITE course particiaption is not to be delayed. Provision should
be allocated by formal tender.
- Quality assurance: SKE courses, whether from
current or new providers, should be subject to both accreditation
and rigorous no-notice inspection, since they are
publicly-funded.
In the
SKE Programme Guide, it is noted:
'in the academic year 2013/14 we
are funding a maths Subject Knowledge Enchancement (SKE) programme
to support applications to post graduate, pre service mathematics
Further Education (FE) initial teacher training (ITT). The funding
is available to all providers of ITT to enable suitable applicants
to commence their ITT in 2014/15. There is a finite budget
available for SKE in the academic year 2013/14. The funding will be
allocated on demand until exhausted'.
Some further detail is set out:
- Applicants should start and ideally complete the SKE programme
by September 2014 before taking up their
initial teacher training for the 2014 to 2015 academic year. It
will be possible to continue both in parallel and complete the SKE
after September, but applicants must start the SKE programme before
1 August 2014.
- They are funding SKE programmes up to a maximum of 20
weeks. They are currently only funding SKE for mathematics
in FE ITT.
- The content of an SKE is set by the training provider in
conjunction with the applicant.
- They write that SKEs may be delivered by university
subject departments, another ITT provider, a third party supplier,
or the SKE may be delivered in-house. The course is
flexible and can be delivered throught full-time classroom-based
study, part-time classroom and evening/ weekend study, part-time
distance learning or a combination of all.
- Rather than being a course or a qualification, the programme
guide states that SKE is a funding programme to support the
development of candidates to ITT, particularly in subjects where
there is a shortage of teachers. The provider who requests
the funding can spend it as they see fit in order to meet the needs
of the applicant. This may mean requiring them to complete a course
of study, either run by their ITT provider or run by another
institution. Alternatively it could mean using your existing
staffing to provide the learning for example through a guided
tutorial arrangement, or it could be achieve through a distance
learning package. Providers and applicants can decide how this is
best achieved.
- SKE and ITT are separate, in that they are funded
separately. However it is stated that they assume that
if a provider supports an applicant to undertake an SKE
then you have offered them a place on your ITT programme subject to
their completion of the SKE. Providers who use UCAS Teacher
Training will usually make a conditional offer based on the
complete of the SKE.
- There is no requirement for the SKE to be formally
assessed or certificated; although the ITT provider will
want to be assured that the trainee has achieved all that they need
to at the end of the programme. It is for providers to decide how
this is best achieved.
Funding of SKE programmes comes from BIS, and is managed
by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), which
is part of the Department for Education (DfE). ITT
providers who are in receipt of HEFCE funding, or registered with
the SFA as Registered Training Providers, and who are delivering
post graduate, pre service maths training to at least GCSE level
will be able to request funding for SKE.
Funding rates for SKEs are set out in more detail in the
document. Questions about eligibility and purpose of the SKE scheme
should be directed to BIS via the email address FEworkforceincentives@bis.gsi.gov.uk
They set out in some detail and offer examples of how they
believe that SKE courses could support recruitment to ITT.