Anger as another teacher training top-up course axed

More top-up teacher training programmes have been cut at short notice following a ministerial budget squeeze.

Providers were given under 24 hours’ notice of the government’s decision to axe free chemistry subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses last week.

Officials have insisted the change was made to help target resources “where they are most needed” following a recruitment boom.

‘Real implications’

But Emma Hollis, chief executive of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT), said: “We are very disappointed by the extremely short notice given for this change, particularly at a point in the academic year when providers are finalising plans for September recruitment.

“Decisions of this nature have real implications for providers and prospective trainees, and last-minute changes risk creating unnecessary disruption.”

SKEs are designed to top up teacher trainees’ subject knowledge to help them reach the government’s minimum standard.

They can be taken prior to or alongside initial teacher training (ITT) and can last anywhere between a fortnight and nine months.

But a DfE email sent last Friday told ITT providers chemistry SKE courses will not be funded for the rest of the academic year, with the changes introduced later that day.

Resources ‘targeted’

It also confirmed the overall SKE budget had been cut. The letter said the decision reflected “a significant increase in recruitment” for the subject.

Acceptances for 2026-27 are “already 54 per cent higher” than this time 12 months ago, following “a year in which 120 per cent of the chemistry ITT target was achieved”.

DfE said it will honour “existing, approved” SKE funding commitments where, as of last Friday, a candidate has already begun the course or has a confirmed start date.

“We are making relevant adjustments to SKE provision to ensure that we are targeting resources where they are most needed,” the email continued.

“From this point onwards, ITT offers that are conditional on completing a chemistry SKE course will not be eligible for DfE funding, unless the candidate has either already started, or has a confirmed start date.”

The decision means funding is available for only four SKEs – computing, languages, mathematics and physics. Officials will confirm their plans for 2026-27 “in due course”.

‘Unreasonable

James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers, argued it is “unreasonable to withdraw funding mid cycle and at such short notice”.

Noting there will be applications still in the pipeline that depend on SKE, he urged officials not to make changes in this way and “at least maintain funding for the year we are in”.

Hollis added NASBTT is engaging with DfE “to press for a more stable and predictable approach to SKE funding in future”.

This comes after the previous government cut the number of courses it funded from 10 to five subjects in 2024.

Figures obtained through the freedom of information act suggested the decision would see 1,300 fewer trainees get additional support.