Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses are for graduates who want to train as secondary school teachers, but who must first develop their subject knowledge further.
It may be that your degree wasn’t in your chosen subject area, or perhaps you have relevant professional experience but need to learn how to apply that to teaching. Your PGCE or School Direct provider may refer you for SKE.
After successful completion of the course, you are expected to go straight into initial teacher training that leads to qualified teacher status (QTS). This can be at the University of Brighton or another institution.
We offer SKEs in the following subjects:
Location Brighton: Falmer
Duration 8–28 weeks
Entry requirements
These courses are designed for those going into initial teacher training but who do not have the necessary subject knowledge. Check your course of interest for full entry requirements.
International equivalencies
We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.
Visit our language institute
For English language preparation courses.
Visit our International College
For academic preparation courses.
Biology
Our Biology SKE will prepare you for starting a secondary biology initial teacher training programme.
We offer courses with a duration of 8, 16 or 28 weeks depending on your individual needs. Course dates are flexible and begin between November and June each year.
The majority of the Biology SKE course is delivered through online learning, with one week of tuition at the Falmer campus in the summer.
Email Sian Williams for more information: sw241@brighton.ac.uk
Find out about Secondary Biology PGCE at the University of Brighton.
Chemistry
Our Chemistry SKE will prepare you for starting a secondary chemistry initial teacher training programme.
The majority of the Chemistry SKE course is delivered through online learning, with one week of tuition at the Falmer campus in the summer.
Find out about the Secondary Chemistry PGCE at the University of Brighton.
Mathematics
We offer a range of Mathematics SKE courses that will suit various applicants, including those with a keen enthusiasm for mathematics but who may not have high-level mathematics qualifications. Each course will prepare you for starting a mathematics initial teacher training programme.
Courses run for 8, 20 or 28-weeks with start dates in February and June each year for 8 and 20-week courses and September for 28 week courses. The length of your course will be determined by your own needs.
Find out about Secondary Mathematics PGCE at the University of Brighton.
Physics
Our Physics SKE will prepare you for starting a secondary physics initial teacher training programme.
We offer courses with a duration of 8, 16 or 28 weeks depending on your individual needs. Course dates are flexible and start between November and June each year.
The majority of the Physics SKE course is delivered through online learning, with one week of tuition at the Falmer campus in the summer.
Find out about Secondary Physics PGCE at the University of Brighton.
How to apply
For applicants looking to complete an SKE and ITT course with the University of Brighton
If you are applying for an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course with the University of Brighton, there is no separate application process for the Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE). You can use the personal statement section of your UCAS Teacher Training application to highlight that you are interested in SKE.
If you are invited to interview for the ITT course, the SKE will be discussed at that time. For any offers made where the admissions tutor has identified a need for SKE, successful completion of the SKE will be one of the conditions of embarking upon the ITT course.
Check your ITT course of interest for full entry requirements. If you want to seek advice on whether your current degree makes you a suitable candidate for subject development via an SKE course, contact Sian Williams with details of your qualifications: sw241@brighton.ac.uk
For applicants looking to complete an SKE with the University of Brighton prior to an ITT course with another institution
If you are holding an offer for an ITT course with another institution and this offer is conditional upon first completing an SKE, then it is possible to make a direct application to the University of Brighton for the SKE course. Please print the form, complete your details and send to:
Sian WilliamsUniversity of BrightonCheckland Building E349Village WayFalmerBrightonBN1 9PH.
Include the following information with your application:
Please note that you will not need to provide separate references with this application and will therefore not need to complete section 10 (referees' names and addresses). To save time in completing the form you may also prefer to print and attach the personal statement you wrote for your UCAS Teacher Training application rather than writing a new one.
Our SKE courses are designed for those going into initial teacher training but who do not have the necessary subject knowledge. There is a national shortage of teachers in all of the subject areas our SKEs cover, and therefore employment prospects once you have qualified are extremely good.
There are no fees to pay for an SKE course. The courses currently attract a bursary of £200 for each week of training.
Teacher training courses in these subjects areas offer bursaries of up to £30,000.
Location
Forward-thinking and welcoming, the city of Brighton & Hove is a community of creative and diverse people who share values like sustainability and inclusivity – just like its university.
Miles of pebble beaches, hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, a packed calendar of culture, music and sport and great independent and high street shopping attract visitors from all over the world. By the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to enjoy about the city. The Brighton Festival, England’s largest arts festival, takes place every May – as does the Great Escape Europe’s leading industry showcase for new music, 300 bands perform over three days at venues across the city. Major events celebrate Pride, digital culture, cinema, photography, food and the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate show is a highlight, turning the university into the largest exhibition space in the south east as we celebrate the outstanding creativity of our students.
As a student here you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience what the city has to offer. Volunteering and placement opportunities enable you to play your part in the events, organisations and communities that make Brighton such a compelling place to be.
Campus where this course is taught
Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.
Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.
Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.
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Accommodation
Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.
Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. We recommend Unihomes and House Share when you’re balancing learning with placements, shifts and other commitments, because they give you more choice and flexibility.
You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.
Find out more on our accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.
Maps
Sian Williamssw241@brighton.ac.uk 01273 643911
Further information about SKEs can also be found on the Department for Education website.