Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses for creating new chemistry and physics teachers: do they work?

During extended subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses, graduates without chemistry or physics bachelor degrees prepared to enter a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme to become chemistry or physics teachers. Data were gathered from the exit survey returned by Liverpool John Moores University SKE students about to start their science PGCE course. Lesson analysis and final report forms from the PGCE course and an early survey of first destinations were also analysed. Findings suggest that the 2011–12 SKE students valued their course highly. Many issues encourage caution when interpreting PGCE assessment information but, on summative assessment of subject knowledge and overall teaching, there was no statistically significant difference between the frequency of grades awarded to 2011–12 PGCE trainees who had followed a SKE route and those who entered the science PGCE directly. Early indications were that their employment rates in teaching were also similar