Physics teaching in freefall?
The latest NFER Teacher Labour Market* report does not make for happy reading. It reports persistent shortfalls in overall postgraduate secondary initial teacher training (ITT) recruitment and a staggering ninety per cent of teachers who considered leaving teaching in 2023/24. Within those figures, 2024/25 postgraduate ITT recruitment for physics reached just 31 per cent of target numbers and the proportion of physics teaching hours taught by physics specialists continues to decline. Pupil behaviour has become one of the fastest-growing contributors to teacher workload since the pandemic.
For those teachers teaching physics out of specialism, a lack of subject knowledge does not have to be another pinch point in a challenging teaching landscape. Subject knowledge CPD for physics teaching (SKPT) is delivered by The Ogden Trust in partnership with STEM Learning, and our regular summer term sessions now come with a £600 school subsidy available on completion of a module for teacher cover costs.**
Secure your FREE place for any of our SKPT sessions here.
Tools to teach physics
SKPT is led by experienced physics practitioners and can give teachers the skills and confidence to deliver lessons that bring physics to life in the classroom, addressing misconceptions and hopefully capturing the attention and curiosity of students.
We have been delivering the DfE-funded SKPT programme since 2022 and more than 1,150 modules have now been completed with programme momentum building. This term alone, 229 teachers signed up for our spring sessions, looking to develop their subject knowledge and classroom confidence; capacity for our SKPT residential in March was increased to meet demand, but it has now been fully booked twice over with 43 teachers registered to take part.
SKPT is fully funded and requires up to 20 hours of learning, which includes face-to-face sessions (covering the required practicals), webinars and independent online work. At the end of each SKPT module, teachers can complete a Subject Knowledge Award accredited by the Institute of Physics.
Summer sessions
Our summer term SKPT modules start in April and now come with a £600 school subsidy** for teacher cover costs. We are delivering sessions on forces in Manchester, London and Harrogate; the electricity module is available in London and Birmingham; and sessions on atomic physics are available at venues across England. All places are booked through the STEM Learning website.
Residential
To meet demand, a new three-module residential starting with two days in York on May 1 and 2 is also now open for booking. Teachers will cover the KS3 and KS4 content for electricity, forces and energy, including the required practicals. Accommodation is provided for this fully funded CPD, which also includes three remote webinars, supported online study of up to 30 hours and a concluding residential in June. Places can be booked through the STEM Learning website.
“Being a non-specialist in physics, I felt enhancing this knowledge would help me to give students a more rewarding learning experience … SKPT has equipped me with theoretical knowledge and with new pedagogical strategies that I can directly apply in the classroom.
“The training has boosted my confidence in teaching physics, and I have seen an improvement in my student’s engagement and participation. I have started to use modelling with PhET as well as introducing more real-life examples into my teaching that students can relate to. My pupils are more engaged, participating more and displaying better understanding. I am monitoring changes in results, and I am hopeful that the increased engagement and participation will have a positive impact.
“SKPT is designed in a way that accommodates the workload of teachers. The content is delivered in a practical manner making it easy to pick up concepts that you can directly apply to your teaching.”
Secure your FREE place for any of our SKPT sessions here.
Bespoke
Bespoke SKPT delivery can also be arranged for academy trusts and whole school science departments. Teachers can join an expert practitioner to start a fast-track physics journey in one of the six core physics topics covered by this subject knowledge CPD, with topics and timings to suit your school requirements. If you would like to organise a bespoke SKPT programme, you can register your interest now
An image of all the modules that are taught on the SKPT course. Waves, which is blue with a symbol white wave. Electricity which is red and has a white symbol of a circuit. Matter and space which is purple and has a symbol of a molecule in white. Energy which is dark green and has the symbol of a white spring. Atomic physics light green and has a symbol of a wite atom. Forces which is orange and has a symbol of a newton meter.
* Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2025
** SKPT is available to qualified teachers who teach physics in an English state school but did not complete their QTS in a physics specialism. The £600 subsidy is available to state schools in England for teacher cover costs and will be paid when a teacher successfully completes one of our regular summer term sessions. A smaller subsidy provision is available for the residential sessions and bespoke SKPT courses.
