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Rizwana’s career journey

Having studied maths at university, Rizwana taught secondary maths for two decades at a London comprehensive school. After taking on several school roles, including lead teacher for mathematics, she became head of programme for SKE at Tes Institute. She also works as an associate lecturer on the PGCE Secondary Maths course at London Metropolitan University.

Because of her immersive subject background, Rizwana is a true advocate for the value of comprehensive knowledge of your subject to teach it:

“The opportunity to refresh and improve your subject knowledge before you start your initial teacher training (ITT) is invaluable. Our SKE courses develop not only your subject and curriculum knowledge – but they also help you to relate this to teaching as you read about, experience and reflect on a range of approaches to learn and teach a topic.”

Teaching ethos

“I’ve always been interested in how we learn. Knowing how to make challenging and abstract topics accessible as a maths teacher was vital in helping my pupils to succeed.”

Rizwana explains that to be able to teach a subject, you need to have a sound understanding of not just content knowledge but also the skills you want pupils to develop, the prior knowledge needed to understand a topic and how this can be modelled and explained.

“As well as thinking about the main ideas, it’s about developing understanding by encouraging curiosity and fostering a love for learning in your subject. It's important not to just learn ‘how’, but also ‘why’. Then you can respond to questions and misconceptions that arise.”

Rizwana believes subject knowledge development is a lifelong journey for teachers. This is why the SKE courses adopt a context-driven, enquiry-based approach with problem solving at the heart of each session.

“Topics are approached in real-life contexts as far as possible to encourage learners to think about, rather than accept, knowledge and to look at what may be familiar subject knowledge in a different way.”

Aims of the SKE programme

A recent learner said of SKE at Tes, “At the start of the course, my focus was on teaching myself. By the end, my focus was on teaching others.”

“Our SKE courses help learners improve and refresh their knowledge of their specialist subject area, with a focus on key stages 3 and 4. We want our learners to start teacher training confident that they have the subject knowledge needed to teach their subject well.”

Rizwana is keen to support learners to maximise the learning opportunity that the SKE courses offer.

“At the start of your SKE journey, you’ll complete a full subject knowledge audit to identify your areas of strength and development. With the support of a subject-specialist pathway tutor, we establish your starting point and personalise your sessions to optimise your time on the course.”

Tes also supports a number of in-service teachers to upskill or teach outside their specialist subjects, through SKE for teachers. Rizwana notes a rise in the uptake of this bespoke programme as “schools are having to be more creative with solutions to fill recruitment gaps”.  

Why learners love the SKE courses

Tes is one of the largest SKE providers under a Department for Education (DfE) framework, because learners enjoy our courses and find them genuinely useful.

“The structure of the sessions invites learners to develop their subject knowledge, apply this in context, self-assess their progress and set targets for next steps. The resources in the sessions offer lots of practical suggestions for how a topic can be broken down or modelled, as well as wider reading.”

In addition, the “fully online, flexible, accessible on demand” nature of the Tes SKE courses mean that learners anywhere can fit them around their existing personal and professional commitments.

Despite the level of flexibility offered, Rizwana is clear this is not at the expense of rigour and a robust qualification.

“We see ourselves as gatekeepers to the profession. All pupils should have access to high-quality teaching. Our sessions are structured so we challenge and guide learners to effectively build and apply their subject knowledge to confidently teach their subject in the classroom.”

What support is available for learners on the SKE programme?

All 600+ learners are assigned a dedicated pathway tutor, who is with them for every step of their individual SKE journey. Wellbeing support is also available for every learner while on the course.

“I had some feedback recently from a learner saying that, although the course is fully online, she always feels like she's treated like an individual.

“I really like being able to work with the learners to ensure they're thoroughly supported. I’m always here for a phone call.

“We have a routine and a calendar, but we will adapt because we have a firm commitment to learner wellbeing. When you're used to spinning so many plates in your own life, you have that empathy.”

As a previous schoolteacher herself, Rizwana understands juggling work and personal commitments. With many of the expert pathway tutors also practising teachers, all learners get tailored support from others who have been there.

Impact in the classroom

As well as helping those on the course to meet the subject knowledge requirements of the Teachers’ Standards, Rizwana sees how SKE supports learners to make a much smoother transition onto ITT and into the classroom.

“The ITT and early career teacher periods are busy – in the day to day, you’re thinking about planning and behaviour management.

“Our course sessions give ideas and activities for teaching and the opportunity for learners to get ahead and think about how they might use what they’ve learned for their own planning.” 

Rizwana’s advice for a learner on the SKE programme

“Enjoy this great opportunity to explore and reflect on your subject area before you're sharing your knowledge with a class of pupils in a few weeks or months.

“Keep being reflective about your own subject knowledge next steps and how you might teach the topic in a classroom setting – if you do the reflective practice properly, you’ll get the most out of it for your future teaching.

“Gather as many links to resources, educational social media and support networks as you can, so you can continue to learn about your subject in the future – you’ll be guided through this on the course.”

The future of the SKE programme

The SKE courses are reviewed regularly so they’re up to date with the latest developments in the subject. Rizwana is involved in updating the maths course and explains this is about not just accuracy but current educational thinking, too. 

“I’m excited to look at what’s possible in terms of how we learn. Our understanding of how we learn continues to develop and I’m keen for this and learner feedback to continually be embedded in our sessions.

“I’ll be looking at the different types of resources we can draw on to engage with materials – there are a lot of online interactive tools that I want to include in the course.

“We continually evolve our courses in line with best practice and the technology that’s available.”

Loved hearing from Rizwana? Find out more about the SKE course and meet the rest of our inspiring programme leaders in our Spotlight series collection.