ITT Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) Training Bursary

SKE funding is currently available to eligible applicants who have an ITT programme offer leading to QTS for September 2026 with a condition of completing an SKE course of 8 - 28 weeks in the following 5 secondary subjects only: Chemistry, Computing, Languages (excluding English), Mathematics, Physics. 

Applicants who need to complete a dual language SKE should take a short 8-week course in the main language, and a longer, up to 28 weeks in the other language. Completion of a dual language SKE course must be a condition of ITT offer to be eligible for a dual language SKE course and bursary. 

To be eligible for an SKE bursary, applicants: 

• must hold at least a 2:2 UK Honours degree or equivalent in the case of a non-UK qualification
• must have firmly accepted a conditional offer of a place on an eligible ITT course leading to QTS with SKE as a condition via Apply, or received a recommendation of SKE via a HPITT provider
• must be undertaking SKE course before or up to the point they start ITT. If a participant’s SKE course overlaps with their ITT, they are not eligible for a bursary during this overlap.
• must be entitled to support under the student finance criteria including residency requirements 

Overseas applicants on a tuition-fee based Physics or Languages (German, French and Spanish only) initial teacher training (ITT) courses in England may be eligible for SKE regardless of if they are entitled to support under student finance criteria. Overseas applicants will not be entitled to an SKE bursary for any other subject unless they are entitled to Student Finance. 

Applicants who have obtained a direct matching degree in their chosen ITT subject in the previous five years are not eligible for SKE funding. For example, a participant with a mathematics degree awarded in the previous 5 years who has applied to study ITT Mathematics will not be eligible for SKE funding. Applicants who have already obtained a QTS regardless of subject will not be eligible for the bursary. 

The SKE bursary is £175 for each 25 hours of study (FTE) completed and not the overall actual duration. FTE study per week is 25 hours. Therefore, completed hours of study will be checked to ensure correct amount of bursary is paid. Payments will be made in equal monthly instalments, on the 10th of the month, 1 month in arrears, provided the eligibility criteria is met throughout the programme. Part-time/flexible study bursary payments will be made based on completed hours confirmations received. 

Incomplete study / Withdrawals: It is your responsibility to email ittfunding@uel.ac.uk as soon as you know you are unable to attend or continue with your SKE programme to prevent overpayments. 

Where an applicant starts but later withdraws from their SKE course, they will be eligible to receive the bursary for the total hours of the SKE programme they have completed only. e.g. if 2 weeks with 35 hrs of SKE study is completed before withdrawing, they are only entitled to receive £175 for the 25hrs that is completed as bursary is not pro rata for partial week or incomplete FTE hours of study. As the bursary payments are made monthly, in the event of an overpayment, any SKE bursary overpayments for non completion of weekly FTE required study will be recovered. 

Bank Details: It is your responsibility to ensure that correct bank details are provided. 

If eligible and award confirmed, SKE bursary payments will be paid into the bank details provided on UEL Direct account. Trainees’ bank accounts must be in the name of the trainee undertaking the SKE course. Payments will not be made to third parties. To securely upload bank details on UEL Direct: 

• Step 1: Login to My Record (UEL direct). Click on My Payments
• Step 2: Click on ‘Bank Details – Add, Amend & View’
• Step 3: Follow instructions to submit your bank details
• Step 4: Once submitted you will receive an email that you must read and click on the ‘Click Confirm’ link (if this link is not received please contact the hub on 020 8223 4444 at once to inform and ask for the link to be sent to you manually by financial systems teams colleagues)
• Step 5: Confirm the bank details you have submitted are correct. Finally, an email confirming successful completion will be sent, without this email your bank details are not verified, and payments can’t be made.