Each month in the STEM Community we shine a spotlight on a theme to help you quickly find professional learning, resources, and ideas that make a genuine difference in schools. This month’s Focus of the Month is Leadership & Development, and we’re taking a broad view of what that means in practice: building confidence, strengthening subject expertise, and creating the conditions for great teaching to thrive across a department.
One programme that fits that brief brilliantly is Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT). It is free, blended professional development, delivered by The Ogden Trust in partnership with STEM Learning, for teachers delivering KS3 and KS4 physics outside their specialist subject area in English state schools. The programme is also fully funded by the Department for Education, meaning all courses are FREE to attend.
“The guidance and feedback received throughout were particularly helpful in building confidence and strengthening my skills.” - Britaney Williams
What SKPT looks like (practically)
SKPT is designed to be manageable alongside a busy timetable. Each module covers one core physics topic, takes up to around 20 hours in total, and is typically completed over about eight weeks. The learning is blended, combining supported online study with live input and reflection. For many modules this includes two in-person sessions, plus webinars and independent learning in between.
The programme focuses on the physics content that teachers most often need to feel secure in at KS3/ KS4, with modules: Forces, Electricity and Magnetism, Energy, Waves, Atomic Physics, and Matter and Space. There’s also a practical incentive for schools. A subsidy (up to £600) can be available on successful completion of a module to help cover release time.
For teachers who wish to fast-track their learning, there is also the choice to study three modules across one intensive course at the National STEM Learning Centre in York. All courses include catering and accommodation for the duration of your stay and comes with a £1,000 subsidy on successful completion of the course to help with release time and travel costs.
Why SKPT is a leadership move (not “just a course”)
When teams feel more secure in their subject knowledge, leaders can shift the conversation from “getting through content” to designing learning that is coherent, conceptually secure, and responsive to misconceptions. SKPT supports that shift by developing subject knowledge and pedagogical approaches for teaching KS3/KS4 physics.
In other words, SKPT helps you build capacity, the kind that lasts beyond one unit, one cohort, or one member of staff.
What impact can this have in a school?
A recent school case study from Paignton Academy (shared by Kirsty Hughes) highlights a familiar challenge: with only two physics specialists, much KS3/GCSE physics was being delivered by non-specialists, affecting confidence and pupil outcomes.
After hosting SKPT in-house, 17 teachers completed the programme. The department reports increased confidence, stronger subject knowledge, and a clearer structure to teaching, alongside a full revision of their Waves resources to prioritise conceptual understanding and student thinking. The case study also references measurable improvements in results compared with the previous year.
“It is, without doubt, the most effective professional development course I have delivered for my team.”
- Kirsty Hughes, Paignton Academy
A timely national spotlight on physics professional learning
SKPT has also been in the spotlight recently, with York Outer MP Luke Charters visiting the National STEM Learning Centre to see professional development strengthening physics teaching. The visit aligned with an SKPT intensive course, focusing on key topics including electricity, forces and energy.
If you’re a subject leader, mentor, or classroom teacher looking to strengthen physics teaching in your school (especially where staff are teaching outside their specialist subject area), SKPT is a practical, confidence-building place to start.