Cuts to top-up teacher training courses will see 1,300 fewer trainees get additional support, potentially worsening the recruitment crisis. Schools Week analysis has revealed the extent of the impact of the government decision to scale back the number of subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses it funds. Desperate trainees have been left in tears after struggling to secure a place, course providers said. Impact of cuts revealed are designed to top up trainee teachers鈥 subject knowledge. They can be taken prior to or alongside initial teacher training and last between a fortnight and nine months. James Noble Rogers In March, Schools Week revealed that the government had cut the number of courses it funded from 10 to five subjects. SKE providers are now no longer able to offer free courses for primary maths, D&T, English, biology and RE. Our figures, obtained through freedom of information, show the government spent 拢12.8 million to provide the free courses in the last financial year. Of this, 拢4.5 million (35 per cent) was spent on 1,300 courses in the subjects now axed. James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers, said the cuts could lead to a 鈥渞eduction in people training in these key subject areas鈥. Alternatively, trainees are 鈥渓ess likely to complete鈥 their training. 鈥淥r, if they do, [they will] be less secure in their subject knowledge when they enter the classroom,鈥 he added. Applicants in tears Since May 31, 15 SKE providers have been removed from the government鈥檚 course directory 鈥 which lists those offering free courses. Most of those who responded to our enquiries said this was because they had no places left to offer. David Childs, head of education at Birmingham City University, said they had 鈥渢aken the extraordinary step to continue providing unfunded SKEs鈥 in a bid 鈥渢o prevent a drop in numbers studying PGCEs鈥. The free courses will only be offered to people who have applied to do a PGCE there. A spokesperson for the University of Chichester said it has 鈥渉ad to turn trainees away, including those in shortage subjects such as maths鈥. 鈥淒espite us being listed as closed on the directory, we continue to be contacted by potential trainee teachers looking for places,鈥 they continued. 鈥淔or example, we were phoned by a maths applicant who was in tears because they had contacted 15 SKE providers who were all full. She told us that she was going to lose her place on a maths PGCE course if she did not complete an SKE course.鈥澛 鈥楿nexpected increase鈥 Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT saw 鈥渁n unexpected increase鈥 after the reductions were announced 鈥渁s teacher training applicants required to undertake an SKE course needed to start ASAP鈥. Its April to September funding allocation was subsequently utilised in 鈥渁 matter of weeks鈥. 鈥淚t ultimately means we are unable to continue to onboard new SKE students. We have heard from other SKE providers that they are in a similar position. 鈥淥ur biggest concern is that we will lose trainee teachers from the profession, as they struggle to access these vital courses, and this is something that we all need to avoid.鈥 The SCITT noted that the DfE was liaising with providers who have used all their funding so they can be removed from the directory 鈥渢o make it clearer to trainee teachers which [ones] can still offer鈥 a course. The DfE said there are now 468,700 full-time teachers in the system, an increase of 300 since last year. Steps have been taken to address support for early career teachers and professional development for educators at all stages of their career, the department added.