Only a minority of teachers have sufficient subject-specific professional development

The sciences are a dynamic and ever-evolving field. Subject-specific professional development is crucial for teachers to stay updated on the latest developments in teaching techniques, pedagogy and hands-on practical experiments.

Given the prevalent issue of understaffing, many teachers find themselves teaching subjects outside of their expertise. There is a continuing need for teachers to develop their knowledge and skills in these less-familiar areas.

However, as in the 2022 survey, teachers revealed a significant shortfall in the provision of subject-specific professional development. The following statistics reveal the percentage of teachers in the UK and Ireland (mainstream state secondary schools) who felt their subject-specific professional development was insufficient or somewhat insufficient in the past academic year:

48% of those teaching chemistry
49% of those teaching physics
52% of those teaching biology
45% of those teaching general science.

More than half (61%) of teachers who teach chemistry stated they had received no chemistry-specific professional development in the last academic year.

It is also worrying that, in England, 47% of early career teachers told us they had not received any subject-specific professional development. Under the Early Career Framework (ECF), these teachers should be prioritised for professional development. The survey findings support our concern that the ECF lacks subject specificity and might not adequately address the particular needs of science teachers.

Now, thinking generally, what one change to the education system do you think would have the biggest positive impact in science teaching in your nation?

More funding for schools that must be used for subject-specific CPD with normal working hours so everyone has the opportunity to access it.

We would love to have more time for meaningful dept training and particularly subject-specific CPD and collaboration, but there is a lack of time for this.

Full timetable with many exam classes – so opportunities to do SSPD during the school day are not taken as I would miss valuable time with exam classes. Time is so limited with them.

Sufficient science subject staff for all specialisms and allow them to use their expertise and enthusiasm to teach their subject at KS4 ...

Percentage of teachers that didn't access any professional development in the last 12 months in this subject (mainstream state secondary, by nation)

Table 13. Thinking about the last 12 months (since June 2022), please select the number of hours of subject-specific professional development that you received for each of the following subjects. (Mainstream state secondary schools.)

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
0 hrs – Didn't access any professional development in this subject	75%	76%	34%	85%	85%	63%
Up to 5 hours	17%	17%	23%	13%	15%	13%
5–9 hours	4%	4%	20%	0%	0%	13%
10–14 hours	2%	1%	5%	2%	0%	4%
15–19 hours	0%	0%	2%	0%	0%	0%
20–24 hours	0%	0%	5%	0%	0%	0%
25–29 hours	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
30–35 hours	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	4%
35+ hours	0%	0%	5%	0%	0%	4%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	1%	1%	7%	0%	0%	0%
Total	1277	1135	44	48	26	24

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) who teach any level of Biology content; base n = 1509

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
0 hrs – Didn't access any professional development in this subject	61%	64%	23%	74%	58%	48%
Up to 5 hours	24%	24%	25%	19%	23%	29%
5–9 hours	7%	6%	12%	4%	14%	10%
10–14 hours	4%	3%	10%	0%	5%	10%
15–19 hours	2%	1%	8%	1%	0%	5%
20–24 hours	1%	1%	5%	1%	0%	0%
25–29 hours	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%
30–35 hours	1%	0%	4%	0%	0%	0%
35+ hours	1%	0%	10%	0%	0%	0%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	1%	1%	3%	0%	0%	0%
Total	1565	1322	111	68	43	21

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) who teach any level of Chemistry content; base n = 1970

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
0 hrs – Didn't access any professional development in this subject	58%	59%	21%	73%	74%	63%
Up to 5 hours	24%	25%	27%	13%	19%	19%
5–9 hours	7%	7%	11%	3%	4%	6%
10–14 hours	4%	3%	6%	3%	4%	6%
15–19 hours	2%	2%	7%	2%	0%	6%
20–24 hours	2%	1%	13%	5%	0%	0%
25–29 hours	1%	1%	2%	0%	0%	0%
30–35 hours	1%	1%	1%	0%	0%	0%
35+ hours	2%	1%	10%	2%	0%	0%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%
Total	1423	1236	82	62	27	16

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) who teach any level of Physics content; base n = 1698

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
0 hrs – Didn't access any professional development in this subject	63%	66%	45%	81%	70%	28%
Up to 5 hours	26%	25%	31%	13%	19%	51%
5–9 hours	5%	4%	10%	3%	11%	14%
10–14 hours	2%	2%	7%	0%	0%	5%
15–19 hours	1%	1%	1%	0%	0%	2%
20–24 hours	0%	0%	1%	1%	0%	0%
25–29 hours	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%
30–35 hours	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
35+ hours	1%	1%	2%	0%	0%	0%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	2%	1%	3%	1%	0%	0%
Total	1576	1259	170	67	37	43

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 1872

Sufficiency of subject-specific professional development in the last 12 months (mainstream state secondary, by nation)

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

General science

Bars do not add up to 100% as we have omitted the data for those who selected 'Don't know/Can't remember'.

Table 14. Thinking again about the last 12 months since June 2022. Was the amount of time that you undertook subject specific professional development for each subject鈥�? (Mainstream state secondary schools.)

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
Sufficient	17%	17%	19%	13%	12%	26%
Somewhat sufficient	9%	8%	35%	9%	0%	17%
Neither sufficient nor insufficient	18%	19%	7%	13%	28%	4%
Somewhat insufficient	13%	14%	12%	6%	8%	0%
Insufficient	38%	38%	23%	49%	52%	52%
Somewhat insufficient + Insufficient	52%	52%	35%	55%	60%	52%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	4%	4%	5%	11%	0%	0%
T2B%: Sufficient + Somewhat sufficient	26%	25%	53%	21%	12%	43%
B2B%: Insufficient + Somewhat insufficient	52%	52%	35%	55%	60%	52%
Total	1260	1122	43	47	25	23

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) who teach any level of Biology content; base n = 1483

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
Sufficient	19%	18%	29%	13%	7%	29%
Somewhat sufficient	13%	12%	29%	10%	12%	19%
Neither sufficient nor insufficient	17%	18%	12%	12%	14%	5%
Somewhat insufficient	13%	14%	8%	9%	14%	0%
Insufficient	35%	35%	22%	48%	50%	43%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	3%	3%	1%	7%	2%	5%
T2B%: Sufficient + Somewhat sufficient	32%	30%	58%	24%	19%	48%
B2B%: Insufficient + Somewhat insufficient	48%	49%	30%	57%	64%	43%
Total	1544	1303	111	67	42	21

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) who teach any level of chemistry content; base n = 1945

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
Sufficient	20%	20%	27%	11%	19%	0%
Somewhat sufficient	12%	11%	30%	16%	0%	8%
Neither sufficient nor insufficient	17%	17%	13%	13%	31%	15%
Somewhat insufficient	13%	14%	10%	8%	0%	8%
Insufficient	35%	35%	18%	44%	46%	69%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	3%	3%	1%	7%	4%	0%
T2B%: Sufficient + Somewhat sufficient	32%	31%	57%	28%	19%	8%
B2B%: Insufficient + Somewhat insufficient	49%	49%	28%	52%	46%	77%
Total	1397	1215	82	61	26	13

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) who teach any level of Physics content; base n = 1663

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
Sufficient	18%	17%	21%	5%	24%	22%
Somewhat sufficient	12%	11%	23%	8%	9%	27%
Neither sufficient nor insufficient	21%	22%	21%	15%	18%	16%
Somewhat insufficient	12%	12%	12%	6%	9%	13%
Insufficient	33%	34%	21%	60%	38%	22%
Don’t know/Can’t remember	4%	4%	2%	6%	3%	0%
T2B%: Sufficient + Somewhat sufficient	30%	28%	44%	13%	32%	49%
B2B%: Insufficient + Somewhat insufficient	45%	46%	33%	66%	47%	36%
Total	1446	1146	159	62	34	45

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 1704

Reasons that teachers are not receiving subject-specific professional development

Sufficient professional development is crucial for enhancing student outcomes and expanding teachers' expertise, while supporting teachers with their professional advancement. However, too many teaching staff are missing out because they do not have time or funding to support their professional development needs.

Barriers to accessing subject-specific professional development (mainstream state schools, by nation)

Table 15. Which of the following barriers apply to your own experience of accessing subject-specific professional development? (Mainstream state secondary schools.)

	Mainstream state secondary schools	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland
Lack of funding for cover teachers	49%	49%	48%	57%	57%	27%
Lack of available cover teachers	45%	44%	50%	47%	47%	27%
Course cost & expenses to attend courses	62%	63%	61%	66%	57%	24%
School policy restricts the type of courses I can attend	18%	19%	14%	23%	12%	4%
Having to attend PD courses/training in my own time	49%	49%	53%	39%	53%	67%
Availability of courses	34%	31%	46%	34%	51%	56%
Lack of knowledge about opportunities	35%	34%	37%	39%	47%	24%
Not having access to the required technology/software/learning platforms, etc.	6%	5%	11%	5%	4%	2%
Prohibitive travel time/distance	33%	33%	43%	30%	24%	29%
There are no barriers	6%	6%	5%	2%	0%	2%
Other	9%	10%	5%	7%	8%	7%
Total	1880	1493	210	83	49	45

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 2456

Now, thinking generally, what one change to the education system do you think would have the biggest positive impact in science teaching in your nation?

Providing accessible and affordable subject-specific CPD to help upskill Science teachers, especially those teaching outside their discipline or late career changers whose degree may be a while ago (Plus pay teachers enough to want to stay teaching!)

Targeted CPD to assist with delivery of required practicals from STEM specialists during protected staff training time

Related:

The link between professional development, well-being and job satisfaction

The evidence we gathered in 2023 and in the 2022 survey highlights a link between insufficient subject-specific professional development, low mental well-being and low job satisfaction.

Among those who had received insufficient or somewhat insufficient chemistry-specific professional development in the last 12 months, 34% reported experiencing low well-being compared with only 18% of those who had received sufficient or somewhat sufficient support.

On average, teachers who received insufficient or somewhat insufficient subject-specific professional development had a lower job satisfaction rating compared to those who had received sufficient or somewhat sufficient support.

To determine the well-being scores in table 16, we used the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWS). This scale comes in two versions, one with 14 questions and another with 7 questions. It measures mental well-being in the general population. We used the shorter version, which included statements like ‘I have been feeling optimistic about the future’. Participants could choose from responses such as ‘none of the time’, ‘rarely’, and ‘some of the time’. The responses were then added together to calculate a single score ranging from 7 to 35.

Those with a score below 20 are said to have low well-being
Those with a score between 20 and 27 are said to have moderate well-being
Those with a score over 28 are said to have high well-being.
The mean score for the UK population overall is 23.5.

The well-being scores for teachers who had undertaken sufficient + somewhat sufficient professional development compared with those who had undertaken insufficient + somewhat insufficient professional development for chemistry

Table 16. The well-being scores for teachers who had undertaken sufficient + somewhat sufficient professional development compared with those who had undertaken insufficient + somewhat insufficient professional development for chemistry.

	SUFFICIENT + SOMEWHAT SUFFICIENT	INSUFFICIENT + SOMEWHAT INSUFFICIENT	Total
High wellbeing (28 or greater)	17%	7%	217
Moderate wellbeing (20 - 27)	65%	59%	1199
Low wellbeing (Less than 20)	18%	34%	503

Filter: Teacher (including Heads of Department); base n = 1919;

The job satisfaction scores for teachers who had undertaken sufficient + somewhat sufficient professional development compared with those who had undertaken insufficient + somewhat insufficient professional development for chemistry

Table 17. The job satisfaction scores for teachers who had undertaken sufficient + somewhat sufficient professional development compared with those who had undertaken insufficient + somewhat insufficient professional development for chemistry.

	SUFFICIENT + SOMEWHAT SUFFICIENT	INSUFFICIENT + SOMEWHAT INSUFFICIENT	Total
Not satisfied	6%	21%	280
Neutral	23%	33%	550
Satisfied	71%	46%	1114

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 1949

Illustrated people helping each other over blocks.png

What we are doing

We are calling on governments to invest in high quality subject-specific professional development for teachers throughout their careers. We also continue to partner with organisations to drive quality and coherence within the teacher professional development landscape.

Take a look at our award-winning like:

Your can help you with:

information about our professional development training and resources that are relevant to you
in-school workshops for early career teachers to help develop confidence in delivering practical science
face-to-face support for student and trainee teachers – our education co-ordinator can visit you at your training provider.

Explore the full data set behind the Science Teaching Survey 2023

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Explore more headline findings from the survey

Challenges faced by teachers are amplified in areas of high socio-economic deprivation

Underfunding is having a negative impact on science teaching and learning

Understaffing exacerbates pressure on teachers, particularly in socio-economically deprived areas

Teachers recommend curriculum changes to make chemistry more relevant and accessible

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Only a minority of teachers have received sufficient subject-specific professional development