Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2026 to Question 22511 on Teachers: Training, what subject-level measures of teacher sufficiency her Department used to determine eligibility for Subject Knowledge Enhancement funding in 2026-27; and what the equivalent figures were for Religious Education against each of those measures.

Subject Knowledge Enhancement supports recruitment to initial teacher training in priority subjects facing the greatest sufficiency challenges. Funding is reviewed regularly to ensure it remains targeted where it is most needed.

The principle measure used to determine funding priorities is postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) trainee need, calculated using the teacher workforce model. Secondary trainee need has fallen overall for 3 consecutive years, reflecting improved teacher recruitment and retention, an improving teacher supply outlook and stabilising secondary pupil numbers.

For 2026/27, PGITT trainee need for religious education (RE) has fallen by 330 compared to 2025/26, from 780 to 450, which is a decrease of 42.3%. The reduction was driven primarily by significantly improved recruitment in recent years. Between 2023/24 and 2025/26, RE PGITT recruitment increased by 71%, with only 2 other subjects recording greater percentage improvements.