Teaching in & beyond Specialism: CPD for teachers in Arts and Science 

‘In a system where teaching outside specialism has become structurally embedded, professional development is not a supplementary support but a structural necessity.’ 

A new joint research report from Teacher Development Trust, Gatsby Foundation and The Cultural Education Network, powered by Arts Council England, examines the professional development experiences and needs of secondary teachers in England who teach science and arts subjects, comparing those teaching within their subject specialism with those teaching outside it. 

Drawing on national workforce data, Teacher Tapp survey findings, focus groups, and existing research, Teaching In & Beyond Specialism examines the growing reality of non-specialist teaching across science and arts subjects. It identifies differing implications for teacher confidence, workload, professional identity, retention, and pupil experience. 

This research comes at a time of continued workforce pressures, curriculum reform and increasing reliance on teachers working beyond their original specialism. It highlights the need for differentiated, subject-contextualised professional development that supports both specialist and non-specialist teachers.  

Subject specialism cannot be understood as a simple binary. Instead, it exists on a continuum shaped by a range of factors including qualifications, confidence, experience and professional identity.  

The report identifies several key findings:  

• Non-specialists often sought foundational confidence and subject security, specialists were more likely to express concern about limited opportunities for deeper disciplinary growth and collaboration. 

• Across both science and arts subjects, teachers reported that teaching outside their specialism often increases planning time, cognitive load and anxiety around subject knowledge and assessment accuracy 

• While most teachers say they can access CPD, far fewer believe it meaningfully improves their practice – particularly when teaching outside their specialist area. 

• The research highlights the need for more differentiated, subject-contextualised professional development that responds to varying levels of subject confidence, expertise and professional identity.  

• Specialist teachers expressed a strong need for deeper disciplinary development, collaboration, outward-facing professional networks and sustained subject-specific professional learning beyond generic whole-school CPD or leadership pathways.  

• Teachers identified observation, coaching, modelling, collaboration and sustained subject-specific support as the forms of CPD most likely to strengthen confidence and classroom practice.

Jenni French, Head of STEM in Schools, Gatsby said:

“Teaching outside specialism is now part of the reality of secondary education, especially in subjects facing persistent recruitment and retention pressures. If we want pupils to experience high-quality science and arts education, we need to support teachers with sustained, subject-specific professional development that builds confidence as well as knowledge.”

Download the full report here: Teaching in and beyond specialism: CPD for teacher in Arts and Science