Skip to content ↓

Professional Subject Associations

Professional Subject Associations are a group of membership organisations consisting of teachers who are experts in their subjects.

Deep pedagogical and subject knowledge provides the foundation for effective teaching and lies at the heart of teachers' professional learning. We believe that every teacher should be committed to developing both their substantive and disciplinary knowledge and that this is underpinned by a firm grounding of the skills, principles, and big ideas of their subject. Sound subject knowledge is both conceptual and pedagogical and Professional Subject Associations are vital for teachers at every stage of their career, providing expert subject-specific guidance and links to useful resources and research, as well as CPD and networking opportunities. 

The ITT Core Content Framework (DfE 2019, p29) and the Early Career Framework (DfE 2019, p24) encourage participation of early career teachers in wider networks to strengthen pedagogical and subject knowledge. Active involvement with subject associations reaps benefits for teachers beyond the early career stage, too.

Chartered College of Teaching 

Membership to The Chartered College of Teaching is free for Trainee Teachers and focuses on supporting and celebrating teachers, encouraging them to take pride in their career. The Chartered College of Teaching celebrates teachers’ commitment and passion to teaching and involves a strong dedication to teaching and providing the best education for pupils.

The organisation includes free professional development for teachers who are new in their career, the termly peer-reviewed journal, Impact, and downloadable research and compact guides. Teachers’ voices are highly valued and are given platforms for debates and collaboration, so that children and young people are given the best outcomes.

Primary Associations

Early Years Foundation Stage

Early Education is a national charity supporting early years practitioners with training, resources and professional networks, and campaigning for quality education for the youngest children. EE supports their members through publications, training, events and conferences, and local branch meetings.

With over 3,500 members, Early Education campaigns to improve early childhood education policy by representing members' concerns to government, maintaining dialogue with policy makers and campaigning to raise awareness of key issues.. 

Primary Education

The National Association for Primary Education focuses on the learning and development of children from birth to 13 years old. NAPE welcomes all members, including teachers, principals, parents, trainee teachers, governors and inspectors. The association encourages members to be share their opinions, with regular meetings and conferences for members to discuss matters.

NAPE offers both individual and school memberships and also offers joint memberships alongside the National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE). Membership comprises of the hard copy journal Primary First (posted on a termly basis to members), NAPE news updates via email, telephone and email enquiries, representation of primary interests through media releases and meetings with associations and reduced price entry and exclusive offers to NAPE events and third-party suppliers.

You can also listen to NAPE’s podcast free and episodes include subjects on climate change, racial justice, hygiene and health and COVID-19.

Special Educational Needs

The National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) is a charity-based organisation which supports and champions young people and children with SEND and learning difficulties. NASEN provides free resources and support for all of its members, as well as leading programmes, projects and conferences to promote widespread improvements across the UK and internationally.

NASEN’s mission is to support and develop the SEND workforce by ensuring that the workforce is fully equipped to meet the needs of learners with SEND and to act as a conduit between sector influencers and the SEND workforce.

A membership (free for trainee teachers) at NASEN gives you an eclectic range of resources including webinars, the free magazine Connect, NASEN’s book series and free miniguides. All of these resources focus on SEND in education, with many centered on specific disabilities such as autism, visual impairments, dyslexia, ADHD and learning difficulties.

The large quantity of resources provides up-to-date content and an enriching amount of support and development for teachers wanting to specialise in SEND education. 

Subject Associations.

Art and Design

The National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) values the importance of teaching art in schools and improving the status of art teachers.

The NSEAD has three core values: expansive – ensuring their membership is diverse and their work is wide in scope; collaborative – a professional community all working towards a shared goal; and learned and learning – making sure they are a credible and reliable source of education and support.

NSEAD provides a range of curriculum resources, including various art forms such as Design, Digital Media, Craft and Drawing, as well as information on Health and Safety and Life after Lockdown.

Computing

The National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) aim to transform the way computing is taught in schools across the country – and enable more young people to benefit from studying this important subject. Through this, they believe that their skills and career opportunities will be enhanced.  They are funded by the Department for Education and supporting partners and marks a significant investment in improving the provision of computing education in England.

The Computing At School (CAS) Working Group promotes the teaching of computer science at school. CAS was born out of their excitement within their discipline, combined with a serious concern that many students are being turned off computing by a combination of factors that have conspired to make the subject seem dull and pedestrian. Their goal is to put the excitement back into Computing at school.

CAS is a grass roots organisation, whose energy, creativity, and leadership comes from its members. They are a collaborative partner with the BCS through the BCS Academy of Computing, and have formal support from other industry partners. Membership is open to everyone, and is very broad, including teachers, parents, governors, exam boards, industry, professional societies, and universities. 

Design & Technology

The Design and Technology Association supports, develops and promotes high-quality design and technology teaching and learning as an essential part of the rounded education of all young people. They link schools and students with the world of business, manufacturing and industry and lobby government and key decision-makers to ensure that the subject’s value is duly recognised and supported.

As a large community of over 33,000 teaching professionals, they are more able to effect the changes needed to ensure D&T remains high on the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools. The bigger their membership the more clout they have, and their voices are more likely to be heard.

Trainee Membership has been designed specifically to support the needs of new teachers whilst they are training.

English

The National Association for the Teaching of English is an education charity led by volunteers, working group members and English specialists all over the world. NATE’s goal is to provide an independent voice for English teachers and to develop innovative and reflective approaches to the classroom.

NATE supports its teachers using resources such as their magazines Teaching English and Primary Matters as well as Routledge which publishes books designed to support teacher development and to promote exceptional practice in the classroom for all academic years.

NATE’s core values push for members to be leaders of research, a provider of expert publications and research, promoters of effective practice, collaborators of stakeholders (regionally and internationally) and advocates of the cultural importance of English as a discipline.

Members have access to NATE’s e-magazine NATE News, and IllumiNATE, a regular email publication which provides new and creative teaching ideas designed to maximise and strengthen teaching performance and pupil engagement.

Geography

The Geographical Association (GA) is the leading subject association for teachers of geography. It is their mission to ‘further geographical knowledge and understanding through education’. GA supports geographical education by providing a specialist community of practice for teachers to share ideas with one another. This is done through their journals, publications, courses, conferences and social media activity.

A GA membership will allow you access to any one of their specialist journals, such as Geography, Teaching Geography and Primary Geography. Members gain access to GA magazine, which contains the latest news, activities and subject articles. Group memberships cover whole schools and institutions and provides members with a website login, which allows up to 10 users at a time to access all the benefits that come with a GA membership.

History

The Historical Association is the ‘UK’s voice for history’, which supports the teaching, learning and enjoyment of history at all levels. The Historical Association aims to inspire and encourage people to get involve with history in either the classroom, library or in the comfort of your own home, and believes it should be accessible to everyone.

The Historical Association offers a range of journals and resources including Teaching History, which is aimed for secondary level history teachers, with two sections of interest to trainee teachers and new history teachers.

These sections include 'What's the Wisdom on...?' which offers a short guide on aspects of history teaching and a series of recorded webinars where experts in ITT and the HA provide a structured discussion about different concepts or issues in history teaching. The second section 'New, Novice or Nervous?' is a feature designed to locate key articles on various aspects of learning and teaching.

Mathematics

The Association for Teachers of Mathematics (ATM) promotes the teaching and learning of mathematics, with a strong focus on the learner, with immediately usable resources.

Members include individual teachers and schools. ATM supports the teaching and learning of mathematics by encouraging understanding and enjoyment of mathematics, sharing and evaluating teaching and learning strategies and contributing to discussions and developments surrounding mathematics at all academic levels.

ATM members have a large role in examining new approaches to teaching, whether that is through research, technological advancements or insightful ideas. Attention and communication about teaching mathematics is fundamentally what contributes towards producing the best results for pupils.

Membership gives you access to discounts on major publications, events and conferences. You will also have access to the Mathematics Teaching Journal and many other resources which aim to develop teaching and knowledge of mathematics. 

Modern Foreign Languages

The Association for Language Learning (ALL) is run by teachers, for teachers, with a very large volunteer network, which dedicates their time to supporting teachers of language learning and learners of foreign languages. ALL provides 10 good reasons for members to join:

  1. Keep up to date on high quality publications such as Languages Today magazine and ALLNet ebulletin
  2. Keep up in touch via regional and national events and social networking
  3. Evidence your professionalism by being an active member and by updating your professional and subject knowledge through ALL’s Teacher Briefings
  4. Access high quality professional development and networking opportunities including the annual Language World conference.
  5. Join others in your specialist area as ALL has committees in specific language areas, as well as special interest groups such as for Primary and Adult education
  6. Be part of the international community of language teachers.
  7. Connect with the research community and discover new resources and methods to further your teaching
  8. Make your voice heard in policy making and have your say in the new curriculum and inform decision makers
  9. Access resources through projects ALL has run, all of which are available online
  10. Save money through discounts on publications and events.

Religious Education

The National Association for Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) is the subject teacher association for RE professionals. It works to support those who teach and lead in all schools and institutions and at all stages of their career.

NATRE provides a focal point for the concerns of RE professionals, a representative voice at national level, and publications and courses to support professional development. NATRE works in collaboration with RE Today Services and provides a termly REtoday magazine.

Science

The Association for Science Education (ASE) supports those involved in science education from primary level to higher education for over 100 years. ASE provides a wealth of resources for primary and secondary education and gives valuable insight into transitioning between primary and secondary education, with a national conference held annually in January.

Members include teachers, technicians, tutors and advisors. ASE seeks to provide a powerful voice for members involved in science education and to make a positive and influential change to the learning and teaching of science all over the world.

ASE has had a large impact on its members and there is much to be celebrated about the organisation. There are 3211 activities, articles and research in the ASE resource library, 684 volunteers supporting ASE through committees, working groups and presenting at conferences, and finally 13496 at online events from more than 30 countries in the past year.