Application
We actively welcome applications from a range of trainees with different backgrounds. We believe our pupils benefit from working with teachers with different experiences: from more mature students, valuing their experience of life and of the world of work, to applicants straight from their first degrees.
All our potential candidates should have excellent communication skills, good subject knowledge and a commitment to life long learning. We look for the ability to reason but also want empathetic teachers who have a commitment to children, and who embody moral purpose and personal integrity.
Teacher training courses are demanding and that means that trainees must have a high level of personal organisation, resilience, stamina and a professional approach at all times.
Individual needs are identified through application and the interview process to ensure appropriate and reasonable adjustments are made to accommodate the candidate prior to starting the course.
Applications for all routes must be made through the DfE Apply teacher training website. Right click the button below to start the application process.
The Application Form
If you need help with this form, please follow the links below:
https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/blog/application-tips-from-a-teacher-training-provider
The form should be completed in accurate Standard English with attention to detail and careful proof reading. All application forms submitted to us are checked carefully for spelling and grammatical errors. This provides an initial impression of your literacy skills. Do not heed advice to omit paragraphs or use ampersands and shortened forms of words. You should be aiming for a clear concise and compelling statement about why you are suitable for this profession. You will be required to give a breakdown of the content of your degree and may need to research this if you took it some time ago.
Your Personal Statement
Applicants should focus on demonstrating
- Personal skills and qualities
- A high level of enthusiasm and motivation for their subject
- Good communication skills
- Evidence of their potential to become an effective classroom teacher
- Awareness of the challenges of teaching all pupils in school with their varying motivations and range of abilities
Some knowledge of current educational issues would provide evidence that you have carefully considered your application.
You might want to use the following to structure your statement
- Give your reasons for wanting to teach-why you will enjoy teaching your subject and/or age group? What qualities do you have that work well in the classroom?
- Explain your understanding of the challenges and rewards of becoming a teacher
- Explain how your previous experience is relevant, both for your subject and work experience, to teaching your subject/age group
- Give examples of your skills and qualities
- Reflect on what you have learnt when you visited schools and how far this has influenced your application
- Include relevant details of any other experience of working with children or young people such as working as a teaching assistant or volunteering at youth clubs or sports clubs
- Show that you can organize information so that it is clear and accessible for the reader.
References
As part of your application you will be asked to provide details of two referees. Please explain that you are applying for teaching and ask your referees if they can comment in detail on your suitability for the profession.
If you are a career changer then one must be your current employer. You will need an academic referee if you have completed a degree in the last five years. Your second reference should be focussed on the attributes needed for teaching and directly comment on your suitability to work with children and young people.
Please note that references must be provided through a professional or institutional email address, not from a personal email address.
Supporting Documentation
Candidates invited to interview are required to bring a number of documents with them. We know from previous experience that some of these can be difficult to lay your hands on. Therefore please prepare for your possible interview by preparing to provide the following list of paperwork that you will be required to present at interview:
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Original documents
- For degrees or professional qualifications, an original certificate and final transcript where possible.
- For GCE A level or end of High School/Secondary Education original certificates. Where candidates cannot locate original certificates, they will have to contact the exam board for replacements.
- For GCSE, original certificates. Where candidates cannot locate original certificates, they will have to contact the exam board for replacements.
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If applicable Original Marriage Certificate-Change of Name deed
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The change of name deed if their name has changed from their original certificates
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UKENIC documentation (if applicable)
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One form of Photo Identification
Shortage subjects and the Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE)
If you want to teach: maths, physics, computing, chemistry, design and technology, biology, English, geography or a modern foreign language but:
- Your degree was not in your chosen subject although it was closely related
- You have relevant professional experience but need to develop your understanding of how to apply it to the curriculum
SKE courses may be helpful to you. They are fully funded and you may be eligible for a training bursary throughout the course. Click the link below for information regarding Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses on the Government’s Get into Teaching website.