Teacher Training 2024 Applicants Thread

Hi everyone! I'm thinking of applying for pgce secondary English, did you guys use any websites to help write your pgce personal statement? what's the maximum word count?

Hi,
I did not use a specific website to help, My DFE Mentor helped me out and gave me lots of feedback on my drafts. You can sign up online. Here are the prompts she gave me, hope this helps!

Your personal statement should reflect who you are as a person. Your desire to become a teacher should leap off the page as it is your formal introduction to the teacher training course providers you’d like to work with to develop your qualities and skills to become an outstanding teacher. Where do I start with writing my personal statement?Taking a few minutes to read these links may help you start to reflect on what you want to communicate about yourself to the course providers:https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/blog/7-things-to-include-in-your-teacher-training-applicationhttps://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/blog/application-tips-from-a-teacher-training-providerhttps://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/train-to-be-a-teacher/how-to-apply-for-teacher-training#writing-your-personal-statement How long is the personal statement?Just so you’re aware, there is a character limit for your personal statement on the online DfE APPLY application of 1,000 words. There’s a minimum of 500 words, but I would strongly suggest anything around the 500 mark would be too short, and not allowing you to really showcase all you have to offer teacher training.Please complete your drafts in Microsoft Word, if you can and then send it as an attachment to an email so that I am able to check it and add my comments.How can I write effectively? The course leaders are looking for people who can write to a high standard, please proofread your statement or get someone else to read it. Does each sentence make sense? Key things to check for are:
Please write in the first person and try not to repeat facts already given in the application forms, but instead reflect on how your personal qualities, education and experience have prepared you for teacher training. Keep positive, focus on what you will bring to teaching rather than what you expect to gain from training.Your opening sentence should be short and to the point. It should capture why you wish to teach. e.g - My ambition to teach … to young people is driven by… Using action verbs is useful: Managed, initiated, established, coordinated, achieved, directed, etc. This way you will be able to clearly show your own reflections on what you learnt from your experiences in relevant situations. (ie. tutoring, classroom experience, leading university group projects etc)Your closing sentence should be a short summary statement. What should I write about?You are asked to write about:
You can use these questions to help you: Why do you want to teach your subject and secondary?This will be a question you are asked at interview. Please avoid cliché. What do you love about your subject? How do you know that teaching is what you want to do? Show that you understand the rewards and challenges of secondary teaching. What skills have you developed from your education and work history that you will use in teaching? Please do not give full names, dates or information about your qualifications and employment here, as these will be fully detailed in your education and work history. Instead refer to them, e.g. 'From my degree….' or 'When working as a….'Before you start, you might want to consider the qualities of a good teacher (ie. Empathy, resilience, communication, organisation etc.) Don’t just list these, but provide evidence for developing them and demonstrate how you’ve employed them. Phrases that might help: I’ve developed strong …. skills during my time working at …. and being able to … Coming into the teaching profession with a background in….I feel that I am able to…. My time as a ……has taught me that…. In my role as…..I was able to…/I was responsible for… I believe that I bring the skill of…from this role as…. What teaching skills or methods have you experienced/observed that you will use in your teaching and why?You can group experiences together as they will be individually listed in the Work/School history and go straight into your point, e.g. 'From my experience in schools….' or 'When working with children, I found…'Avoid being descriptive (there is another part in the form for that) and focus on explaining the reasons behind the actions of the teachers. What is effective teaching and why? You could reflect on the following aspects of teaching and learning: planning and preparation, engagement, communication, differentiation, assessing progress, supporting students, providing feedback, variation of tasks and learning styles, behaviour management. Phrases that might help: One thing I have learnt/I understand that successful teaching involves From my experiences, I believe that... Whilst supporting … I realised that….Having worked as….for many years, I have developed a good understanding of… this is something I look forward to building on throughout the teacher training. What will you bring to teacher training? What are the strengths you have to build upon? What could you offer your pupils or school? Is there anything about school life you would like to get involved in? How do you know you are ready for the challenge of teacher training?Any activities you have done that could be relevant to teaching like first aid courses, sports coaching, volunteering, musical /artistic talents should be mentioned here.How do you know you have the subject knowledge needed? Why is it important that pupils learn it? What have you done to strengthen this knowledge?You might want to look at the National Curriculum for XXX:and the GCSE/A Level specifications (AQA PEARSON OCR) for your XXX so you can highlight topics are particularly strong in:A quick way to do this is to use a Subject Knowledge Audit template. I have found some you can download here:https://www.leedstrinity.ac.uk/study/teaching/routes/university-led-route/pgce-secondary/secondary-education-interview-days/secondary-pgce-interview-downloads/https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/how-to-apply/after-you-apply/teacher-training-applicants/secondary-interview-information/ What training have you had that you can use in your teaching?(This can be professional skills like time management, GDPR, or mental health or SEN knowledge and does not have to be a formal qualification.)What have you been doing to prepare for teacher training?(Any subject revision, research, experience, discussions with teachers, events etc. can be used here. If you are not sure, take a look at some free courses here and consider signing-up for some https://www.futurelearn.com/ https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue)Do not make the usual mistakes when writing a personal statement! https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/personal-statements/the-ten-biggest-mistakes-when-writing-your-personal-statement or https://www.tes.com/news/teacher-training-applications-common-mistakes

Hi new to this I applied over a week ago to secondary science for national institute just wanted to ask if anyone else has and if they’ve heard anything back yet , with two babies it’s the only one I applied to that works around my childcare due to location etc so just really anxious to get it.

i got into ucl for pgce psychology! is anyone on here studying that or at ucl in general! x

I’ve got Warwick PGCE English any other on here at Warwick for PGCE

Less than 2 months till applications open (on the 10th of October at 9am)!

I'm hopefully going to be applying for Secondary Maths PGCE at unis in the North East of England. I've had 3 weeks in a secondary school as well as a morning a week for about 6 months in a primary school and tutoring on the side. Hopefully applications go well!

Less than 2 months till applications open (on the 10th of October at 9am)!

I'm hopefully going to be applying for Secondary Maths PGCE at unis in the North East of England. I've had 3 weeks in a secondary school as well as a morning a week for about 6 months in a primary school and tutoring on the side. Hopefully applications go well!

Hi , I applied for secondary PGCE (physics) on Jan 9th but haven't got any reply except application confirmation messages..they haven't call me for any interview or anything..does it usually take this much time..is it normal..I am getting tensed...should withdraw the application

Which uni are you waiting to hear from ?

Quick question for anyone who might know.

I started uni in 2020 so I was on plan 2 for student loans. I am starting my PGCE and am planning on getting a student loan again. From my research, this will be on plan 5.

How will these then be repaid? Will I essentially have two different loans to repay over time with payments for both being taken out?

You'll stay on plan 2 I suspect.
You're taking additional loans out on the same account, so the start date is when your original loan started. I'm not an expert, but I suspect this is what will happen.