Teacher training 2022: Early Years and KS1 (PGCE with QTS)

Hi all,

I have recently finished and sent off my application for primary teaching 2022 (nervous but excited) and was just wondering does anyone know what I should expect for the interview stage and if there is anything I should know that will help me stand out.

Thank you!

What universities did you apply to?
The interview can involve group interviews, maths and english tests, talking about a particular children's book, mini presentations.

My 3 choices are: UCL,
(SCITTLES) Colegrave Primary school and
University of East London. Damn…is the maths and English test basic? I feel like I need to brush up on my maths skills 😩

I did my PGCE at UCL last year and was also on the EYFS/KS1 pathway

My interview at UCL was pretty much the whole day- maths and english audits, individual interview, mini presentation, and a group task.

The maths audit is GCSE level, depending on how confident you are with maths, you may want to revise for it.

Side note: your interview experience may differ because of covid.

Oh wow…thanks!

I will be revising. After the interview did they tell you if you made it through or do they send an email or something?

I received an email from ucas track 5 days after the interview

Oh, I see…I did mine through the Government website. So I’m hoping I get a reply soon. How was your overall experience? Is there any readings you recommend or books I should have ready?

It was great! Even though all my lectures were online because of covid, I absolutely enjoyed it and im so glad to have done it at UCL.

A book I have purchased and actually found useful is "The Teachers' Standards in Primary Schools: Understanding and Evidencing Effective Practice" by Joy Carroll and Genea Alexander.

That’s fantastic! It’s good to know from previous students and their perspectives. Did you get to do any placement during covid and if so how was it. I love working with kids and find myself always looking at Pinterest for ideas for my teaching!

Thanks for the recommendation! I will be looking to get them ASAP