taking initiative or sucking up

I'm not involved with hiring, so take my advice with a pinch of salt, but my gut feeling is that your first two paragraphs don't really have the right vibe.

It's true that your personal statement should be specific to the school and link to their ethos, but your statement comes across very much "here's what I would get out of working here" instead of "here's what you would get out of hiring me". You want to link back to the school's ethos for sure, but more in terms of explaining why *you* would fit in well with it. Instead of just praising their culture of high expectations, explain what *you* have done in the past to develop such an atmosphere in your classroom. Instead of just saying you agree with their motto, give practical examples of how you have taught in a way that gets across those ideas.

Edit: Also I would cut out the mention of VARK. It's widely considered an outdated concept.

firstly, i applied for a job at a school i've worked at before as a supply teacher. While i was there, they offered me a long term role which i turned down as it wasn't right for me then. I was unsuccessful at even getting an interview

secondly, in my personal statement for this one and another i applied for - i wrote down the schools ethos, report etc - i thought this would seem that i have taken initiative to research the school as opposed to "copy and pasting" a generic one

below is the statement i sent - if you could have a glance over, i'd be so appreciative

i can only assume it's either my statement or being a supply teacher for years that is letting me down

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the post advertised appeals to me as i have worked at various schools, predominantly teaching english language and literature. I trust pl high school will allow me to continue to develop my teaching skills in a supportive and thriving environment.

Having previously worked at p high school, both long term and on a daily basis, i look forward to working once again with an experienced and successful department and school with many strengths and successes and can understand why inspectors found it to have a “great sense of industry and endeavour”, “harmonious” with a “common goal to excel”. P high school’s ethos; aspire, believe, act and succeed is a motto i myself also believe in. Whilst working at p, i also noticed students had ambitious goals due to the culture of high expectations and academic excellence created by those around them. A school experience should enhance pupils lives in more ways than one, and not just academically and pupils should participate and try their best in all areas that they have a passion for.



My teaching attitude has developed to be a very student focused attitude and my methods of teaching follows this. I believe in student led teaching and enjoy applying the constructivist method of teaching. Tutorial work particularly with my foreign students has required me to be totally focused on their needs at this time - taking them through personal learning plans, preparing them for the independence required for them to either further their education or to secure employment. Delivering subjects such as employability & personal development, citizenship, personal, social and financial wellbeing and healthy living have enabled me to put my students at the core of my lessons and allowing them to share experiences, suggestions and participate in role play has also enabled me to build good rapport with them which has assisted further in my planning and preparation. The extra workshops i have arranged for the students has enabled students to achieve higher grades, acquire extra skills such as the descriptive writing workshop which enabled students to construct more detailed essays. All these skills are transferable and will give the learners confidence and motivation in their own ability. I believe in motivating students at all times and always refer “when” they progress not “if”.

Working within a committed, caring and motivated team is important to me and i also have experience of managing teams. A sense of humour is another important trait in my opinion. I am an active member in the staff room and have undertaken team teaching courses. Development and training in my subject knowledge, teaching methods, performance reviews are areas i strive to work on continuously. Participating in parents’ evenings, recruitment days and promoting the courses are also activities in which i am very proactive in working together with my team and department.

Alongside teaching; developing and preparing schemes of work requires exceptional organizational ability and attention to detail. I pride myself in being meticulous with my administration and assisted staff members during report and invigilators week. I am a naturally caring person and facilitate and promote the quote “you do not need a university degree to care”. In order to empathise with the students, i always ensure that they are being listened to and acknowledge what has been said, offering immediate feedback or praise or by highlighting behaviour which i feel are inappropriate to myself or others within the class. I am very supportive and encourage students to offer suggestions or to participate in group discussions. In the early lessons, i incorporate group work so that students learn to take direction, lead, support and trust others within the group. I have become very skilled in behaviour management and clearly define rules and consequences at the start of lessons. I feel that by doing so, the learners show a mutual respect and feel safe within the classroom. This respect is given to all staff members and students. I found p high school to be hospitable and welcoming, which is why i would happily return when personally and repeatedly requested.

Throughout my career as a supply teacher i have worked in a range of schools. Including sen and ebd school and have experienced how to handle different types of learning difficulties and in some situations, violent children too. It has also given me the opportunity to become accustomed to various exam boards and the 9-1 gcse syllabus. I am aware of the fact that my work experience and employment history has a wide range of settings, but i do believe this has only shaped me into an outstanding and dynamic teacher as i am accustomed to various settings and teaching and learning environments. I believe it is my passion and knowledge for the subject that encourages slt members to continue to offer me long term positions. Although i have thoroughly enjoyed supply work, i feel i am ready and in a better position personally to begin long term employment.

In order to accommodate the different learning styles in my teaching, i use a variety of teaching methods which support the vark model and also kolbs learning theory. I prepare my lessons using a variation of resources and activities so that as a many learning styles are accommodated within the lesson. I find that by varying these and using a variation of video clips, presentations, demonstrations, practical experiments, written work, group collaborative work and discussion or even guest speakers have enhanced the students’ learning and also made the lessons creative, interesting and fun. I monitor and track pupils progress continuously. If there is a change in its pattern, i explore answers through academic, social and pastoral avenues.

Throughout my career, i have always used computers. I am experienced in the use of many different packages including microsoft word, excel, access, powerpoint, and publisher. Whilst i have been teaching, i have ensured that my lessons embed this within them. Whilst teaching numeracy, i may incorporate spreadsheets into the lessons so students can perform basic calculations. Whilst teaching literacy, i may use microsoft word to enable them to write up a story or use publisher to produce a poster or leaflet.

lollll are you applying to poole high school???

Considering it's 5 hours away...

I was fortunate enough to work with P High School, on a daily, long-term basis I look forward to the opportunity of once again working with a department and school with many strengths and successes. During my time working I've been inspired by your ethos; Aspire, Believe, Act, and Succeed, which is a motto I myself have aimed to follow in my practice. I strongly believe that students with ambitious goals were facilitated by the culture of high expectations and academic success created by those around them, which as a teacher I understand I play a crucial role in. I believe that a school experience should empower the pupils' lives and help drive them to success.

Throughout my career, I have always used computers. I am experienced in the use of many different packages including Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher. Whilst I have been teaching, I have ensured that my lessons embed this within them. Whilst teaching Numeracy, I may incorporate spreadsheets into the lessons so students can perform basic calculations. Whilst teaching Literacy, I may use Microsoft Word to enable them to write up a story or use Publisher to produce a poster or leaflet.

That was a read, and some of it is difficult to recall, but you seem to do a little verbatim, not that it is a negative thing; as you've said it has shown your initiative to research the school and the ethos. Try to look at it from the perspective that you feel their ethos inspires you. This is the opening paragraph to you telling the school about yourself- But I feel you spent more time telling them about themselves. Below is an excerpt of how I would phrase it



The second paragraph isn't too bad, but it comes at it from the wrong angle I think. Some of the things you've highlighted link really well with their ethos which is worth highlighting in the fashion of- "This is how your ethos has inspired me in my practice, and how I put it at the core of my teaching practice to help empower the students, and thus why I think I would be a suitable addition to your school." - It may even be worth first highlighting their ethos in this paragraph, perhaps?

I personally would stray away from trying to link theories to your learning, and just tell them straight about how you teach without linking it too much to the theories. If they give you an interview, there's a chance they'll get a good grasp of your teaching ability since they may be inclined to ask you to come prepared to the interview with a micro-teach.



This is good, that you embed a wide range of resources into your lessons, but I would seriously consider looking at other resources too- This includes Socrative, Kahoot!, Nearpod, these will help you significantly with creative interactive, and innovative teaching resources. Outside of PowerPoint, these resources are case-specific and feel largely like a verbatim on just what the Microsoft suite does. So if you aren't familiar with the ones I've outlined I'd strongly recommend checking them out, and if you like them see how you can embed them into your teaching style! - Creative and novel teaching methods are a large and underestimated toolkit that teachers have for inspiring students.

Don't take this as the be-all-end-all however. It's just my personal take if I were to apply