BA Primary Education (QTS) Initial Teacher Education interview

What do I need to do before my interview?

• Prepare for the book task. Please refer to further information on this webpage for details on how to prepare for the book task ahead of attending your interview. 
• Familiarise yourself with the course for which you have applied.
• Familiarise yourself with the Teachers' Standards (TS).
• Be aware of the current issues facing teaching, particularly in the subject area for which you have applied (for example, browse Tes, The Guardian's education section, or BBC's Family and Education pages).
• Watch the Transforming Lives – the Institute of Education video.
• Familiarise yourself with the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.
• Familiarise yourself the Core Content Framework (CCF).
• Familiarise yourself with the Primary National Curriculum in England.
• Read the Institute of Education's interview top tips.

Do I need to provide any documents at my interview?

Yes - please check the full list of documents you will need to bring to the interview.

What will happen on the day of my interview?

The format of the interview day will be as follows:

10:00	Arrival
10:15	Registration and document check
10:30	Welcome talk and introduction
11:00 – 16:00	Book task, written task, individual interviews

The interview day will start at 10:00 and is expected to finish by 16:00 at the latest. The interview day may finish before 16:00 but this will depend on how many candidates are being interviewed on the day. 

During the interview day, you will also have the opportunity to explore the campus, meet staff, and ask questions.  

Arrival

The interview day will take place on the London Road campus at the University of Reading. A member of staff from the Institute of Education will contact you via email, closer to the date of your interview, with further details on the location of the interview.

Book task

The book task is intended to look at and assess your potential for collaborating with others, how well you articulate your ideas, and how you actively listen to your peers. Before attending the interview day, please watch the Puffin Storytime video (up until 5 minutes 55 seconds) where the book ‘Look Up!’ will be read to you by the author. 

After watching the clip, we ask that you:

• Consider how you would use the book ‘Look Up!’ to support a learning activity / develop children’s learning in a primary setting. 
• Consider your specialist subject depending on your chosen pathway – please refer to the subject specialism pathway information for further details.
• Come to your interview prepared to share and discuss your activity with others, including why you have chosen the activity and the role you would have in the children’s learning.
• You may bring along any notes to share.
• You will also have the opportunity to share anything else you wish to from the book task during your individual interview. 

Subject Specialism Pathways: BA Primary Education with Art, BA Primary Education with English, BA Primary Education with Mathematics, or BA Primary Education with Music: 

If you have applied for one of the subject specialism pathways, please relate your discussions in the book task to your subject specialism. Additionally, during your interview, please be prepared to explain how you would teach an Art, an English, a Mathematics, or a Music lesson and to discuss how you might use your subject to develop cross curriculum learning. Please also demonstrate that you have thought about the way that the activity, either planned or observed, will support learning.

Written task

The title for the written task will be provided on the day of your interview. Please let us know if any adjustments are needed for you to access this task. You will be given time to plan, and the following will be reviewed:

• Legibility of your handwriting.
• Spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
• Your ability to plan and compose ideas in a written format.
  
   

Individual interview

Your individual interview will focus on the following key areas:

• Your knowledge and understanding of educational issues, including the Primary National Curriculum in England.
• Your appropriate interest, knowledge, understanding, and skills in your specialist subject.
• Your relevant experience with children and any further plans for developing this.
• The qualities required to make a good teacher.
• Your potential to reach the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status. We would advise you to familiarise yourself with the Teachers' Standards before your interview.

You will be asked the following questions during your individual interview:

• Why do you want to pursue the course?
• How have children benefited from your input?
• As a trainee teacher, how will you work with others, including children, who have different values and beliefs to you?
• What would you do if your authority was challenged in the classroom?
• What do you think are the challenges of being a teacher?
• What do you think successful learning looks like and what do you think a good teacher does to enable this?
• How will you cope with the challenges of the course and profession?
• Subject specialism pathway specific questions, including your knowledge of the curriculum and what inclusion means to you.

You will also be asked about safeguarding and child protection and we recommend that you read the summary of Keeping Children Safe in Education to prepare for this. The full guidance is available in an alternative format. 

There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions at the end of your individual interview and share anything else you wish to from the book task.

Who will interview me?

Your individual interview will be conducted by one of the programme tutors from the Institute of Education who will be present in person. There will also be a second interviewer present, either in person or online, during your interview. The second interviewer may be a colleague from one of our partner schools. Please note that we will share relevant background information from your application form with our partner school colleague, but this will not include any sensitive data that you provided as part of your application. If you have any queries or concerns in relation to this, please email the Admissions Support team. 

Questions?

We are looking forward to meeting you at your interview. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email the Admission Support team.

We are fully committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in our admissions and interview processes. If you would like to request any specific requirements or adjustments around accessibility for your interview, please email the Admissions Support team. Please rest assured that requesting reasonable adjustments or having specific requirements will not affect the outcome of the interview or our decision on whether you are offered a place on the course.

Subject Spotlight Webinar: Primary Education – How to prepare for your interview

Wednesday 27 November 2024, 4.00pm to 4.45pm GMT

Our academic from the BA Primary Education (QTS) department, Laura Purser, will give you an insight into the interview process for BA Primary Education (QTS) at the University of Reading.   

Topics covered by this webinar will include:

• How to prepare for your interview
• Things to be aware of for your interview
• Top tips for the best interview process

Following the webinar there will be a Q&A session where you can ask us any questions. 

Book a place on this webinar