Primary Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education interview

We are pleased to invite you to interview for the Primary Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course at the University of Reading and look forward to meeting you.

To enable you to perform to the best of your abilities, we aim to make the interview process as stress-free as possible. Please read all the information provided, very carefully.

• Familiarise yourself with the Teachers' Standards.
• Be aware of the current issues facing teaching, particularly in the area you have applied to.
• Watch the Primary Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) interview presentation video.
• Watch the Transforming Lives – the Institute of Education video.
• Prepare for the group task.
• Familiarise yourself with the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.
• Read the Institute of Education's interview top tips guide.

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:

• 09:00: Arrival
• 09:10: Document check and tour
• 09:30: Written task
• 10:00: Group task
• 10:45 to 13:00: Individual interview

Arrival

The interview session 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, to provide further details on the location of your interview.

The title for the written task will be given to you 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.

The group 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, please watch the Puffin Storytime video (up to 5 minutes 55 seconds), where the author will read the book Look Up!.

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.
• You may like to consider an early or special setting, depending on your chosen pathway.
• Come prepared to share and discuss your activity with your group, including why you chose the activity and your role in the children’s learning.
• You may bring along any notes to share.
• You can also share anything else you wish to from the group task during your individual interview.

You will be asked the following questions during your individual interview

• Why do you want to pursue the Primary Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) 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 from 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?
• Pathway-specific questions, including your knowledge and experience of working in early or special settings, your knowledge of the curriculum in these settings, 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.

You will be able to ask questions at the end of your individual interview and share anything else you wish to from the group task.

Your individual interview will be conducted by one of the programme tutors from the Institute of Education.

During your interview, a second interviewer will also be present in person or online. 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, please contact the Admissions Support team.

We are looking forward to meeting you at your interview. In the meantime, if you have any questions or require any assistance in your interview, please contact the Admissions 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 contact the Admissions Support team.

Please rest assured that requesting reasonable adjustments or having special requirements will not affect the outcome of the interview or our decision on whether you are offered a place on the course.