Welcome

Congratulations on being invited for interview for a place on our Initial Teacher Education course! We are delighted that you decided to apply for a place with our SCITT. 

Throughout the selection process you have the opportunity to ask questions about any aspect of the course and we encourage you to do this. It is important that you have a clear understanding of the course in order that you can make a fully informed decision as to whether it is right for you.

 

You will be supported in becoming a professional who is:

    Critical: You will be questioning and reflective. You will exercise good (reasoned, rigorous and robust) curriculum judgements.

    Creative:  You will take appropriate risks to enable high quality teaching and learning. 

   Collaborative: You will be able to build on ideas, thinking and research from your peers and your tutors. You will be supported to build your thinking through collaboration.

    Caring: You will be attuned to the emotional and cognitive needs of both yourselves and others. You will practise sensitivity to others’ experiences and values. You will be respectful of children’s culture and background, whilst also being ambitious to expand your own and other’s cultural horizons. You will take seriously issues of equity and social justice for all.

 

All KNSTE schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all trainee teachers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

 

Equal Opportunities

Keele and North Staffordshire Teacher Education has adopted an Equalities Policy which states that no applicant will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, marital status, sexuality, disability, religion, political belief, socio-economic background, parental status, age or trades union membership.

KNSTE is committed to a programme of action to ensure that this policy is fully effective.

Professional Expectations

Once accepted on the programme, you are expected to behave in a professional manner at all times, at the SCITT and during school- based training. This involves:

  • Full attendance.
  • Excellent punctuality.
  • Demonstration of high standards of behaviour both in school and at SCITT.
  • Completion of work satisfactorily to set deadlines.
  • Demonstration commitment to achieving the highest standards of performance, in both SCITT and school-based work.

Pre-Interview Tasks

Task One

Please download the EEF_Parental_Engagement_Guidance_Report from the documents at the bottom of this page and familiarise yourself, in particular with pages 6 and 7. 

As part of the interview procedure there will be a short discussion for you to take part in along with other candidates. You should have read these pages prior to the interview and annotated them with your thoughts, these notes should be in front of you during the interview. You should then be ready to contribute to the discussion about the recommendations.

Please note that there is no one thing we are looking for in relation to this piece; rather we are interested to see how you have understood the guidance, and to explore with you the opinions that you have about the issues involved.

 

Task Two

As a public professional it is important that you consider your online presence. We would like you to conduct an online search of yourself and pay attention to your outward facing social media accounts. You will be asked to share any reflections that you have on a one-to-one basis.

 

Task Three

You will be interviewed at Keele Nursery. 

In preparation for your nursery visit, we need you to consider and be aware of Safeguarding. Please download and read the following summary of safeguarding which will give you a very basic overview. All documents can be found at the bottom of the page. 

NB: If you are successful at interview and accept a place with us you will receive full Safeguarding training very early on in your course.

 

Task Four

We would like you to plan a 15-minute activity that you will deliver to a group of children at Keele Nursery. You may, or may not, have applied for our Early Years specialism. At this point in the year, all our interviews are required to take place at the Nursery regardless of specialism choices.

Unfortunately, there will be no PowerPoint or online resources so please take this into consideration when planning your activity. However, you are welcome to use any visual aids or physical resources which you would like to bring along with you.

We don't expect your interview activity to be perfect as this is only the start of your journey to becoming a teacher, but we do ask after your teaching session that you reflect upon your activity with us. We will be asking you to consider the strengths of your lesson and also what you would do differently if you were to teach the same session again. 

  We are asking that you share a short story/activity with the children lasting 15 minutes

 

 

 

Pre-Interview Tasks Documents

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16.94 MB

Interview Day

We will do our best to put you at ease so that you can enjoy your time with us as well as being able to convince us that you have the knowledge, understanding and capabilities to become an excellent primary teacher.

You will be interviewed both in a group and individually. However, please note, you are not in competition with each other for a place on the course. We are looking for collaborative discussion in the group discussion. 

You will be notified of our decision within ten working days but we very often respond much quicker than this. We will take into account your application, assessments and interview when deciding whether or not we are able to offer you a place.

We want to advise you that should you be successful at interview there will be a £90 admin fee to cover the cost of your Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and your medical check.

 

Speak Confidently - Throughout the interview day, your interviewers will be looking for expressive and engaging contributions which show that you can use formal Standard English. As a teacher how you model correct grammar and spoken English is as important as written English so you will be expected to use language appropriate for a professional environment.

Appearances Matter - You are not being judged before you have even uttered a word, but you should look professional, as dressing appropriately shows a desire to succeed.

Stay Calm - Plan your route to your interview school once you have been informed of its location. Allow extra time for any unexpected delays and get everything you need to bring with you ready the night before. We have invited you because you already show potential for our course. We want you to succeed and let your personality and enthusiasm shine through.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

KNSTE operates from The Shaw Education Trust Learning Hub. This is situated on the site of Kidsgrove Secondary School, Gloucester Road, Kidsgrove, ST7 4DL. More information can be found via the following link: https://www.knste.set.org/contact

 

ill I need to travel to Sheffield Hallam for the PGCE sessions?

No, there is no travel to Sheffield Hallam University for the PGCE sessions. Tutors from the University will come to our base at The Learning Hub, Kidsgrove to provide you with your sessions. There may be the opportunity to travel to Sheffield Hallam for graduation but information regarding this will be provided closer to the time. 

 

Our course usually starts in the final week of August, usually the week of the August Bank Holiday. If you are on the full-time programme, the course generally follows the Staffordshire Local Authority term dates, although individual schools and academies will vary and so you are advised not to book any holidays until you know your placement schools. The course runs through until early July.

If you are on our flexible route, the course takes place over two academic years. Again the course begins at the end of August in both years and finishes at beginning of July in Year Two.

NB: Exact term dates will be provided to successful candidates with pre-course information.

Please note Please check with us before you book any holidays! You may be required to extend your placements.

 

Placements take place in KNSTE Primary Partnership Schools. Whilst every effort is made to ensure ‘reasonability’ in respect of distance/time travelled, the decision on placements ultimately lies with the programme team. ‘Reasonability’ is deemed to be up to one hour from your home address. If a Trainee Teacher chooses to live further afield, she/he may have to travel further to get to a Partnership School. Please note that travel/petrol costs are not covered.

 

You will receive a decision in writing within ten working days of the last interview session (usually much quicker).

Unsuccessful candidates receive an email including feedback from their assessment.

Successful candidates receive an email with a conditional offer of a place on the course which include details about pre-course information and individualised details of additional conditions, which need to be completed before commencing the course.

All candidates have to complete an occupational health questionnaire and complete an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance, unless they are signed up to the DBS update service and a hold a full enhanced DBS check including children's barred list and a DBS fee must have been paid.

There will be a £35 admin fee to cover the cost of your medical check.

 

You will be assessed in several ways: academically through four formal assignments (PGCE trainees only) and through your practice in school. Each placement is assessed by your school based mentors and your curriculum tutors from Keele.

 

Following successful completion of the course, you could progress to a Masters degree with any appropriate Higher Education Institution.

 

There are various sources of funding and support available for trainee teachers during their programme of study. Funding can include loans for tuition fees and living costs for full and part-time (flexible route) students.

Home and EU students may be eligible for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of tuition fees which is available through Student Finance England. More information on the tuition fee loan can be found on Student Finance England.

Maintenance Loans are available for student teachers on eligible postgraduate courses in England. Loan amounts will vary depending on teaching subject and degree class. See full details via the following link: Funding for Postgraduate Teacher Training.

 

Your lesson can include anything that can be taught in 15 minutes but should be relevant to the age range that you are assigned.

The list below is simply some ideas and is by no means exhaustive.

  • English and the Performing Arts: creating poems, singing.
  • Mathematics: column addition, problem solving.
  • Science: life cycles, classification.
  • Physical Education: teaching a physical skill or something linked to health and exercise.
  • Art and Design: drawing, making something with paper.
  • History and Geography: interrogating an artefact, map reading.
  • English and communication (SEND): Makaton, sign language.
  • Early Years: phonics or a lesson linked to an age appropriate resource.