Interview Information - PGCE Secondary courses

This page contains all of the information you will need for your PGCE Secondary interview. Please read it all very carefully. If you have any questions about this information or about your interview in general, please contact teaching@bathspa.ac.uk.

Although we are accepting applications and interviewing candidates, we cannot make offers to candidates for PGCE programmes starting in September 2012 until the allocation of teacher training places for 2012/13 is confirmed to the sector by the Training & Development Agency for Schools (TDA).  It is expected that the TDA will announce allocations and clarify arrangements for financial support early in the New Year.

The information below relates to PGCE Secondary only.

Documents

The documents below relate to your interview day. It is important that you click on the links and check and read all of these documents, completing and bringing them with you on the day as necessary (and as outlined below).

• Subject task
• Subject knowledge audit
• Document checklist (to be completed and brought to interview)
• Map and directions of how to get to the interview (at our Culverhay site)

All of these should be completed and brought with you to the interview. Discussion of your subject knowledge audit will form part of your subject interview. Please ensure that you also bring all of the original documents listed on the checklist along with a photocopy of each, to the interview, to allow us to confirm your identity. Any applicant who has an access need which requires modifications to the writing, reading or numeracy assessments should indicate this us via teaching@bathspa.ac.uk, and should introduce themselves and present their assessment report to the invigilator at the time.

The Interview

The purpose of the day is to give you the opportunity to demonstrate that you possess the appropriate qualities, attitudes and values expected of a Bath Spa Teacher, (a Bath Spa PGCE trainee) and to enable us to assess your potential to meet the Bath Spa Profile Characteristics which incorporate the QTS Standards. You will be interviewed by both University and school based colleagues.

At the beginning of the day you will be welcomed and the programme for the day will be explained. You will also be given an outline of the Secondary course structure and an overview of our expectations of a Bath Spa Teacher.

During the day you will be involved in

• A group discussion related to the priority issue of Inclusion in education. This will involve reading, synthesis of information and effective communication of understanding.
• An individual subject based interview comprising presentation of the subject task outlined in the link above and a short individual interview. The subject knowledge audit will be discussed in this section of the day.
• A written exercise, lasting 30 minutes, which requires you to write, in your normal handwriting, about the characteristics of an effective teacher. It will be assessed on organisation and structure, grammar, punctuation and spelling as well as writing style
• A basic numeracy test lasting 30 minutes (please note that jottings can be made but calculators are not permitted).
• This range of activities is designed to assess your passion for teaching and education, your ability to communicate and interact with an audience, your knowledge and understanding of your subject and your basic literacy and numeracy skills. We would expect you to have gained some experience in at least one school that is related to the Secondary age phase. It would be helpful for you to have reflected on this experience as well as any other experience of working with young people you may have and be prepared to discuss it at your interview.

If you are unable to attend this interview, please email teaching@bathspa.ac.uk. We will also be able to assist you with any pre-interview queries that you may have.

We ask all candidates to arrive in good time to park and make their way to the designated room. Under normal circumstances all candidates should be finished by 4pm.

The University is seeking to improve support for students with additional needs and is committed to a programme of adaptations to widen access. If you would like to discuss any additional needs you may have before visiting, please contact Student Support Services on (01225) 875649 or (01225) 875541.

 

Fee information