Preparing for your on-campus interview

We are pleased to invite you to interview for the Primary Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course at the University of Reading, and we 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 relation to your chosen pathway, for example SEND or early years.
• 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 refer to the documents you will need to bring to your interview.

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 by email, closer to the date of your interview, with further details on the exact location of your interview.

Please refer to the documents you will need to bring to your interview .

The title for the written task will be given to you on the day of your interview. 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.

Please let us know if any adjustments are needed for you to access the written task.

The group task is designed to evaluate your ability to collaborate with others, articulate your ideas clearly, and listen actively to your peers.

Before attending your interview, please watch the Primary Interviews: Clean Up! story video  where course tutors read the book, Clean Up!, which is written by Nathan Bryon and illustrated by Dapo Adeola.  

After watching the video, we ask that you:

• Consider how you would use the book Clean up! to support a learning activity/develop children’s learning in a primary setting.
• Potentially consider an early or special setting, depending on your chosen pathway, for example, SEND or early years
• Be prepared to share and discuss your activity with your group, including why you have chosen the activity and your role in the children’s learning.

You may bring along notes to share. If there is anything else you wish to share in relation to the group task, you are welcome to do so during your individual interview.

Please note that each candidate will be allocated a 30-minute interview slot within the time frame of 10:45 to 13:00 for their individual interview.

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

• your motivations for becoming a teacher
• your passion and any experience of teaching your chosen pathway, for example, SEND or early years
• your own values and ethics, and how these will inform your teaching
• your understanding of teaching and learning in the classroom
• behaviour management and effective learning environments
• how you will prepare yourself for the course and career
• pathway specific questions if you have chosen the SEND or 3-7 pathways
• safeguarding and child protection - we recommend that you read the summary of the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance to prepare for this. The full guidance is also available in an alternative format.

There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions at the end of your individual interview and to share anything else you may 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 may also be present in person or online. The second interviewer may be a colleague from one of our partner schools or from the University.

Please note that we may share relevant background information from your application form with our partner school or University colleague, but this will not include any sensitive data that you provided as part of your application.

Please email the Admissions Support Team if you have any questions.

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 specific requirements will not affect the outcome of the interview or our decision on whether you are offered a place on the course.