BEd Primary interviews

Essential information for applicants attending an interview for our BEd (Hons) Primary courses
BEd Primary interviews

We will be offering two platforms for attending interview with us for 2022 entry: in person interviews held at our Open Day events and Zoom interviews on our Wednesday sessions.

Open Day interviews

If you book to attend interview with us on one of our three Open Days, this will be an in person event.

Our upcoming Open Day interviews will take place on:

  • Saturday 9 October 2021
  • Saturday 6 November 2021
  • Saturday 4 December 2021

Please note that booking to attend the Open Day does not mean you have booked your interview.

Virtual interviews

If you book to attend an interview with us on any of our Wednesday sessions, which will be hosted on Zoom, you will receive a Zoom link to attend the session.

Please ensure you have a form of photo identification with you for either our Open Day interviews or Zoom interview, such as a passport or driving license. We will not be able to complete your interview without this.

For any questions regarding your interview, please contact our Course Enquiries and Interviews Team by emailing interviewtostudy@plymouth.ac.uk

Message from the Programme Leader

Well done! You have taken the next step towards being an inspiring primary school teacher. On this page you will find information about the interview including the preparation you will need to complete before the interview. Please explore the tabs below and read or watch the relevant signposted materials. The strongest candidates have thought carefully about these preparation tasks.

Interviews are structured as a dialogue, a chance for you to get excited about your ideas for your future in education and for you to find out about us, the programmes we offer and what it means to become part of the family of teachers who have graduated from Plymouth Institute of Education.

 

In the interview you will be asked to discuss the preparation task with a small group of other interviewees then there will be some structured questions to give you a chance to share your experiences, interests and aspirations.

My colleagues and I always enjoy interviewing our prospective new teachers so I look forward to meeting you soon.

Remember to complete the pre-interview work linked below!

If you have any questions before we meet please do get in touch.

James Bettany

We ask that all applicants watch our BEd (Hons) Primary Virtual Open Day Presentation to familiarise themselves with our programme specialisms. This can be found on our Plymouth On Demand Education pages and YouTube.

Please ensure you read the article relevant to the programme you have been invited to interview for.

 

BEd (Hons) Primary: Foundation/Key Stage 1

If you have applied for:

  • BEd (Hons) Primary (Early Childhood Studies)

Read the article from The Conversation in order to prepare for a 20 minute group discussion with other interviewees. You are encouraged to relate what you read to your current studies, your own experiences with young children as well as any other further reading you undertake. Those interviewing you will make brief notes on your contribution to the discussion as well as your interaction with others in the group. You may bring the article and any notes you wish to make to the interview.

 

BEd (Hons) Primary: KS1/KS2

Please read this article on the gov.uk website.

As part of the interview procedure there will be a short discussion for you to take part in along with other candidates. You should bring along a copy of this article to the interview. You should have read the article prior to the interview and be ready to contribute to the discussion about it. Please note that there is no one thing we are looking for in relation to the piece; rather we are interested to see how you have understood it, what opinions you have about the issues involved and how you relate it to your own experience in school, as well as how you interact with other potential students.

BEd (Hons) Primary: Special Educational Needs

Watch the Special Needs Inclusion video, available at the TES website.

You should come prepared to discuss the opinions and ideas in the film, and your own opinions on the subject matter.

Ahead of your interview, please ensure you send copies of your documents/certificates/transcripts as either a scanned document or clear photograph to applications@plymouth.ac.uk .

Please note that if your application is successful, we will ask you to submit your original documents when you start your course. 

For both our Open Day interviews and virtual interviews, you will need to provide a copy of your photo ID to be shown at the beginning of the interview session.

To prepare for your interview, we recommend thinking about the reasons you want to study your course of interest. Current students have said they found it useful to make sure they had knowledge of some of the topical issues in the news.

Please see the 'Interview pre-work' tab for additional information on the pre-work that is specific to your specialism of interest. If you have applied for more than one specialism, please complete the pre-work for all the specialisms for which you have submitted an application.

Disability and dyslexia advice and support 

We talk to students about disability support and any reasonable adjustments available for their programme of study. A disability can be a mental health condition, dyslexia or any other specific learning difficulty, autism, or long term medical condition, such as epilepsy or diabetes.

If you have a disability, please ensure that you have read the information on our Disability Services webpage.

If you require any adjustments for your interview, please email interviewtostudy@plymouth.ac.uk prior to your interview date.

If you are successful at interview, as part of your offer you will be required to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure Check and a Fit2teach Occupational Health Clearance Check.

If you do not pass these checks satisfactorily, you will not be able to complete a course with us. 

If your checks are not completed before the first day of the course you may be able to start, however, if you fail to pass either of these checks satisfactorily your place will be withdrawn.

You can find further details on these checks below.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure

Our courses require students to work in positions requiring public trust. In order to ensure public protection and safety, all applicants are asked to declare any convictions or cautions against them as well as any pending prosecutions. This can be done on the UCAS application form.

Enhanced disclosures will be made on all students when they hold conditional firm or unconditional firm status. You will be sent details of how to complete the check online as part of your offer. This process must be completed, even if a check has recently been completed for another organisation. All information is treated in the utmost confidence.

A disclosure which contains details of an offence does not automatically preclude study on one of our courses. We operate a Professional Issues Committee which considers each case individually and confidentially. In all instances, the committee assesses whether the disclosure would prevent an applicant from going on placement or obtaining employment upon graduation.


Occupational health clearance (Fit2teach) 

Applicants are required to undergo a health assessment prior to the start of the course. This is to ensure that you are physically and mentally suited to a career in education. If you have any concerns about your medical suitability, you are advised to discuss this with your GP.

The questionnaire will be sent by email and forms the basis of the health screening, so it is vital that all questions are answered as fully and honestly as possible.

Information for students who have previously resided outside the UK as an adult (i.e., from age 18 or over)

If you have previously resided outside of the UK (from age 18 or over) it is your responsibility to obtain a relevant 'certificate of good character' (or similar) from the country concerned. For information about applying for such certificates, please consult the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.

The University cannot apply for these certificates on your behalf or pay for the costs involved. This process can take some time and you are strongly advised to apply at the earliest opportunity. 

Students who have previously resided abroad will be unable to start student placements without this certificate.

How do I book my interview?

Upon successful submission of your application, you will be sent an email with a unique link to our online booking system. You can use our online system to select an interview date that best suits your availability.

If you have not received this email, please be sure to check your junk or clutter folders.

What if I need to reschedule my interview after I have booked onto one?

You can change, move or reschedule your interview at any stage using the online booking system. 

If you are unable to attend any of the dates shown, then please contact our Course Enquiries and Interviews Team by emailing interviewtostudy@plymouth.ac.uk or by calling +44 1752 585858  

What if I have applied for more than one specialism?

If you have applied for more than one BEd Primary programme, your suitability for all programmes will be assessed during your interview; you do not need to book more than one interview.

What happens after my interview?

If you are successful at interview, your offer will be conditional on meeting the academic requirements for the course, as well as satisfactory occupational health and DBS checks. For further information, please see the ‘After your interview tab’ and visit the Department of Education website.

Please note: If you have applied for more than one programme within the Plymouth Institute of Education, you will only need to attend one academic interview. During this interview, you will be assessed to see if you are a suitable candidate for all programmes you have applied for.