PGCE Primary interviews

Declaration Forms

Ahead of your interview, please ensure that you have completed and returned the three Declaration Forms found below. Failure to do so may result in delays in the processing of your application.

Please complete these forms in full before your chosen interview date and return to applications@plymouth.ac.uk.

• Education Self Disclosure form
• Education Overseas Declaration form
• Education Disqualification Declaration

Supporting Documents

Additionally, we would prefer to receive copies of your certificates and transcripts for the qualifications listed as completed on your application ahead of your interview. These can be submitted as clear photographs or scanned documents in JPEG or PDF format by emailing applications@plymouth.ac.uk.

Please note: If you have been successful in your application, we will ask you to submit your original documents when you start your course.

In preparation for your interview, we would like you to complete the following tasks:

Task one

We would like you to write briefly about the relevance of your degree studies to teaching so that we can consider ways in which your previous experience might make you a suitable candidate for the programme. In doing this, you might consider what you gained from your higher education experience that will be of use to you as a teacher of young children.

The account need not be very long but it should indicate all of the ways in which you think your particular educational background has prepared you for this role. You will need to make connections with the relevant curriculum but you should not feel that you need to restrict yourself to that.

Task two

Please visit the Guardian website and read the article 'Schools of thought: can mindfulness lessons boost child mental health?'.

Please read the article, read around the main ideas and come to the interview day ready to discuss your thoughts and share any additional reading you may have completed during a group discussion task.

For specific tasks that need to be completed ahead of your interview, please see the Interview pre-work tab.

• On the day of your Zoom interview, you must present a form of photo ID. Examples of photo ID include your passport, driving licence, bus pass and school/college ID.
• The interview is scheduled within a four-hour time slot. You must attend the whole session.
• The interview includes a group discussion.
• To prepare for your interview, we recommend thinking about your motivations and interests that influenced your choice to apply to this particular course.
• Current students have said they found it useful to make sure they had knowledge of some of the current topical issues in the news.

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 you have read the information on our Disability Services webpage. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page and open the disability disclosure form.

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

We aim to inform you of the outcome of your interview within ten working days.

If you are successful at interview, as part of your offer you will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure. Further details on this is below.

Dislosure 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 will be asked to declare any convictions or cautions against them, and to declare 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, with details of how to do so at this point. 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 will consider each case individually and confidentially. In all instances the committee is assessing whether the disclosure would prevent an applicant from going on placement or obtaining employment on graduation.

How soon will I hear after interview?

We aim to let you know within two weeks of the interview.

Accommodation

If you are offered a place on the course you may need accommodation whilst in Plymouth. The University does have halls and other forms of accommodation for postgraduate students. However, you may prefer to arrange your accommodation in shared housing with other PGCE students.

• you all have similar workloads
  
• you may be able to share transport to college or school placements
  
• you are able to talk about your experiences and share knowledge.