primary education personal statement examples

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Personal statement for PGCE primary

This is your chance to explain why you want to teach primary age children and convey your enthusiasm for teaching

This example should be used for guidance only. Copying any of this text could significantly harm your chances of securing a place on a course.

Example personal statement for PGCE primary

In my early education, reading and writing were a challenge. At age nine I received a diagnosis of dyslexia bringing with it extra support from the school. This gave me a real determination to overcome my disability. It drove me to study hard, achieve high GCSE and A-level grades and go on to achieve a 2:1 in criminology at the University of England. Although this is not a national curriculum subject, working through and coping with my dyslexia at university helped me nurture my own love of learning. I aim to emulate the support provided to me to ensure that no child is left behind in their learning due to barriers they may experience. I believe that being dyslexic will give me a unique insight into the support requirements of dyslexic children but I am aware that children face many other personal, social and emotional challenges alongside learning disabilities. Recognising these barriers and helping each child to have the confidence to succeed is one goal I hope to achieve as a teacher.

I began spending one day a week, then two days a week in a primary school, which has strengthened my love of learning. I spent time in both Key Stage 1 and 2 classrooms and have so far completed 40 days in a school. I observed lessons such as English, maths, Spanish, science and art, listened to pupils read, and went on to work with small groups. I started to grasp lesson planning and discuss with teachers' current educational issues, such as the changing curriculum. I was able to observe how different teachers handle classroom and behaviour management, particularly picking up on the importance of maintaining an assertive yet sympathetic style. This all shapes my classroom practice to become more effective, for example seeing someone moving up a reading band as a result of the extra time I gave to them. Recently I saw a child making good decisions with their behaviour as a result of the plans we made together. I am gaining experience currently with a year three class of 30 children, working with them one-to-one, in groups and leading the whole class. Learning to think on my feet numerous times a day is challenging but rewarding, especially when I receive positive feedback on my lessons.

For the past two years I have been a volunteer leader with my local Cub Scout group, consisting of 30 boys and girls aged between eight and ten years. This encompasses weekly meetings, trips and overnight camps. During camps, along with the other leaders, I am responsible for the children's physical and emotional wellbeing. I need many of the skills I have seen in the classroom to be an excellent leader. A highlight was being able to use my craft and sewing skills to instigate and lead a mural making project with the completed mural now proudly displayed in the scout hut. Resilience, good judgement, enthusiasm, energy, patience, creativity, responsibility, leadership, reliability and stamina are all essential. Being a volunteer leader has helped me grow my confidence, leadership and communication skills, which I look forward to bringing into the classroom.

Through my studies, work experience and volunteering, I have received and given feedback. I know how essential it is to provide constructive feedback that will help the recipient learn and develop rather than become demoralised. I have witnessed teachers providing meaningful and specific feedback to pupils and how this raises their self-esteem. I have learned from this and practised it in my own interactions with children, with positive results.

I wish to specialise in working with Key Stages 1 and 2 as I feel it is demanding but hugely rewarding to work with children at this vital formative period in their educational development. I am aware that the children within each class could be at vastly different levels in relation to their abilities.. Being able to confidently ascertain their levels and differentiate the work accordingly is something that I know I will need to master.

I achieved high grades in law, biology and statistics at A-level. I believe these subjects have provided me with a broad knowledge base to enable me to teach the full primary national curriculum. Even though I didn’t study any design-related subjects at college, I do consider myself a creative person so would relish the chance to teach subjects such as art, music and drama alongside the core subjects of English, maths and science.

My criminology degree provided me with many relevant skills including data analysis, essay writing, critical analysis and research. I also developed the ability to work to a deadline under pressure, both independently and in groups, something I feel is directly relevant to teaching. Learning about the social inequalities in society alongside modules on safeguarding have provided me with a deeper insight into the affect these things can have, not only on a child but also the family and wider community. 

During my degree I undertook a one-month work placement with a homeless charity. I was tasked with trying to find valuable work experience to boost the self-esteem and self-worth of the individuals. This was a humbling and eye-opening experience. I met some truly amazing people both within the charity and among the service users. The many knock backs I received from companies helped to build my resilience and determination culminating in successfully finding an organisation that was willing to offer experience and training in the catering industry.

I believe that schools should be a safe and welcoming environment where children feel comfortable to express themselves, which in turn will aid their ability and willingness to learn. I hope that I will one day be able to provide this to all the children I teach.

Tailor your statement to primary teaching and include:

• Why you'd like to teach this age group.
• Elements from your degree that have helped to prepare you to become a primary school teacher.
• Skills you have developed and where you gained them, such as communication, patience, resilience and planning.
• Any examples you have working with the age group you wish to teach. This could be classroom based as well as through play schemes, youth groups and summer camps.
• Any specialist training such as safeguarding, first aid or mentoring.
• How your own educational background has influenced your desire to teach.
• Your understanding of the primary national curriculum.
• Your thoughts on children's wellbeing within the education system.

Find out more

• Read all about applying for teacher training .
• Get prepared with our teaching interview questions .
• See more examples of teaching personal statements .

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Primary Teacher PGCE Personal Statement

If you are applying to PGCE Primary, you will need to prepare a good personal statement. Learn how to prepare your application for PGCE from our Primary PGCE Personal Statement example .

Primary Teacher Personal Statement Example

One day, I hope to become a primary teacher. Primary and secondary education have both been highly positive experiences for me. It is my desire to inspire and encourage children of all abilities to achieve their full potential that drives me to apply for primary education.

I gained valuable experience working in a primary school setting from the perspective of a teacher. The uniqueness of each child and the way each day is different is what I enjoyed most about my job. I am also applying for a History degree since this would allow me to study a P.G.C.E. after I complete my undergraduate studies. I have always enjoyed Art, particularly the early modern era up until the 20th century, a period I find fascinating. Researching the history of my family and the local area is my favourite aspect of Art history. I have arranged a work experience placement at a local primary school on Monday morning during my free periods. I have gained a great deal of insight into the challenges and situations primary school teachers face. As a teacher, I have been able to provide extra support to students who are underachieving in literacy and numeracy. I have improved my interpersonal skills immensely as I have had to communicate with children of different abilities, cultures and religions from Primary 1 to Primary 7. In addition to being challenging, it is also extremely enjoyable. I am most enjoying helping with small group work and projects with Primary 3 to 7 classes, assisting the pupils in History and English lessons, and using ICT as an educational and motivational tool. When I see pupils who struggled in these areas improve, it is very rewarding for me.

I have also participated in the school’s Community Care program, where I visited a residential care home once a week and spoke with the residents. Their personal perspectives on childhood experiences and the past were enjoyable to hear. By performing songs on guitar, accordion, and voice for residents, and reading novels and poems to them, I have become more approachable, confident, and trustworthy. I have served as Chairperson of the Eco-School’s Committee for four years in school.

Further, I have enjoyed attending debates and lectures from renowned historians such as Senia Paseta, Richard Grayson, and Philip Orr as a member of the Omagh Academy History Society. In my free time, I’m a member of the Bridge Club of Leeds.

My Queen’s Badge is something I’m aiming toward having recently earned my President’s Award. I assist in the Boy area, which serves boys between the ages of 4 and 7, in order to obtain more experience working with kids. It is my obligation to organize and present drills, games, and Bible tales. I also like to play a variety of musical instruments, such as the lambing drum, accordion, guitar, and flute. I am actively involved in the Omagh Community Youth Choir and am pursuing my Grade 5 on the guitar. I have performed with the choir as a support act for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

I learned how crucial it is for primary school teachers to be able to play an instrument at school concerts and events through my work placement. I have joined the Fintona Taekwondo Club with enthusiasm. It has helped me become more tenacious, determined, polite, and disciplined. Taekwondo has helped me stay physically active, and I intend to continue practising it when I’m in college since I find it to be a wonderful stress reliever. I think I’m a good fit for this profession because I want to be a teacher in the long run. My decision to apply for primary courses has been solidified by my great experiences with work placement and volunteer work with the Boys’ Brigade’s Anchor Boys section.

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• mrsstrickey
• Jan 16, 2021

Writing a Personal Statement

Going for your first NQT post can be a daunting prospect... especially when in teaching, you need to write a personal statement to support your application form.

Schools use your personal statement to help short list candidates for a position by checking off the criteria of the person specification that they can see in your statement. It is always a good idea to write your personal statement alongside the person specification, ensuring that you have included all the "essential" criteria and as much of the "desirable" criteria you can that are assessed through the application.

Where possible, you should also use the language of the school you are applying to - their vision, values, mission and ethos statements will help you here and should be available on the school's website. You will also sometimes find these in the application pack. Read this carefully and then read it again, reading between the lines of what they might be looking for.

Here is an example of the structure of a personal statement for a trainee teacher applying for their first NQT job:

Begin with an impact statement that summarises your philosophy on teaching or that refers to the mission/vision/values/ethos of the school you are applying to:

I believe that it is, as Einstein said, the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. As a passionate teacher, dedicated to ensuring the very best outcomes for all students I teach, this statement resonates with me as I endeavour to awaken joy in all of the learners within my classroom. It was your belief all young people have the right to a transformational educational experience, that will enable them, no matter what their starting point, to fulfil their potential and realise their ambitions that first attracted me to your school as it aligns with my own personal and professional philosophy on education.

Throughout my practice, I constantly encourage pupils to participate and contribute in an atmosphere highly conducive to learning. I have consistently set high expectations of pupils in different training contexts. There are high levels of mutual respect between me and pupils. I am very effective in promoting learners’ resilience, confidence and independence when tackling challenging activities. In my lesson, I generate high levels of enthusiasm, participation and commitment to learning.

Back this up with an example from your training.

I have also assumed a high level of responsibility for the attainment progress and outcomes of the pupils I have taught. I have demonstrated confident judgement in planning for pupil progression both within individual lessons and over time and I am able to articulate a clear and well-justified rationale as to how I am building on prior achievement. Within my lessons, I seek to actively promote engaging and effective methods that support pupils in reflecting on their learning. I have demonstrated that I am able to set appropriately challenging tasks, drawing on a sound knowledge of the pupils’ prior attainment, which has been obtained through systematic and accurate assessment. I regularly create opportunities for independent and autonomous learning. As a result the majority of pupils make very good progress.

In order to plan effective lessons, I draw on my in-depth subject and curriculum knowledge of [your subject or phase] to plan confidently for progression and to stimulate and capture pupils’ interest. Throughout my training, I have demonstrated very well-developed pedagogical subject knowledge, by anticipating common errors and misconceptions in my planning. I am astutely aware of my own development needs in relation to extending and updating my subject, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge in my early career and have been proactive in developing these effectively during my training. I always model very high standards of written and spoken communication in all professional activities. I also successfully identify and exploit opportunities to develop learners’ skills, in communication, reading and writing.

I plan lessons that often use well-chosen, imaginative and creative strategies, and that match individuals’ needs and interests. I am highly reflective in critically evaluating my practice. I am able to accurately judge the impact of my practice on individual and groups of learners and can use my evaluation to inform future planning, teaching and learning. During my training, I have shown initiative in contributing to curriculum planning and developing and producing effective learning resources in my placement settings.

I have been able to quickly and accurately discern my learners’ strengths and needs and I have been proactive in differentiating and employing a range of effective intervention strategies to secure progression for individuals and groups. I have an astute understanding of how effective different teaching approaches are in relation to impact on learning and engagement of learners

I can confidently and accurately assess pupils’ attainment against national benchmarks. I use a range of assessment strategies very effectively in my day-to-day practice to monitor progress and to inform future planning. In my practice, I systematically and effectively check learners’ understanding throughout lessons, anticipating where intervention may be needed and do so with notable impact on the quality of learning. I have shown that I am able to assess learners’ progress regularly and work with them to accurately target further improvement and secure rapid progress.

I have been able to rapidly adapt to the different circumstances in which I have trained, working confidently within the frameworks established in different settings and applying rules and routines consistently and fairly. I have also demonstrated an ability to adapt to remote working and remote delivery in response to the Global Pandemic. I consistently have high expectations and understand a range of strategies that experienced teachers use to promote positive behaviour and apply these very effectively, including use of school sanctions and rewards, and use of praise, in order to create an environment highly supportive of learning. I am able to manage pupil behaviour with ease so that learners display very high levels of engagement, courtesy, collaboration and co-operation. Where it is needed, I actively seek additional support in addressing the needs of pupils where significantly challenging behaviour is demonstrated.

During my training, I have been proactive in seeking out opportunities to contribute in a significant way to the wider life and ethos of the school. I have built strong professional relationships and have demonstrated that I am able to work collaboratively with colleagues on a regular basis. I have taken responsibility for deploying support staff in my lessons and for seeking advice from relevant professionals in relation to pupils with individual needs. I deliberately seek out opportunities to develop my own professional learning and respond positively to all the feedback I receive. I have also demonstrated that I can communicate very effectively, both verbally and in writing, with parents and carers in relation to pupils’ achievements and well-being when required to do so formally, but I am also proactive in communicating in relation to individual pupils’ emergent needs.

I always treat pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher's professional position. I realise the need to safeguard pupils' well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions. I show tolerance of and respect for the rights of others. I do not undermine fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. I always ensure that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which exploit pupils' vulnerability or might lead them to break the law. I am always punctual and have good attendance. I have attended numerous CPD sessions and will continue to do so. I have also completed a weekly duty (before school and at break} and attends daily briefings (whole school, subject or pastoral). I have taken on board the policies of the school and maintain a high standard in all my practices. I have a good understanding of the framework within which I work and my professional duties

End with a statement that implies/assumes you will be invited for interview:

I would relish the opportunity to work at your school and look forward to discussing this further with you at interview.

You can download the word version of this

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Writing a Postgraduate Teacher Education personal statement

Updated on 7 July 2023

Guidance on how to write a PGDE/CE personal statement and an example to help demonstrate your skills, experience and motivation for teaching.

A personal statement is a short piece of writing (47 lines/4000 characters) which you are asked to submit in support of your application to study a PGDE/CE made through UCAS. It is your opportunity to demonstrate your skills, experience and motivation for teaching.

Before you start

Remember that this is a very important part of your application. Take your time to carefully plan out and practise your statement. It is a good idea to draft your statement in a word document and get some feedback on it before committing to the final version..

• Don't waste space with irrelevant or repetitive information. Be succinct and avoid complicated language and overly long sentences.
• Be specific about what you have to offer. Detail what you have gained from your experiences in schools/working with children. Give appropriate evidence of the skills you possess for teaching.
• Indicate the relevance of other types of experience or skills you possess, e.g. supervising people or sports
• Avoid using negative language. Present any gaps in skills or experience positively.
• Finish with a summary of what you have to offer     leave the selectors with a clear understanding of your suitability for the course.
• Let your enthusiasm for teaching and working with children shine through in everything you say.
• Check grammar and spelling thoroughly! Do not rely on the spelling and grammar check on your word processing package alone. Ask someone to proof read it for you.
• If you are cutting and pasting from a word document, remember to check the formatting.

Questions to consider when structuring your Personal Statement

• Why do you want to be a teacher? - What has inspired you; who/what influenced you?
• Why do you want to work with young people? - What appeals to you about working with this age group; what skills do you possess that will help you?
• Why do you want to teach your subject? For primary: demonstrate a breadth of knowledge across a range of curriculum areas. For secondary, show how your subject knowledge is relevant to the curriculum.
• What have you gained from working with young people? - Have you had any experience in schools or working with children in other settings? Reflect upon what you did, what you observed, what you learned.
• What else can you offer? Skills in sports, music, languages, arts and crafts, ICT etc.

This is an example personal statement. There is considerable room for improvement and the notes make suggestions to help you with writing yours.

I am applying for the PGDE course because I have always wanted to be a teacher. I really like working with children and think that I have the right kinds of skills to become a good teacher .

• The above statement is far too short: you are allowed 47 lines/4000 characters so use them.
• Remember to specify whether you are applying f or primary or secondary courses.
• It is not enough to say that you have developed the "right kinds of skills". Be specific about them.
• It is important to have a strong opening statement . It is the first thing the selectors will read so you want to make an impact. 
• Think about why you have always wanted to teach and clearly demonstrate.

New Paragraph

At school, I was involved with the Primary 1 class when I was in final year. I helped the less able children with reading on a one to one basis. I also help out at my local Brownie pack every week, keeping the girls busy with various activities. I have applied to do the Student Tutoring Scheme.

• When describing experience with children, make sure you are specific about what you learned from the work and the skills you developed.
• You need to demonstrate (by providing evidence) that you have developed/ have the potential to develop skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, organisation, planning and time management.

At school I studied a wide range of subjects but the one I enjoyed most was History so that is what I have studied at university. I also took Psychology and Politics in first year and Politics in second year too.

• When describing your studies, remember to show how this is relevant to the subject(s) you will be teaching.

I have been a babysitter for two children for several years and enjoy helping the older child with his homework now that he is at school.

• When describing your experience remember to demonstrate the transferable skills you have gained in this role that would be relevant to teaching. For example with babysitting you could link to the skill of 'behaviour management'.

I am very interested in education generally and keep up to date with current issues by reading the BBC website.

It is not enough to say that you 'keep up-to-date' here. Give a summary of what you have to offer and stating why you should be offered a place on the course.

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Primary Education Personal Statement

Submitted by Lily

Do you want to inspire young people and help change lives?

Choose to study Education at Roehampton, one of the UK's leading providers of teacher education.

Primary Education Personal Statement

“Let’s play teachers, I’ll be Miss Lily”: the words that led me to realise I wanted to be a primary school teacher . It was ‘Miss Lily’ as somehow Miss ‘surname’ seemed too formal as well as being a little too complicated for 4 year olds to call you on work experience. During this period, I worked with children from reception through to year 6 and met many different children. I mainly worked with children one on one, helping those who found the work more challenging as well as listening to KS1 children read, helping to prepare class materials and helping with sports day. Some children I worked with were very challenging and I was asked to take some them out of the class and work with them one on one in the library, I soon realised how difficult it must be for teacher’s to help children who are particularly struggling (or troublesome!) as well as teaching and supporting the whole class. I did find it challenging myself trying to get unwilling children to do their work but I loved the sense of achievement when I finally got through to them, helping them to learn and understand things and realised that perhaps I was in fact cut out to teach. On a separate occasion I also helped out at an after school photography club at a primary school, I loved how I could combine something I enjoyed doing whilst working in a school environment with the children.

As I have interest in a wide range of subject areas and activities such as religious studies, history and geography I believe this would benefit me, and the students, as I will be passionate and enthusiastic when I teach them. I believe I possess many of the skills required to be a good teacher, many that were developed further during my work experience; my organisation, patience and positive energy being just a few examples. I love the idea that I will somehow be able to shape the future of young children and play an important role in their development. I also understand just how challenging and demanding the role of a primary school teacher is but I think it is a very rewarding career that I would be very suited to.

I am a very caring person making me well-suited to working with children and I believe I have a positive personality and cheerful disposition that can engage children effectively as well as being able to maintain a good rapport with the students. At college I study classical civilisation, modern history and BTEC law. As well as this I decided to do an EPQ which further demonstrates my diligent attitude.

I am confident that all the transferable skills I have acquired during my EPQ such as time management and research skills will be incredibly beneficial to me and will prepare me for my time at university. I also work part-time at The Card Factory which has really developed my confidence in recent months.

My communication skills have also improved and I have gained a sense of responsibility I didn’t have before, knowing people rely on me and depend on my hard work and commitment to providing good customer service. I believe I am incredibly well suited to being a primary school teacher possessing many important qualities and I am sure that it will certainly prove to be a rewarding and fulfilling, albeit certainly challenging career.

I hope that studying primary education at university will equip me with the skills that will allow me to be a successful teacher and that my enthusiasm stands out allowing me to proceed on the pathway to becoming a qualified teacher.

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Cohort Profile: Health and Attainment of Pupils in a Primary Education National-Cohort (HAPPEN). A hybrid total population cohort in Wales, UK

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• For correspondence: [email protected]
• ORCID record for Hope E Jones
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Purpose: HAPPEN is a primary school national cohort which brings together education, health and wellbeing research in line with the Curriculum for Wales framework for health and wellbeing. Health, education and social care data of primary school children are linked and held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. In addition, school-aged children can take part in the HAPPEN Survey throughout the academic year to inform design and implementation of the Health and Wellbeing curriculum area based on their pupils' needs. There are over 600 schools registered to take part in the HAPPEN Survey. The linkage of health and education records from the HAPPEN national cohort with the HAPPEN Survey responses gives enriched cohort depth and detail which can be used to extrapolate to other schools in Wales. We present the descriptive data available in HAPPEN, and the future expansion plans. Participants: The HAPPEN cohort includes 37,902 primary-aged school children from 2016-July 2023. Of this number, 28,019 can be linked in SAIL with their anonymised linkage field (ALF). In addition, to date (May 2024), HAPPEN Survey data has been captured from over 45,000 children which can in turn be linked to the electronic data. The survey is completed on an ongoing basis and continues to rise by 7000-8000 responses annually. Findings to date: The child cohort is 49% girls, 47% boys (3% prefer not to state their gender and 1% of this data is missing) and 14% are from an ethnic minority background (10% prefer not to state their ethnicity). Initial findings have explored the impact of Covid-19 on wellbeing and play opportunities. As well as a longitudinal exploration of wellbeing throughout the years. Future plans: HAPPEN is an ongoing dynamic cohort of data collection. Access to the cohort is available through SAIL or HDRUK gateway applications. Ongoing research includes the evaluation of interventions for primary school children such as natural experiment methods, non-means tested free school meal roll-out in Wales, interventions to improve physical literacy including changes to the built environment and interventions to improve health and wellbeing of primary school children.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

This work is ESRC funded through ADR.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

This study involves human participants, HAPPEN has been granted ethical approval by Swansea Universitys School of Medicine Ethics Board (ref: 7933). Participants give informed assent to participate in the study before taking part.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Data Availability

Data is available upon reasonable request. Researchers can apply for data access by submitting a research application to the SAIL team. The SAIL website provides information on the application process (https://saildatabank.com/data/apply-to-work-with-the-data/). All proposals to use SAIL data are subject to review by an independent Information Governance Review Panel (IGRP). This projects approval code is 0916. Before any data can be accessed, approval must be given by the IGRP. To use HAPPEN data you need to provide a safe researcher training certificate, a signed data access agreement and IGRP approval.

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Teacher training personal statement example (primary pgce) 5.

I am a hard-working, responsible, friendly girl with a strong passion to pursue a career in primary school teaching. I believe that to become an excellent teacher you must have a desire to assist children in the learning process and this is one quality which I feel I definitely possess.

My initial interest in primary teaching sparked while volunteering in a summer play scheme run by a local charity for children aged 0-8 in the summer holidays of 2009. I found it extremely rewarding to see the look of satisfaction on a child’s face as they completed a piece of artwork, or took part in a group activity knowing that I helped give the children the confidence and ability to do so. Working closely with both the children and the parents greatly improved my confidence, and by the end of the play scheme I found myself singing along to the songs and joining in with the games with as much enthusiasm as the youngsters.

Through my local primary school I have been able to shadow a teacher of a mixed class of year one and year two pupils for two days. I was able to help the children with reading one-on-one, which I really enjoyed. I was patient and understanding while listening to the children read, and helped them with words they found difficult. I also took part in a maths lesson where the children were weighing different classroom objects. I enjoyed having the responsibility of supervising the children while learning, and interacting with different children. I had the responsibility of a group of children at playtime, in which I was required to keep the children entertained and maintain discipline. This experience gave me an insight into the running of a classroom, and reinforced my desire to teach.

In July 2008 I completed a week’s work experience at a pharmacy. I was punctual and professional throughout the week, and was given the responsibility of sorting medications and dispensing prescriptions. I was polite and communicated well while serving customers, and enjoyed working with the other members of staff. At school I participated in many experiences which I felt was beneficial to me in many ways. I was a member of the Anti-Bullying Campaign (ABC), which involved communication and mediation with younger pupils who had been upset by the actions of other students. The ABC required me to be sympathetic, understanding, patient and considerate with the children.

I also took part in Crucial Crew while at school, I worked as part of a team to explain the impacts of cyber bullying to groups of primary children. I also took part in health and safety demonstrations and food safety workshops as part of this experience. During both Crucial Crew and the ABC I confidently made many presentations explaining the projects in a way which primary aged children could understand and were interested in. I created many power-points and posters using a computer, and helped organise short role-plays to demonstrate. I believe that these experiences allowed me to obtain skills which would be helpful to me in a teaching role.

I’ve been a member of many sports teams from a young age both for school teams and outside of the school. I achieved many badges as a swimmer and a gymnast, attended trampolining classes, was a member of Neath Harriers athletic club and I was a member of the school netball team throughout my school life. I am interested in taking part in a coaching course, which would make it possible for me to be able to run a school sports team in the future.

I am a creative person; I enjoy reading books, making jewellery, and baking at home in my spare time. My school art teacher often complimented my artistic talent during my time at secondary school, and I was delighted to achieve an A* at GCSE for my hard work. I am also a computer-literate person. I enjoyed GCSE ICT, achieving an A*and my school’s Award for Outstanding Attainment in ICT. I have carried the subject on to A level, accomplishing an A grade at AS level. I have often helped my two younger cousins who are both primary aged to use the computer, teaching them how to word process documents and how to surf the internet. I love helping them learn new things, and have played a role in their understanding of numbers, letters, colours, reading and writing.

It would give me great pleasure to play a memorable role in the growth of many children. I understand that teaching is a taxing and tiring job, but I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to reach my goal of becoming a head teacher. I would be thrilled if I was ever able to achieve this, as I believe I have the personality, confidence, organisational skills and ability to become a resourceful, dedicated, appreciated head teacher.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by meldavies for application in 2011.

meldavies's Comments

This is only a first draft, I would love some feedback?

Related Personal Statements

Im doing primary teaching too :).

Fri, 08/10/2010 - 20:24

i love chldren - the work experience showed me that, watching a child grow up is just too coool (mayb the wrong lang) i think your second para is long split it up otherwise it was reallly goood - iv wrote similar things gosh wel in terms of my work experiences and interests but how it relates to children .... where are you applying ?

Mon, 02/07/2012 - 02:18

Amazing Very inspiring, Great to have something to veiw as i was stuck with what to right, Im a New Zealand Student Heading into Primary Education Thankyou!

Omg! I am wanting to go into

Tue, 09/07/2013 - 19:37

Omg! I am wanting to go into Primary Teaching & I think this was the best Personal Statement I have read till date. Wonderful

seriously this is the most

Tue, 09/07/2013 - 21:29

seriously this is the most inspiring ps ive read in my life even my mentor cannot get me to do such a good ps cos hes nt dat clever but this is one :D statement! :)

Thanks for sharing :)

Mon, 30/06/2014 - 21:13

Wow this personal statement has really got me thinking, and has put a few new thoughts in my head as I am currently writing a personal statement with an aim of getting into primary education ultimately. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing

Mon, 26/03/2018 - 16:14

Well written!! This is inspiring. I was stuck up, not making any progress with my effort to write my personal statement

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