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How to write a great personal statement for a teaching job.

Vinny Potter

7 Feb 2024, 16:23

Discover our top tips on what to include in your personal statement for a teaching job and how to present your skills, knowledge, experience and attributes.

Supported by:

Academies Enterprise Trust

Your personal statement is the heart of your application for work as an early career teacher and should be tailored for each role. For teaching applications this is sometimes also called a letter of application, but it is essentially the same thing. This is your opportunity to provide evidence of how you match the needs of the specific teaching job you are applying for, and earn yourself an invitation to the next stage, which is likely to be a selection day held at the school.

Writing tips for personal statements

See our example personal statement for primary school teaching, below. Imagine it was written in response to the following job advert:

We are advertising for a Year 3 Classroom Teacher. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Committed to our school and our values
• Experience across a range of age groups
• Committed to reflection and improving practice
• Knowledge of the National Curriculum
• Excellent lesson planning
• Knowledge of assessment
• Good knowledge of SEND and positive interventions
• Positive approach to provide challenge and support student success
• Excellent behaviour management
• Good communication skills with parents
• Enthusiastic and creative approach to lessons
• Willing to contribute to the wider life of the school.

See our personal statement for secondary school teaching, below. Imagine it was written in response to the following job advert:

Country High School are advertising for an enthusiastic Secondary PE Teacher. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Ability to adapt and tailor your approach for the differing needs of pupils
• Knowledge of the National Curriculum for your subject
• Knowledge of a wide range of sports
• Willing to engage in extra curricular activities and the wider life of the school
• Experience of supporting high ability students, as well as those who may be less able or motivated
• Ability to use data effectively
• Teach across all ability levels including SEND
• Ability to use Technology to enhance learning.

When completing a personal statement for a teaching job, you should typically observe the following guidelines:

• Do not write a generic statement. Instead use the person specification and job advert for the vacancy as a structure for your statement or consider using the government's Teachers' Standards if no person specification is provided.
• Do not exceed two sides of A4, unless otherwise instructed.
• Tailor your statement for each new application according to the nature of the school or LA and the advertised role.
• Always read any guidance provided – many schools and LAs will tell you how they want this section set out.
• Emphasise your individual strengths in relation to the role.
• For a pool application, make sure you give a good overview of your skills and experience.
• It is essential that you give specific examples of what you have done to back up your claims.

Primary school personal statement

Examples of a personal statements for a primary school teaching job.

Primary school personal statement example

Secondary school personal statement

See our example of a personal statement for a secondary school teaching job.

Secondary school personal statement example

What you should cover in your personal statement

When schools advertise graduate teaching jobs , they write a job description which states the essential attributes they are looking for. This is their marking criteria for the job. When they read your statement, they will usually score this based on their essential and desirable criteria. Therefore, you need to read their documents carefully to find the criteria and provide an example or evidence of each point. If the job advert does not include any documents which include their criteria, then you can use the following structure for your statement and use the Teachers’ Standards as a guide for the criteria they may be looking for.

Why you are applying for the role:

• Refer to any knowledge you have of the LA or the school, including any visits to the school and what you learned from them.
• Show you would be a good fit for the school. The best way to do this is to look at the school’s values and give an example of how you match these.
• Mention any special circumstances (for example, your religious faith) which you think are relevant.

Details about your course:

• Give an overview of your training course - including the age range and subjects covered - and any special features.
• If you are a PGCE student, mention your first degree, your dissertation (if appropriate), any classroom-based research projects and relevant modules studied. Also mention if you have studied any masters modules.

Your teaching experience:

• What year groups you have taught.
• What subjects you have covered.
• Your use and understanding of formative and summative assessment practices.

Your classroom management strategies:

• Give examples of how you planned and delivered lessons and evaluated learning outcomes, including differentiation, scaffolding etc.
• Explain how you have managed classrooms and behaviour.
• Detail your experience of working with assistants or parents in your class.

Your visions and beliefs about primary/secondary education:

• What are your beliefs about learning and your visions for the future? You could touch on areas such as learning and teaching styles and strategies.
• Reflect on key policies relevant to the age range you want to teach.

Other related experience:

• This can include information about any previous work experience.
• Include training activities you have carried out and ways in which your subject knowledge has been developed.

Other related skills and interests:

• Give details of any particular competencies, experiences or leisure interests. This will help the school to know more about you as a person and could ‘add value’ in a school environment.
• Any involvement in working with children (running clubs, youth work and summer camps) is particularly useful to include.

Aim to end on a positive note. A conclusion which displays your enthusiasm in relation to the specific application and teaching in general will enhance your application - but avoid general statements and clichés.

Written by Vinny Potter, St Marys University, Twickenham, July 2023

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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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Crafting a Compelling Teaching Personal Statement

Your teaching personal statement needs to give an insight into your personality, teaching style & unique qualities only you hold. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of writing a compelling teaching personal statement.

The best personal statements are more than just a list of experiences and achievements. A personal statement which tells a compelling story will always compel the reader to want to find out more. If you keep your philosophy as the central theme and ensure that you use examples of practice which link back to that, it will ensure that your personal statement is a coherent and interesting piece of writing.

What Inspired You:

Begin by reflecting on what motivated you to become a teacher. Headteachers want to understand your background, inspiration, the reason you trained as a teacher and why you want to teach your specialism. Highlight your passion for teaching and your genuine desire to make a positive impact on students’ lives.

Showcase Key Achievements:

Highlight your career achievements, qualifications and teaching milestones that you’re most proud of. Demonstrate your ability to drive student progress and results through concrete examples throughout your teaching personal statement. If you’re an early career teacher, discuss your teaching placements, voluntary work, or even include any quotes from observation reports.

Showcase Teaching Skills:

Demonstrate your teaching skills by providing specific examples. Discuss successful teaching strategies you’ve employed, innovative lesson plans you’ve created, or how you’ve adapted to meet the needs of diverse learners. Highlight any extracurricular involvement, such as coaching sports teams or leading clubs, which showcases your dedication to students’ holistic development.

Keep It Concise and Well-Structured:

Teaching personal statements should be clear, concise, and well-structured. Aim for a maximum of 500-600 words. Use headings or bullet points to organize your content. Start with a captivating opening paragraph and conclude with a strong summary of your qualifications and enthusiasm for teaching.

Proofread and Edit:

Thoroughly proofread your teaching personal statement to eliminate grammatical errors, typos, or awkward phrasing. Consider seeking feedback from mentors, colleagues, or friends to ensure clarity and impact. Editing is crucial to present yourself as a professional and detail-oriented teacher.

Show Enthusiasm:

Infuse your teaching personal statement with enthusiasm and optimism. Convey your passion for teaching, showcase your qualifications, and demonstrate your commitment to fostering student growth. A positive and enthusiastic tone can be infectious and leave a lasting impression.

To conclude, your teaching personal statement is your chance to shine as a teacher. Get personal. Write about what makes YOU in the classroom.

For further support and tips, please reach out to Gemma Yates.

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Write a great teaching job application in 5 steps

Make a great first impression and get an interview for the teaching job you want with this advice from experienced teaching staff. We’ve spoken to experienced teachers to get their top tips for success.

1. Be professional, even with your email address

Make sure you have a professional email address. Something like [email protected] is a good bet. Avoid using a humorous or childish email address you might have had when you were younger.

2. Add in all your jobs and include any breaks

Schools need to know your complete work history for safeguarding purposes, so make sure to include any jobs you have had, even if they’re not relevant to teaching. This makes it easier for a school to get a clear picture of your background. Don’t worry if this will be your first job. Do include your education history, and any relevant volunteer experience, for example youth work, running a sports team, or teaching English as a foreign language.

You should include any breaks too, such as time you took to travel or for caring responsibilities.

3. Mind the gaps

Make it easy for schools to review your application by completing all of the sections. Don’t worry if you don’t have your teaching reference number (TRN) yet, but do include your current course and expected qualification date.

4. Check in with your referees

Ideal referees are your current or most recent mentor, university tutor, or headteacher. It’s worth getting clear permission to use your referees so there are no surprises for anyone. Check which contact details they want you to use, ideally a specific email address, rather than something like [email protected]. It would be a shame for a lost reference request to slow down or risk your application.

5. Write a great personal statement

At the heart of your application form is your personal statement. Find out how to write a personal statement that gives you the best chance to get an interview, where you can show in person what a great candidate you are. The more you show how your skills and interests match the school’s ethos, the better.

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Your teacher training personal statement

Your personal statement is your chance to make yourself memorable with teacher training providers and show them why you’ll make a great teacher.

You do not have to write it all at once – you can start it and come back to it. Successful candidates often take a few weeks to write their personal statements.

How long should my teacher training personal statement be?

Your personal statement can be up to 1000 words. 90% of successful candidates write 500 words or more.

You could include:

• skills you have that are relevant to teaching
• any experience of working with young people
• your understanding of why teaching is important
• your reasons for wanting to train to be a teacher
• any activities you’ve done that could be relevant to teaching (such as first aid courses, sports coaching or volunteering)

Teacher training providers want to see your passion and that you understand the bigger picture of teaching.

How to write your personal statement

When writing your personal statement you should make sure you check your spelling and grammar in your application. You want to make the best possible impression.

You can use ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help you write your personal statement. You should not rely on it to write your entire statement because:

AI tools use bland language and will not be able to give details about you as a person. Using them may result in your application being unsuccessful

your account to apply for teacher training may be blocked if you consistently submit personal statements that look like they have been written with AI tools

Do I use the same personal statement for each application?

You can use the same personal statement for every course you apply to.

However, there may be some instances where you’d like to tailor it to different courses.

For example, if you want to apply to train to teach maths and also to train to teach physics. In this case, you might want to change your personal statement to talk more specifically about the subject you’re applying to train to teach.

Should my personal statement be different if I’m training to teach primary or secondary?

You should use your personal statement to explain why you feel passionate about teaching a specific age range or subject.

If you’re applying for a primary course with a subject specialism, or you’re particularly interested in certain primary subjects, you can talk about that, too.

If you’re not sure if you want to teach primary or secondary, you can find out more about teaching different age groups .

Do I need school experience?

You do not need school experience to apply for teacher training, but it can help strengthen your personal statement.

Teacher training providers like to see that you have a good understanding of teaching, how the school system works and what your transferable skills are. You need more than just good subject knowledge and school experience can be a great way to get this.

Getting some school experience can also be a good way to make sure teaching is right for you before you apply for a course.

Find out how you could get school experience .

Get help with your personal statement

You can get help with your personal statement from our teacher training advisers . They have years of teaching experience and can give you free, one-to-one support by phone, text, or email.

Advisers can also help you understand more about what teaching is really like, which can help improve your application.

Having a teacher training adviser was really beneficial when editing my personal statement and preparing for interviews. My top tips for the application process would be to get an adviser, and to think about what transferrable skills you have when writing your personal statement and answering interview questions. Felix, former teacher trainee

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Teaching Personal Statement

Submitted by Jordon

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.

Teaching Personal Statement

My ambition is to one day become a teacher . Personally, I have had a hugely positive experience of both primary and secondary education. I am applying for primary education because I feel I have the potential to inspire and encourage children of all abilities to reach their full potential.

My work experience allowed me to experience life in a primary school setting from a teacher's perspective. I enjoyed the way that every day is different and that each child is unique. In addition, I am also applying for a History degree, as this would give the option of studying a P.G.C.E. after completing my undergraduate studies. During my education, I have consistently enjoyed History, especially the early modern era up until the 20th Century, a period that I find fascinating. My favourite aspect of History is researching about my family and local history. On a Wednesday morning during my free periods, I have arranged a work experience placement at a local primary school. This has given me a great insight into the work of primary school teachers, together with the challenges and situations they encounter. I have been able to provide extra support for individual pupils who are underachieving in literacy and numeracy, and encourage them to learn. My interpersonal skills have improved immensely as I have to communicate with children from Primary 1 to Primary 7 with different abilities, religions and cultures. It is both challenging and extremely enjoyable. The most enjoyable aspect for me is helping with small group work and projects with Primary 3 to 7 classes, assisting the pupils in lessons such as Mathematics and English or using ICT as an educational and motivational tool. It is very rewarding as I see pupils who struggled in these areas improve.

As further evidence of my patient and caring nature, I have taken part in the school's Community Care programme in which I visited a residential care home once a week where I conversed with the residents. It was enjoyable to hear about their childhood experiences and the past from their personal points of view. This programme has aided me in being more approachable, confident and trustworthy as I performed songs for residents on guitar, accordion and voice, and read novels and poems to them. In school, I have been an active member of the Eco-School's Committee, holding the position of Chairperson for four years.

Furthermore, as a member of the Omagh Academy History Society I have enjoyed going to debates and lectures from renowned historians such as Senia Paseta, Richard Grayson and Philip Orr. Outside of school, I am a member of Boys' Brigade.

I have recently achieved my President's Award and I am working towards my Queen's Badge. To gain more experience working with children, I help in the Anchor Boy section for boys aged between 4 and 7. It is my responsibility to plan and deliver games, bible verses, bibles stories and drill. I also enjoy music and play a wide range of instruments including the lambeg drum, accordion, guitar and flute. I am currently working towards my Grade 5 on guitar and am heavily involved within the Omagh Community Youth Choir, previously singing with the choir as support act for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers in the SSE Arena, Belfast. From my work placement, I have seen how important it is for primary school teachers to be able to play musical instruments at school concerts and events.I am an enthusiastic member of Fintona Taekwondo Club. It has taught me to be resilient, determined, courteous and self-disciplined. This sport has helped me to maintain physical fitness and I would hope to continue with taekwondo at university as I find it an excellent way to de-stress. Having the long-term goal of becoming a teacher , I believe that I am well suited to this vocation. My positive experiences on work placement and voluntary work with the Anchor Boys section of Boys' Brigade have cemented my decision to apply for my chosen courses.

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Teaching Leadership Personal Statement

Example Teaching Leadership Personal Statement

Like many people who are passionate about their career, I find that I work at my best when faced with a fresh and exciting challenge. Having spent almost twenty years as a primary school teacher, during which time I have held several positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in my current position of Assistant Headteacher, I am highly motivated to take on a position of greater leadership in a school that corresponds to my core teaching values of inclusion, openness and continually striving to improve its pupils’ learning experience.

Since attaining Qualified Teacher Status in 1994, I have been eager throughout my career to be as closely involved with continuing professional development initiatives as possible. In addition to gaining expertise in qualitative analysis of data and overseeing SEN initiatives through the different positions of responsibility that I have held, I also regularly participate in training programmes to develop my skillset. Recently, for example, I completed the Barnet’s Deputy Heads Course, and in the past have attended courses on subject leader and senior management training. Furthermore, in the leadership positions that I have held to date I have placed significant emphasis on encouraging staff to become more closely involved with CPD initiatives.

I have always prided myself on my commitment to teaching excellence, something which is corroborated by the high levels of positive feedback that I have received from assessments of my lessons. I have a very broad range of primary teaching experience. I have been involved in teaching children at all years within the primary range, and in the past have also held co-ordinator positions for numeracy, physical education and Key Stage Two. My lesson delivery is based on a pedagogical philosophy of taking a hands-on and enthusiastic approach to teaching and creating a learning environment that is characterized by empathy, mutual support and, above all, an inclusion of all pupils. Wherever possible I have sought both the feedback and input of colleagues to help to continually improve my own teaching skills, as well as enthusiastically share my own teaching techniques and experiences with my colleagues.

Over the course of my career I have been involved with monitoring pupils’ achievements with a view to improving pupil attainment levels. During my time at Sacred Heart RC Primary School I completed a Foundation Stage Profile on all of the children in my care. Doing so gave me an insight into how the collection of such data can be used to chart pupils’ progress and to set future targets, which in this case were based around the achievement of Early Learning goals. In my current position I have created an assessment tracking system that reflects the changing pupil population of our school. The system has produced highly satisfying results, with the average point progress of our pupils increasing to 3.5 APS.

I have always performed my teaching and leadership duties in a way that has placed emphasis on the latest educational developments. Whilst working as a numeracy co-ordinator, for example, I spearheaded training initiatives to bring my colleagues up to speed on the national numeracy strategy, and was involved in similar training initiatives whilst working as Key Stage 2 co-ordinator. My current role has been very much shaped by responding to the new budgetary demands under which all schools are now operating. This positionalso offered me a unique opportunity to reflect on all aspects of current primary educational needs in the form of the move that our school made in 2009 to a new building. The process of the move gave me a much greater appreciation of the overall impact of learning areas – not just classrooms, but communal and outside areas – on the wellbeing of the school’s children, and it was rewarding to be able to be involved in focusing on these matters with a view to ensuring the new premises offered an optimal learning environment.

Having spent my professional life so far working in primary schools within London, I am acutely sensitive to the need for primary schools to cut across the social and cultural diversity of the city to provide an inclusive educational experience for all pupils. In my classroom I have always sought to foster an open environment that embraces the rich breadth of my pupils’ backgrounds. As an Assistant Headteacher, I have been at the forefront of tracking initiatives that have ensured that the school can respond to the challenges of a changing pupil demographic. Above all, however, I have tried to maintain a positive dialogue with parents with the goal of ensuring that they understand the objectives of the school. This has included giving presentations to parents on matters such as sex education and safeguarding of pupils, this latter topic being within my remit of overseeing child protection at the school.

Seeking to encourage inclusion at my current school has also entailed making the effort to work with groups within the school that require special attention, such as EAL and SEN pupils. For example, I have become increasingly involved with the implementation of pupil progress meetings with the parents of SEN pupils to help focus on pupil attainment, an initiative that over the last three years has delivered excellent results for our SEN pupils. In my current role I have also spent a significant amount of time examining the links between the social background of pupils and their levels of attainment in the classroom, with the goal of ensuring that pupils are not left behind and are offered support when they need it. This is an aspect of school leadership that I think is essential, and I will be firmly committed to developing other such initiatives in my future professional roles.

Through my current role as Assistant Headteacher and in my past co-ordinator positions I have acquired considerable experience in staff leadership and in managing teams of staff. To me it is essential to include staff members in consultation processes and make as much use as possible of their personal insights when leading a team. Having risen through the different grades of responsibility, I am attuned to the expertise of middle-level leaders, and as a consequence I am always eager for middle leaders to be closely involved in initiatives that are aimed at improving the school’s performance. At the heart of my teaching and leadership style is a focus on excellent communication skills. I ensure that in communications with colleagues and parents, whether in spoken or written form, are clear, concise and sensitively written.

I have been involved in leading teams for specific, short-term projects such as school sports days, as well as more complex, longer-term challenges, such as leading preparations for an OFSTED inspection whilst working as acting Deputy Head. My current position at Parkfield Primary School has offered me several opportunities to make use of my leadership skills for the betterment of the school. Amongst other initiatives, I led the school away from the QCA framework and towards a more creative curriculum. This process was made possible through the positive relationships I had forged with colleagues, who were able to assist me in developing a curriculum that met the needs of our diverse community of pupils. More recently I oversaw the introduction of a new behavioural policy at the school, which was drawn up and implemented with the full collaboration of staff and pupils. Because of the close involvement of all stakeholders in this policy, we have found that the new code has been adopted efficiently and enthusiastically, with behavioural standards at the school increasing significantly as a result.

I have also taken a leading role in helping to mentor newly qualified teachers and student teachers, as I believe that a positive mentoring experience can have a crucial impact on the development of new teachers. My approach to date has been based on assessing the individual needs of each trainee, implementing a structured timetable of classroom observations and offering feedback sessions that are open and democratic, in which the students can express their perspectives on the training experience as well as receiving insights from experienced teachers.

Throughout my career I have taken special efforts to gain professional qualitative skills in order to be able to be able to correctly interpret data and therefore make informed management decisions. Whilst working at Sacred Heart, for example, I played a key role in making use of Early Years Foundation Stage data to create attainment profiles for Year 1 students. I have found that developing these data analysis skills has paid off as it has allowed me in my current position to make effective use of pupil data to help develop strategies for pupil inclusion based on the changing profiles of our pupil intake.

For me, the most satisfying aspect of my transition into an increasingly leadership-based role has been the opportunities that it has given me to help my schools become an integral part of their local community. Through being an Assistant Headteacher I have gained an overall appreciation of how, through elements such as its curriculum, its physical environment, its approach to the diverse needs of its pupils and the relations it maintains with parents, a primary school can – and should – provide a nurturing environment, in which pupils from all backgrounds feel included and able to take part in an enriching learning experience, and where local parents can feel confident about sending their children. This overall vision guides my current work, and will continue to do so as I seek new professional challenges.

We hope that this Teaching Leadership Personal Statement will be a good point of reference for those looking for help with writing their own statement.

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Teacher Training Personal Statement Examples

What is a teacher training personal statement?

The teacher training personal statement is your opportunity to let training providers know about your qualities, skills and expertise, and why you want to teach.

While your application form briefly outlines your qualifications, skills and work experience, your teaching personal statement is where your personality shines through.

Take your time with it, be prepared to receive constructive feedback and write a few drafts before you send it off.

How do I write a good teacher training personal statement?

To help you write a successful teacher training personal statement, we recommend you include:

• use examples to back everything up, based on your teaching experience so far
• tailor your personal statement according to the age group you wish to teach
• write using concise English, using first person terms such as 'my' and 'I'
• be original and honest - don't embellish the truth or lie outright
• avoid clichés and general statements, such as 'since a young age' or 'I've always wanted to be a teacher'
• demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for teaching.

You have up to 4,000 characters to write a memorable opening, middle and conclusion.

Don't waste your valuable space on writing about things that are already on your UCAS form elsewhere, such as your qualifications.

What should I include in my teacher training personal statement?

When planning out your personal statement, ask yourself what it is your training providers are looking for. Make sure your statement answers the following questions:

• Why do I want to teach? - show that you know about the challenges and rewards of teaching, and remember that everything has its ups and downs. Maybe talk about any lessons you have observed/taught, what went well and how you would have improved on them. Discuss teaching styles used and the use of technology in the classroom.
• Why do I want to teach this age group/at this level? - what appeals to you, and what experience do you have teaching these students/children?
• What are my strengths? - include the relevance of your degree and subject knowledge.
• What experience do I have? - include any experience you have of volunteering with children, such as teaching a sports team, youth work or working at a summer camp? Give examples of how this helpd develop your teaching skills.
• What personal skills/abilities do I have? - these might include research, creativity, time management, IT skills, problem solving, managing people, organisational skills, listening skills, leading or working in a team. To strengthen your application, make sure you back everything up with examples.
• Are there are any location restrictions? - if you don't currently live in the UK, why do you want to study here? Are you willing to move away from your current home town/city for your degree?

You only have up to 47 lines (4,000 characters including spaces) in which to persuade your chosen initial teacher training (ITT) providers to offer you an interview. The statement must be concise, enthusiastic and sell your potential to be a successful teacher.

For more help and advice on what to write in your teacher training personal statement, please see:

• Personal Statement Editing Services
• Personal Statement Tips From A Teacher
• Analysis Of A Personal Statement
• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
• Personal Statement FAQs
• Personal Statement Timeline
• 10 Top Personal Statement Writing Tips
• What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

What is a teacher training degree?

Teacher training degrees combine the study of curriculum subjects with learning teaching techniques and putting these into practice during hands-on school placements. The course leads to QTS (qualified teacher status) to enable you to teach in a school or college.

How long is a teacher training course?

To teach in England and Wales you need to gain QTS. You will obtain this on an ITT programme, which could be school or university-based and takes approximately one year to complete.

How do I become a teacher with a degree?

To teach as a qualified teacher in England, you'll need qualified teacher status (QTS). If you already have a degree, you can complete a postgraduate teacher training course to achieve this. Additionally, you'll need to have a GCSE at grade C/4 in maths and English, as well as science if you want to teach primary.

Can I train to be a teacher without a degree?

Unfortunately no - you cannot become a teacher without a degree.

But if you are an undergraduate or have a degree in a different subject than what you want to teach, there are options to help you get into a teaching career.

Will I get paid for teacher training?

There are three types of funding available for teacher training - depending on your circumstances, you could receive all three:

• Tax-free bursary or scholarship.
• Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan.
• Extra financial support if you're a parent, have an adult dependant or a disability.

Further information

For more tips and advice on teacher training personal statements, please see:

• GetIntoTeaching
• The Complete University Guide

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School Direct personal statement

Take a look at this secondary English School Direct personal statement to find out how to match your skills, abilities and experience to what is required

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 School Direct personal statement

My experiences working as a tutor in a tuition centre and volunteering in your school have inspired and motivated me to pursue a teaching career. After graduating from the University of England with a first in English with creative writing, I taught GCSE and A-level English in a tuition centre for three fulfilling years. I soon learned to update and differentiate my lesson plans to help improve learning outcomes and adapt to changes made in the curriculum. It helped me to think on my feet if students didn't respond to what I had planned, and I had to alter the focus of the lesson.

Tutoring a range of students including SEN and EAL to top grades at GCSE and A-level, encouraging them to keep focused and interested, can be challenging. The tuition centre had very little technology, so I drew on my problem solving and creative skills to communicate in an engaging way. My role included assisting with their preparation for exams by developing individual comprehensive learning programmes for each pupil and providing consistent practical and pastoral support throughout their educational progress.

Recently, I have been fortunate to participate in and observe lessons with you at Spring Road Academy and have been inspired by the ethos of the whole school. It has been interesting to learn about classroom and behaviour management and reflect on how different teachers handle classroom situations combining a sympathetic and assertive approach. I am learning the effectiveness of non-verbal communication in behaviour management, combined with the power of setting a positive tone from the beginning of a lesson. It is encouraging to see this all coming together to create a productive and successful learning environment for the whole class. I have enjoyed gaining experience of teaching a class, working out which teaching style will be the most effective with each class at the time. I hope to observe more strategies to reflect on and try out in the future.

I am fully aware of the expectations placed upon teachers including the compilation and maintenance of accurate records of student’s achievements. This is something that I was responsible for regarding the pupils I taught at the tuition centre and my supervisor praised my efficiency with these, which in turn made their job easier. The significance of undertaking accurate and timely assessments of all students' work is essential to enable appropriate levels of support to be offered, allowing students to progress effectively. I recognise that excellent time management skills are also an essential part of a teacher's toolkit and I demonstrated these on many occasions during my time working at the tuition centre.

I can see from your school website that you offer your students a range of extra-curricular activities. As a keen fiction writer and blogger, I would be keen to start a creative writing after school club. This would be an excellent opportunity to engage with students outside of formal lessons and hopefully inspire a love of writing within them.

One of the most fulfilling experiences I gained was volunteering this summer for a month in a small rural school in Benin, Africa. I was teaching English and encouraging them to explore learning through creativity, which we were told was unusual for them. Despite the language differences we were able to get to know, teach and hopefully inspire the children. This confirmed my desire to become a teacher.

Alongside A-levels in psychology, fine art and sociology, I studied A-level English language and literature. During this time, I was inspired by my teachers, admiring the skill there is in encouraging a whole class to want to achieve their potential. I discovered a passion for teaching English, a subject I now see many children struggle to become interested in. I would enjoy the achievement of encouraging students to appreciate English, as it is incredibly beneficial in so many ways.

Successfully achieving my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award was one of the highlights of my time at sixth form college. I had to step outside of my comfort zone on many occasions, especially during the expedition section. For the volunteering section I chose to help at the local Oxfam bookshop, which I did for 12 months. This was both fun and rewarding as I got to handle a breadth of literature, both fiction and non-fiction. I find English language fascinating, reading and learning about the subject for my own interest, often thinking about how I can use it with students to give them a broader understanding and make English more real and meaningful.

During my English with creative writing degree I studied many new and fascinating topics but my favourites included the module on children's literature, as this gave me an opportunity to re-read some of my favourite childhood novels including Swallows and Amazons, Little Women and Tom's Midnight Garden, as well as discovering new favourites such as Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. I'm hoping that I can promote a love of discovering old and new texts among the students I teach. I also surprisingly discovered that I enjoyed the poetry module, which resulted in my achieving one of my highest grades. I hadn't previously fully understood how to interpret and understand the meaning behind poems, but this module facilitated my gaining that knowledge. With both poetry and literature from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries being mandatory elements of the secondary national curriculum for English, I am excited about the prospect of extending the student's knowledge of these and hopefully helping them to gain their own lightbulb moments.

You should:

• Visit the school you hope to undertake your training with and tell them why you want to work there.
• Think about your teaching ethos and vision. Refer to issues such as learning and teaching strategies, government policies and back it up with great examples from your classroom experience.
• Give examples of your own classroom management such as behaviour management strategies.
• Describe your knowledge of the subject you are applying to teach.
• Outline relevant content from your degree or training such as subject or age specialism. Tell them about your own learning, this could be seen in your dissertation topic and any classroom-based modules.
• Demonstrate your knowledge of the national curriculum related to the subject you hope to teach.
• Talk about how you've broadened your knowledge for example any outside experience or subject specialisms.
• Explain about any added value you bring through your skills and interests. This is where you can mention youth work, summer camps, volunteering and other work with children.

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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Assistant/Deputy Head job application personal statement and covering letter

Subject: Whole school

Age range: Age not applicable

Resource type: Other

Last updated

10 May 2024

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A meticulously crafted covering letter and personal statement that effectively showcases qualifications and highlights your unique strengths and vision for any Senior Leadership role within education.

These expertly written documents are designed to catch the eye of future employers, demonstrating your readiness to step into any leadership role with confidence and authority. The attached format can be easily adapted to include your personal experience and, whilst I cannot guarantee you the job, these documents will almost certainly secure you an interview. Investing in this package is an investment in your future success. Delighted to say, I have used these materials recently for a successful job application for the position of Deputy Head teacher.

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Exploring the Relationship Between Early Life Exposures and the Comorbidity of Obesity and Hypertension: Findings from the 1970 The British Cohort Study (BCS70)

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Abstract Background: Epidemiological research commonly investigates single exposure-outcome relationships, while childrens experiences across a variety of early lifecourse domains are intersecting. To design realistic interventions, epidemiological research should incorporate information from multiple risk exposure domains to assess effect on health outcomes. In this paper we identify exposures across five pre-hypothesised childhood domains and explored their association to the odds of combined obesity and hypertension in adulthood. Methods: We used data from 17,196 participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study. The outcome was obesity (BMI of over 30) and hypertension (blood pressure>140/90mm Hg or self-reported doctors diagnosis) comorbidity at age 46. Early life domains included: prenatal, antenatal, neonatal and birth, developmental attributes and behaviour, child education and academic ability, socioeconomic factors and parental and family environment. Stepwise backward elimination selected variables for inclusion for each domain. Predicted risk scores of combined obesity and hypertension for each cohort member within each domain were calculated. Logistic regression investigated the association between domain-specific risk scores and odds of obesity-hypertension, controlling for demographic factors and other domains. Results: Adjusting for demographic confounders, all domains were associated with odds of obesity-hypertension. Including all domains in the same model, higher predicted risk values across the five domains remained associated with increased odds of obesity-hypertension comorbidity, with the strongest associations to the parental and family environment domain (OR1.11 95%CI 1.05-1.18) and the socioeconomic factors domain (OR1.11 95%CI 1.05-1.17). Conclusions: Targeted prevention interventions aimed at population groups with shared early-life characteristics could have an impact on obesity-hypertension prevalence which are known risk factors for further morbidity including cardiovascular disease.

Competing Interest Statement

R.O. is a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Committee, member of the NICE Decision Support Unit (DSU), and associate member of the NICE Technical Support Unit (TSU). She has served as a paid consultant to the pharmaceutical industry and international reimbursement agencies, providing unrelated methodological advice. She reports teaching fees from the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). R.H. is a member of the Scientific Board of the Smith Institute for Industrial Mathematics and System Engineering.

Funding Statement

This work is part of the multidisciplinary ecosystem to study lifecourse determinants and prevention of early-onset burdensome multimorbidity (MELD-B) project which is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR203988). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

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:

Ethics approval for this work has been obtained from the University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine Ethics committee (ERGO II Reference 66810).

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

The BCS70 datasets generated and analysed in the current study are available from the UK Data Archive repository (available here: http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?&sitesectionid=795).

http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?&sitesectionid=795

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