We wanted to find out what users look for in personal statements, including whether it varies between primary and secondary courses.
Who we researched with
We carried out 5 research sessions with school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) providers.
What we found
We found that:
- users look for different things in personal statements at different stages of the application process
- subject knowledge is only a minor consideration for primary applications
What users look for in the personal statement
When they receive an application, providers typically check that the candidate has:
- shown basic literacy skills
- written enough
- expressed themselves adequately
- put care into what they’ve written
They may reject the application if it does not meet these standards. Some providers describe this as ‘sifting’ applications.
When choosing which candidates to invite for interview (‘shortlisting’), providers look at different things for applications to primary and secondary courses.
For primary courses, providers check:
- that the candidate shows a desire to teach at primary level and work with young children
- what relevant skills the candidate has
For secondary courses, providers check the candidate’s subject knowledge.
When they interview candidates, providers use the personal statement for both primary and secondary courses to:
- come up with questions
- demonstrate to candidates that they’ve read their application
The subject knowledge section
Participants said that the subject knowledge section of the personal statement is most useful for secondary courses. Having a separate section encourages candidates to provide information which they may not have given otherwise.
For primary courses, participants said that this section should contain experience that could be applied to teaching at primary level. The name of the section could be clearer, for example “What do you know about primary education?”