Interview preparation for Secondary teacher training

Thank you for your interest in training to teach with Sussex – we look forward to meeting you. Explore our helpful information to prepare you for your online or in-person interview.

Documents and certificates

If you accept a teacher training place with us we will need to see the following documents and certificates before you start. If you are attending a face-to-face interview, you must bring these documents with you.

• GCSE Maths certificate (Grades A-C or 4-9) or equivalent
• GCSE English (Grades A-C or 4-9) or equivalent
• undergraduate degree certificate 2:2 or above or equivalent
• current photo ID (passport or drivers licence)
• if English is not your first language we will require IELTS level 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each section.

If you are attending an online interview, or if you do not yet have all the documents needed, you can post them to us (using recorded delivery) or present your original documents in person between 9am and 4pm to following address:

PGCE Admissions
EH04 Essex House
University of Sussex
Falmer
East Sussex
BN1 9QQ

Be sure to include a return address if you are posting any documents, so that we can send them back to you.

If your qualifications are from a country other than the UK, we can check the UK NARIC equivalency database on your behalf.

If you have mislaid certificates, try to locate them or order replacements with the relevant university or exam board. This takes time, so you should start this process as soon as possible. There are often charges associated with replacement certificates.

We are unable to fully register candidates on a teacher training programme without proof of national entry requirements.

Preparing for your interview

It’s important to research and reflect upon the reasons why you want to become a teacher. You might want to revisit our advice and information on the application process, including previous school experience, Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses and information on references. 

Please complete a suitability to teach form prior to your interview, you can find this here.

During your interview you will be asked to deliver a short teaching task or presentation. In order to prepare, see the relevant task information below for your subject.

• Art and Design

  The National Curriculum for Art and Design states as one of its aims to ensure that all pupils ‘know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms’. You will deliver a short presentation (limited to no more than five minutes) on a lesson you might teach introducing a particular artist, craft maker or designer of your choice to yr9 pupils (age 13-14). Use the artist, craft maker or designer to illustrate the strength of your subject knowledge and your ability to deliver an engaging and informative introductory lesson. There should be an element of challenge to the presentation and consider how you might ensure that your audience knows more about the particular artist, craft maker or designer by the end of the lesson. Include any activities you would like the students to do and feel free to use objects and artefacts to support the presentation.

  You should also bring with you a portfolio showing the range of your own art practice.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any questions you can contact Sally Dudley: s.e.dudley@sussex.ac.uk.

• Business Studies

  For the interview task you are asked to deliver a short presentation (limited to no more than five minutes) on the application of the marketing mix for a chosen company which would be aimed at a KS4 class.

  You are advised to ensure your presentation engages your audience and demonstrates security in your own theoretical understanding. You should pitch the level of language and challenge for pupils aged between 14 and 16 and aim to ensure that your audience knows more about the chosen topic by the end of your presentation.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the tasks, contact Sally Dudly s.e.dudley@sussex.ac.uk and Clare Stenning C.L.Stenning@sussex.ac.uk

• Computing

  For the interview, you need to deliver a presentation (around 5 minutes) that introduces the topic of peer-to-peer and client-server network models to a mixed ability class.

  The presentation should introduce peer-to-peer and client-server networks, highlight a few similarities and differences between these models, and include one or two real-world examples. You can assume that the pupils already have a basic understanding of computer networks.

  You may choose to create presentation slides to deliver the topic introduction to the interview panel. You should pitch the language and content for pupils aged between 14 and 16 on a GCSE Computer Science course. The presentation should engage your audience and demonstrate security in your own subject knowledge.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the interview, contact Abha Aggarwal: aa3054@sussex.ac.uk

• Computing and Business Studies

  Computing task

  For the interview, you need to deliver a presentation (around 5 minutes) that introduces the topic of malware to a mixed ability class. The presentation should introduce at least two types of malware, highlight similarities and differences between them, and introduce some relevant security measures.

  You may choose to create presentation slides to deliver the topic introduction to the interview panel. You should pitch the language and content for pupils aged between 11 and 14. The presentation should engage your audience and demonstrate security in your own subject knowledge.

  Business task

  For the interview task you are asked to deliver a short presentation (around 5 minutes) on the application of the marketing mix for a chosen company which would be aimed at a KS4 class. You are advised to ensure your presentation engages your audience and demonstrates security in your own theoretical understanding. You should pitch the level of language and challenge for pupils aged between 14 and 16 and aim to ensure that your audience knows more about the chosen topic by the end of your presentation.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the interview, contact Abha Aggarwal: aa3054@sussex.ac.uk

• Design Technology

  You will deliver a five-minute presentation based an idea, a design, an issue, an individual or a movement that inspires your decision to go into teaching.

  This can be delivered as a presentation or in the form of a mini lesson style which include a task to be set to the interviewers.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the tasks, contact Mark Norris: M.Norris@sussex.ac.uk.

• Drama

  For the interview, you need to prepare a 10 minute section of a lesson that must focus on how you might teach one of the following:

  • a theatre practitioner for either KS3 or KS4
  • a play text which can be one of your choosing for KS3 or a GCSE set text for KS4
  • an element of world theatre such as Japanese Noh theatre, Kabuki or Sanskrit drama - you need to be clear about which Key Stage or year group you would teach this to
  • an aspect of theatre history such as Roman or Medieval Theatre - you need to be clear about which Key Stage or year group you would teach this to.

  The 10 minute lesson can be from the starter or the main section of your lesson, but you must have a clear learning objective.

  You should ensure that you have looked at least one GCSE Drama specification prior to interview and that you send your lesson plan, PowerPoint or other resources to your interviewer at least 24 hours prior to your interview.

  If you have any queries about the interview, contact PGCE Drama Tutor Karen Hall: k.f.hall@sussex.ac.uk 
  

• English

  For the interview task, you will deliver a short presentation (limited to no more than five minutes) on a particular poem. You will be expected to use this poem to illustrate the strength of your knowledge of ‘reading’ relating to the 2014 National Curriculum for Key Stage 4 English. 

  You should choose the poem based on the requirements in this document. You are advised to ensure your presentation engages your audience and demonstrates security in your own literary understanding. You should pitch the level of language and challenge for pupils aged between 14 and 16 and aim to ensure that your audience knows more about the chosen poem by the end of your presentation. Email a copy of, or a link to, the poem, any resources to support the presentation and any queries about the task, to the Lead English Tutor: Sue Pinnick – S.A.J.Pinnick@sussex.ac.uk.

  We would also like to hear you read the poem to us, but this won’t be included in your five minutes. The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the interview, contact PGCE Lead English Tutor: Sue Pinnick – S.A.J.Pinnick@sussex.ac.uk.

• Geography

  At the beginning of your interview you are asked to deliver a short presentation (limited to no more than five minutes) on any aspect of the National Curriculum for Key Stage 3 Geography. This may focus on a specific place or may relate to a geographic pattern or process. You do not have to, but you may wish to share your screen for part of your presentation. However, you may wish to use an artefact, prop, poster or hand-out. You are advised to ensure your presentation engages your audience and demonstrates security in your own geographical understanding. You should pitch the level of language and challenge for pupils aged between 11 and 14 and aim to ensure that your audience knows more about the chosen topic by the end of your presentation.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the interview, contact the tutor: Andrew Lowe – al621@sussex.ac.uk.

• History

  Drawing inspiration from a single historical artefact or image. You will be expected to use this stimulus material to illustrate the strength of your historical knowledge in an area which relates to the National Curriculum for Key Stage 3 History or in the case of the Classics with History PGCE, an appropriate GCSE specification.

  Previous candidates have used a variety of artefacts or images including: a fragment from the Berlin Wall, an A3 photocopy of a political cartoon, a photograph of a medieval stained glass window or an archaeological diagram.

  How you use the image or artefact is flexible but you are advised to ensure your presentation engages your audience with potential questions and demonstrates security in your own historical understanding. You should pitch the level of language and challenge for pupils aged 14 and aim to ensure that your audience knows more about the chosen topic by the end of your presentation. Your presentation should be five minutes long.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any queries about the interview, contact the tutor Richard McFahn: R.Mcfahn@sussex.ac.uk.

• Mathematics

  Using a household object, artifact, or prop and clear links to the National Curriculum.  You will have five minutes to tell us about an activity that you believe will engage a group of year 7 pupils and get them interested in the mathematics around us.  

  The household object should be the focus of your discussion and you will need to explain how you would use your object in the teaching of your chosen mathematical topic.
  
  

  Be prepared to justify the choices you have made during your preparations. You should have your object, and any other resources you may wish to share ready and available at your interview.
  The whole interview will last about an hour with plenty of opportunities for you to ask questions.

  If you have any queries about the tasks or interview process, please contact the PGCE tutor who invited you to interview: James Bashford - J.R.Bashford@sussex.ac.uk or Karen Gladwin – k.a.gladwin@sussex.ac.uk

  .

• Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

  For the interview you are asked to teach a specific grammar point of your choice in a short lesson of approximately 10 minutes in your main teaching language.

  Previous candidates have presented on topics such as teaching genders, adjective endings, tenses and comparatives. However these are only examples and you are welcome to present on any grammar point of your choice. You should pitch the level of language and challenge at pupils aged between 11 and 14 and you should consider how much you use target language in your explanations and activities. You should also aim to ensure that you understand why English-speaking students might find the grammatical concept you are introducing challenging or equally easy to understand and apply.

  How you teach the grammar point is flexible, but you are advised to ensure your presentation engages your audience and demonstrates your own competence in the language. For the purposes of the interview, imagine that the interviewer(s) is a student (or two) aged 11-14. You will be asked to reflect on your lesson – aspects that went well and areas you’d like to develop and improve.

  During the interview, in addition to the teaching task, we will be assessing your subject knowledge in your second foreign language to judge whether you would need further support in developing this prior to starting a PGCE course.

  Prior to the interview, ensure that you know how to access ‘Zoom’ and how to share your screen effectively.

  We understand that this teaching environment is different to the physical classroom, but you should plan effectively to teach remotely on this occasion. Most candidates choose to use PowerPoint for this purpose.

  If the tutor is not yet ready for you you should remain in the waiting room until they are able to begin the interview.

  The interview should last no longer than 40 minutes.

  If you have any queries about the task, contact ITE MFL Tutor Francesca Knight – F.Knight@sussex.ac.uk.

• Music

  Performance Task: You are required to perform a short piece (up to five minutes long) on your first study instrument. We have a piano in the interview room, but no other instruments. Please come prepared with your instrument and music.

  Song task: You will need to select and prepare a suitable song for pupils in Year 8 to sing. You will be asked to teach the song to the panel (who will take on the role of the pupils), for around five minutes. Email a copy of the words before your interview.

  The whole interview will last up to 40 minutes and there will be time for you to ask questions at the end.

  If you have any questions, contact the tutor Stella Knight: sk772@sussex.ac.uk.

• Psychology

  For the interview task, you are asked to facilitate the delivery of two of the psychological perspectives in a five-10 minute teaching and learning activity, one of which should be the Biological and the other a perspective of your choice. You should pitch the level of language and challenge for pupils aged 14-16.

  If you have any questions you can contact the tutor Elis Forbes-Turner – E.Forbes-Turner@sussex.ac.uk.

• Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics)

  Before interview you will need to complete the Subject Knowledge Audit which has been sent by email.

  During the interview you will be expected to carry out a subject knowledge task (exam style questions).

  You should prepare a teaching task that will be presented to the interviewer and last no more than five minutes.

  For this you will need to think about how you would plan an hour-long lesson for a year 7 group of pupils who we want to engage in Science in their first few weeks in school.

  Your brief is to think about a lesson that will excite the pupils and get them interested in Science. It should be based on a facet of the Science curriculum that you are interested in and be engaging to the pupils. Be prepared to justify your choice of lesson and activities in it. We are looking for originality and creativity.

  In the five minutes you will guide us through the lesson and explain what you will be doing and what the pupils will be doing during the lesson. Presume that the lesson is one hour long. You may show props/carry out a small experiment during the presentation should you wish. You should email the lesson plan to the interviewer prior to the interview as well as any PowerPoint presentation you may decide to use.

  The whole interview will last around 90mins, including the subject knowledge task, but you should allow up to 120mins.

  If you have an queries about the task, contact ITE Science Curriculum Tutor, Susie d'Espagnac - S.J.D-Espagnac@sussex.ac.uk

Other things to know about your interview

Read further information and advice related to your interview. 

Arrangements for online interviews

The Zoom link for the interview was shared with you in the email from the tutor arranging a date.

If you are not familiar with using Zoom we suggest you familiarise yourself with it first.

The tutor may be interviewing someone before you so do just sit in the wait room to be admitted to the zoom meeting.

We recommend that your personal appearance is smart and professional, as appropriate for the demands and requirements of the role as a teacher.

Have your form of current Photo ID handy as interview panel will ask to see this on camera.

Arrangements for campus interviews

For face-to-face interviews, go to Essex House on our campus. Reception opens from 8.30am on interview days.

We recommend that your personal appearance is smart and professional, as appropriate for the demands and requirements of the role as a teacher.

The University operates a car registration plate recognition system for parking payable on the paybyphone app. If you wish to come by car to your interview your tutor can request free parking for you, if you give them your registration number at least 48 hours in advance of the day (If your interview is on a Monday, please email by Thursday the prior week). If you forget to send your number unfortunately you’ll need to pay the visitors charge of £7.

Find our campus and get and transport information.

We are unable to reimburse any interview expenses.

School Choice PGCE (SCPGCE) and Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA)

School Choice PGCE and Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA) applications are considered by the University and the School jointly with the University of Sussex interview taking place first. We will share feedback from the interview with the Lead Partner School or College for the partnership you applied with. You will then be contacted about a further interview in school. School interviews will usually involve you teaching a class or small group of students in addition to an individual interview.

Cancelling or rescheduling interviews

It is essential that you email the subject tutor directly if you cannot attend your chosen date, or need to reschedule, as staffing arrangements will have been made.

If you have any other queries contact iteadmissions@sussex.ac.uk for general questions and the subject tutor only for questions about the interview day task.