When applying for School Direct places with the Richmond Primary Teaching School Alliance ensure that you take every opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with the realities of teaching, as well as your enthusiasm for using your creative and intellectual skills in the classroom.
You can do this by including examples of any experience you have of working with young people – perhaps as a classroom assistant, or youth worker, or as a volunteer in a school. If you don’t have such experience, it is essential that you get some (minimum of two weeks in a Primary school that teaches the National Curriculum) before deciding to become a teacher.

You might also complete your application on the UCAS system in such a way as to:

• emphasise the relevance of your previous work and/or studies for the course(s) you’re applying for
• provide evidence of your social and communication skills
• organise your information so that it is clear and easily accessible for the reader

Ahead of completing your Personal Statement you may wish to familiarise yourself with the schools within the RPTSA Alliance by looking through our individual school websites and obtaining any official literature.  Please see the RPTSA website for the information about our alliance members (needs a hyperlink to RPTSA)
Follow these simple guidelines and you should put yourself in a good position to be invited to attend an interview with the Richmond Primary Teaching School Alliance, where you’ll be able to build substantially on the evidence you provide on your form. Richmond Primary Teaching School Alliance wishes you every success with your application.
Candidate requirements (essential):

• A 2:2 honours degree in any subject (minimum)
• A minimum of five GCSE (A–C) including English Language, Mathematics and Science.
• A minimum of two weeks primary experience prior to application