Guidance Notes on Completing the Ao Application Form

GUIDANCE NOTES ON COMPLETING THE AO APPLICATION FORM

Please read this guidance before completing your application form for the Assessment Only programme.

Notes within the application form are reminders.

General Information

The core criteria for acceptance onto theAssessment Only Programme are:

You have not previously failed a QTS programme.
You hold GCSE Grade C or above in Mathematics and English, plus Science if you are applying for Primary.
You hold a quality Degree 2:2 or above, and in a relevant subject if you intend to teach a Secondary subject.
You have demonstrable and extensive teaching experience, working with children/young people in a classroom environment across the appropriate age and ability range.
You are currently employed as an unqualified teacher and, as such, have undergone suitability for teaching checks.
You can demonstrate meeting all the standards for QTS by evidence without the need for further training.
You have p[assed the professional skills tests
You have taught in at least two schools.

If your application does not satisfy any of the above criteria, your application will not progress.

Please remember to keep a copy of your application form.

Complete all relevant parts of the form. Your application will be assessed based on the information provided. We cannot assess missing information!

Only include extra pages where requested. Do not include original certificates with your application, only copies. Do not include a CV or any other non-requested material.

Complete your application professionally. How your application form looks reflects on how you are likely to perform on the programme.

Please do not staple your application or additional sheets. Staples only have to be removed for copying.

Complete all sections. Do not assume that the reader will assume anything. Provide full details in each area.

The shaded area at the end of each section is where your application is assessed. Please do not write in these areas.

The checklist at the end of this guidance is provided to ensure that you submit a successful application.

Part A – Personal Details

Please provide all information requested.

It is a requirement that identity of applicants is confirmed. Please include all of your forenames. Your name should correspond with the name on your application and on your certificates. If there is a difference, please enclose explanatory evidence.

You will be contacted by letter or telephone should your application be successful. An email address is useful in case we need to contact you at short notice. A telephone call will be used to arrange the Initial Assessment visit.

You must complete your National Insurance number, and it must be a regulation UK number. This demonstrates your eligibility to work in the UK. We cannot accept an application if you do not supply your National Insurance number.

If you have a disability, please include information.

Part B – Employment Rights

Legislation was introduced in May, 2004 by the Home Office to prevent illegal working. Everyone seeking employment must demonstrate their eligibility to be employed within the UK.

To comply with the legislation you must provide photocopies of the required documentation. You musthave your original documents available for the Initial Assessment visit. Do not send original documents with your application.

Either provide: one document from List A; Document A plus one other document from List 2 First Combination; or Document A plus one other document from List 2 SecondCombination. Please indicate which documents you are submitting.If you do not supply the required documentation your application will not be considered. It is not the responsibility of the Consortium to secure work permits. If required, this should be held by your employing school

Part C – Previous QTS

If you have previously failed a Qualified Teacher Status programme, you are not allowed to participate in another programme.

If you have withdrawn from a QTS programme due to exceptional circumstances e.g. pregnancy or illness, please provide full details and supporting evidence. Your previous provider will be contacted.

Part D – Teaching Programme

All candidates must meet the Teachers' Standards across two or more consecutive age ranges.

For the Assessment Only programme we require 2 consecutive age ranges. Please select one group only.

If you are teaching a Secondary subject, please be sure to include your subject area. (One only)
If you intend to teach a Science subject, please state which area.

To meet the Teachers' Standards you must demonstrate degree-level subject knowledge in your subject. Therefore, your chosen subject should be the main component of your degree. If this is not the case then you will need to include with your application substantial evidence of how your degree relates to the subject that you intend to teach. (see Part E4)

One qualification for entry onto the Assessment Only programme is that you have passed the professional skills tests. To do this you will have needed to register with the Teaching Agency and obtained a Teacher Reference Number (TRN). Please provide your TRN and the dates you passed the professional skills tests. Documentary evidence will be required.

Part E – Education and Qualifications

Section E1 – GCSE or equivalent qualifications

It is a statutory requirement for all entrants intoteaching to have English and Maths GCSE Grade C or better, or equivalent.

If you are applying to become a Primary teacher, you also need GCSE Grade C or better in Science.

Even if you are applying for Secondary you should still provide details of the level of your GCSE Science qualification.

A list of recognised equivalent qualifications can be found on the TA website.

Please note that Level 2 Literacy and Level 2 Numeracy are not accepted as equivalent qualifications.

If you do not have a GCSE or recognised equivalent, you must:

Obtain some form of certification that the qualifications that you hold are equivalent to GCSE Grade C or better in English,Mathematics and Science, or
Enrol on a GCSE programme, or
Take an equivalency course, or
Take an equivalency test.

Your application will not be accepted if you do not fill this basic criterion.

Only equivalency tests delivered by recognised University Initial Teacher Training providers will be accepted. These are usually referred to as AEFIT (Alternative English for Intended Teachers), AMFIT (Alternative Mathematics for Intended Teachers) and ASFIT (Alternative Science for Intended Teachers) Details of equivalency tests provided by Liverpool John Moores University can be found on our website.

If you obtained your GCSE equivalent qualification outside of the UK, you will need to contact UK NARIC and obtain an equivalency statement. Send a copy of this certificate with your application, and bring the original to interview.

You must provide proof of all your qualifications at interview. If you do not have your certificates, you must obtain duplicates from the appropriate Awarding Body. If you cannot provide proof, you will not be accepted onto the programme. This applies to all qualifications.Please send copies of all your qualifications with your application. Without copies, your qualifications cannot be checked, so you will not be selected for interview.

Section E2 – Other GCSE O-level and A-level Qualifications

Use this Section to record all of your qualifications up to A-level. Your overall level of qualifications is taken into consideration when considering your suitability for the programme.

Section E3 – Primary Subject Knowledge

Primary teachers need to demonstrate a range of knowledge in a variety of subjects.

Please indicate in this area if you have a qualification in the particular subject (this will be shown in the other areas of this Section) and/or indicate your depth of knowledge and experience in all of the subjects.

If you cannot demonstrate a wide spread of subject knowledge it is unlikely that your application will be successful.

Section E3 – Primary Subject Knowledge

Secondary teachers need to demonstrate a depth of knowledge in their subject, be able to demonstrate that they have developed their subject knowledge since the University degree and continue to develop their knowledge. If your degree is not directly in the subject you are teaching, please supply additional information. (See E4)

Section E4 – Higher Education

Please include details of all of your Higher Educational qualifications.

If you hold more than one qualification, the page should be copied.

It is a legal requirement for all entrants into teaching to hold a first (i.e. undergraduate) degree.

Please note that the Consortium require a good quality Degree at 2:2 or above. A lower level pass must be accompanied by a higher or second degree.If your Degree is not an Honours Degree with a 2:2 classificationit is likely that your application will not be successful. Please also note that an HND is not equivalent to anhonours degree.

Degrees obtained outside of the UK must be supported by a statement from UK NARIC giving the equivalency. If the statement states that the Degree is equivalent to a British Ordinary Degree, then the Ordinary Degree pass must be accompanied by a higher or second degree.

Remember to include all degrees, including Masters, Doctorates, etc. Duplicate and complete Section D3 as many times as you need.

Please send copies of all your qualifications with your application.

Secondary Teachers will need to demonstrate that their Degree is relevant to the subject that they intend to teach, and a substantial amount of their Degree is in this subject. If your degree is not in the subject that you intend to teach, then you will also need to provide substantial evidence of the level of your subject knowledge. This should include:

i.A detailed analysis of a transcript of your degree alongside the requirements of the National Curriculum

ii.A testimonial from an internal source, usually school Head of Department, commenting on the level of your subject knowledge based on teaching observations.

iii.A testimonial for an external subject expert, possibly a local authority expert, commenting on the level of your subject knowledge based on teaching observations.

If you are unable to convince a selection panel as to the relevance and level of your subject knowledge they will be unable to ascertain if you can meet the QTS standards, so your application will not be successful.

Part F – Personal Statement

Use this section to provide information in support of your application.

Your Personal Statement is the first step in the construction of the Reflective Statements in your Portfolio, and should give a good overview of your experience as a teacher.

Your Personal Statement is not considered when assessing your basic eligibility for the programme, so if you mention something in this section it should be corroborated in other areas. (e.g. qualifications, experience)

It is requested that your Personal Statement is no more than 500 words so that it can be read by a team of assessors.

SectionG1 – Teaching Experience

Please provide details of your teaching experience, times when you were responsible for teaching.

To qualify for the Assessment Only route, you will have substantial teaching experience within at least two schools. Please note that you must have taught in at least 2 schools.

Copy and complete this section for each school.

Section G2 –Experience in an Educational Setting

This Section should be completed with details of your other classroom experience, times when you were involved in or supporting teaching.

This will provide additional evidence to your experience, but will not be considered as replacing actual teaching experience.

Section G3 – Employment History

You should list all of your employment history since leaving school. Please identify and explain any gaps.

Part H - References

One of the references should be your current employer. The other referencecould be the Headteacher of another school that knows you or anyone else that can provide a suitable reference.

Referees will be asked to comment on your academic, professional and personal qualities, and your suitability as an entrant into the teaching profession.

Referees will be approached once your application has been approved.

Any delay by your referee will affect the speed of your acceptance onto the programme, so please make sure that your referees are willing to act in that capacity.

If you do not provide full contact details of referees, then your application will not be successful.

Part I – Employing School

Applicants should use this section to include details of their current employing school.

Your school Headteacher and Chair of Governors also need to complete the School Certification (Form 089) and this should be submitted with your application.

Part J – Declaration

Providing false information will disqualify your application, no matter when the false information is uncovered. If this is after you have been accepted onto the programme, you will be removed and will have no right of appeal.

Either manually signing the form or sending it electronically represents a legally binding declaration that all of the information you have supplied is comprehensive and correct, and no omissions have been made.

Submission

Your application may be submitted by post, using the correct postage, or by e-mail to . If you submit your application electronically, an electronic receipt will be sent.

You must supply copies of all identification documentation and qualifications, including evidence of your professional skills tests. Originals must be shown to the Initial Assessor.

An electronic copy of form 089, School Certification, may also be sent electronically, but the original must be handed to the Initial Assessor, if not sent to the Consortium in advance.

Payment

Payment of the appropriate fee (see form 094, Entry Requirements) should be made by cheque payable to ‘ MC & GM TT Consortium' and sent with your postal application or as soon as possible after submission of your electronic application. Please make sure you include your name and address.

Payment may also be made by bank transfer. Please send an e-mail requesting details to . Please use your surname and initials as a reference.

If you are unsure of the appropriate fee because of the distance of your school from the Consortium's office, please submit an e-mail with the name and address of your school, with a request for the correct fee level.

APPLICATION CHECK LIST

This list is provided to ensure that you complete the form correctly, provide all of the required information, and gain an interview. It is likely that if there is an area that you cannot tick, then you may not be invited to interview. Please do not send this form with your application.


1. / You have read the Application Form and Guidance Notes. You understand what you are applying for.
2. / You have completed Part A with your personal details.
3. / You have included copy(s) of the required documents for Part B and indicated what you are including.
4. / You have included details of any previous QTS programmes in Part C, and copiesof supporting evidence.
5. / You have selected an appropriate Teaching Programme in Part D.
6. / If you are a Secondary candidate, you have stated your subject area. (This must be relevant to your degree subject)
7. / You have included details of the statutory GCSE qualifications in Part E1.
8. / Where your GCSEs are equivalent (e.g. not UK) you have included appropriate evidence of their equivalency. (It is your duty to prove equivalency)
9. / You have included copies of your certificates.
10. / You have included details of all other GCSE O and A Level qualifications in Part E2.
11. / If you are a Primary candidate, you have completed all areas of Part E3.
12. / If you are a Secondary candidate, you have completed both areas of Part E3.
13. / You have included full details of all of your Higher Education qualifications in Part E4.
14. / Where your degree is equivalent (e.g. not UK) you have included appropriate evidence of its equivalency. (It is your duty to prove equivalency)
15. / You have included copies of your certificates.
16. / You have provided a Personal Statement in Part F, stating clearly why you should be considered for this programme.
17. / You have fully completed details of all of your teaching experiences, paid or voluntary, within Part G1, demonstrating teaching in at least 2 schools.
18. / You have included all of your other relevant educational experience in Part G2.
19. / You have included your complete career history in Part G3.
20. / You have provided contact details of two referees within Part H.
21. / You have provided contact details of your employing school in Part I.
22. / Your Headteacher and Chair of Governors have signed Form089, and this is included with your application.
23. / You have signed the declaration Part J.
24. / You have taken a copy of the application form for your records.
25. / You have re-examined the form to ensure that it is professionally presented.
26. / You have correctly addressed a suitable envelope, and ensured that the correct postage is on the envelope, or you have prepared your application to send electronically.
27. / You have posted / transferred the appropriate fee.

This may look like an idiot’s guide, but you would be surprised how many hopefuls do not succeed because they did not follow this!