The most important quality that all trainee teachers on our course possess is a passion for Physical Education and sharing their passion with young people. Many graduates who consider teaching PE hold a 2:2 degree or higher in a sport / fitness related subject, such as Sports Science or Coaching.

It is likely that you can show evidence of your enthusiasm for sport through performing yourself to a reasonably high level in several sports. You might also have experience of coaching young people.

Experience working with young people is always particularly beneficial, particularly experience in a UK comprehensive school observing and participating in a range of lessons, including your own subject. Being able to reflect upon recent classroom observations often strengthens interview discussions. If you have been out of the classroom for a few years, having one or two days’ of school observation prior to interviews might help boost your confidence.

The course examines the concepts of competence, performance, creativity and healthy active lifestyles, as well as the skills of Physical Education, through the six study areas of:

• athletic activities
• dance
• games
• gymnastic activities
• outdoor and adventure activities
• swimming

The course will also explore the following issues from a subject-specific perspective:

• A wide range of practical activities
• Lesson planning and sequences of lessons
• Meeting the needs of all pupils in the classroom
• Teaching and learning strategies and resources
• Techniques to support monitoring, assessing, recording and reporting pupil progress
• Promoting good behaviour and a positive climate for learning

What were you doing before you went into teaching?

I played professional rugby and also coached national league rugby. I also studied a BSc (Hons) Sports performance and coaching at Truro College while I was working.

Why did you decide teaching was for you at that time?

As a professional sportsman a key responsibility was working within schools coaching and running intervention programs. I really enjoyed this part of my job and I found it very rewarding

How did you find your teacher training year?

I found the teacher training year challenging in terms of the work load of teaching in conjunction with assignment writing for the PGCE element of the course. The support and guidance I received from my mentor really helped me. I learned so much in my training year and overall a positive experience.

How did you find settling into your first job?

I found the start of my first job challenging in terms of getting to know the procedures and how the school/department works. I found that my experience during the training year prepared me well for this.

I studied Sport & Exercise Science with Drama & Theatre Studies at Chester University. During this time I spent a summer working at an American summer camp. After university I went travelling around the world. Upon my return I decided to get a job as a teaching assistant in a secondary school; I had thoroughly enjoyed working with young adults at camp and wanted to see if I enjoyed it as much in a school setting. I then got a job as a cover supervisor to experience leading lessons and to gain experience in a PE department. I was given my own extra-curricular clubs to run and teams to be responsible for. I was also given a year 10 core PE group. I really enjoyed my role as cover supervisor and knew I wanted to pursue a career in teaching. I had always been extremely passionate about sport, playing numerous sports at county and regional level. I wanted to pass on the enthusiasm and knowledge I had gained over the years and help give secondary school pupils a positive experience of Physical Education.

I contacted the subject leader for the Physical Education SCITT course and after hearing how practical the course was, and I knew that this was going to be the right route for me.

My training year was challenging, as I expected it would be, but my mentors helped guide me with lesson ideas and gave me constructive feedback which enabled me to develop week by week. I think SCITT training is brilliant as you learn on the job. Being in school from day one means you can begin to build those important professional relationships with the pupils straight away. I was always encouraged to observe as many different teachers as possible, which definitely helped with behaviour management and assessment for learning ideas. My subject leader was very supportive and always available if I needed some advice or interview practise.

I was lucky enough to get a job at one of my placement schools. This made settling in quite easy as I already knew a lot of the pupils and the department I was joining. The reduced NQT timetable gives you extra time for planning and marking which is really helpful. My professional tutor met with me regularly and gave me support whenever I required it.

I completed my ECT year last year and so am just starting my second year of teaching and I still love it. The job is everything I hoped it would be. The hours are long, especially once you have done extra-curricular clubs after a day of teaching, but it is so rewarding. Seeing pupils make progress and knowing you played a part in that is a great feeling.