How to apply
How to apply
We can help you apply for your place on a Mathematics, Physics or Engineers Teach Physics teacher training course. With three fantastic teacher training options to choose from, follow the steps below to secure your place on our programme.
Check entry requirements
What qualifications do I need to train to teach mathematics or physics?
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in maths, physics or closely related subject – 2:2 or above, and a grade 4/C or above in both mathematics and English language GCSE or equivalent.
Ideally your degree will be in the subject you wish to teach, however, we may accept applicants with degrees in other subjects if they have a strong A level in the subject in which they want to train to teach. These applicants will be required to undertake some subject knowledge enhancement training prior to starting the course.
Can I train to teach mathematics or physics if my qualifications are from outside the UK?
If your qualifications are not from the UK, you will need to obtain a UK ENIC (national information centre for international qualifications and skills) statement of comparability. You can get help from the DfE’s Get Into Teaching service, you can access one-to-one support from one of their advisors. They will provide you with a basic comparison of your qualifications that you can use for your application; once you have submitted your application to DfE Apply, they will pay for the formal certificate.
Safeguarding
The National Mathematics and Physics SCITT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all partnership staff, trainees, external providers, and other stakeholders to share this commitment. All applications will be subject to safeguarding checks during the selection process.
Trainee teacher person specification
Trainee teacher role description
Work pattern and work context Secondary teacher general subjects
Work pattern and work context secondary teacher – sciences, and design and technology
Talk to us
Our dedicated and experienced admin team will support you every step of the way. Please feel free to contact our team on 0114 235 7980 or email enquiries@nmapscitt.org.uk for any advice or complete the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Check your funding options
The fees for our full-time Mathematics Teacher Training, Physics Teacher Training or Engineers Teach Physics Teacher Training courses, which lead to QTS and a PGCE, are £9,790.
In addition, we charge an administration fee to cover your UK-enhanced DBS check, health check and pre-course programme. Anyone who has already paid for a previous UK-enhanced DBS disclosure and signed up to the update service will pay a reduced fee. We will send you further details about the administration fee once you have accepted our offer via DfE apply.
Tuition fee and maintenance loans are available to eligible candidates, and you may also be able to access tax-free bursaries of £29,000 and Scholarships of £31,000.
We advise all applicants to apply to Student Finance England (SFE) as soon as possible, as they will determine what funding you may be eligible for. Our bursaries and scholarships are paid via the Student Loans Company so all trainees must register with SFE even if they do not wish to apply for a loan. Students registered with Student Finance Scotland will need to transfer/link their accounts to Student Finance England. Please note that you can do this before having a confirmed teacher training place with any provider.
Scholarships are available and awarded by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and the Institute of Physics. You should apply directly to the relevant institution for this funding. They also have their own eligibility criteria, which you can find on their websites.
Bursary and scholarship payments are made in 10 monthly instalments over your training year(s), so you may also choose to apply for a tuition fee loan and/or a maintenance loan
Submit your application
To apply for a place on our Mathematics, Physics, or Engineers Teach Physics teacher training courses, you need to apply directly through the Department for Education Apply website.
The easiest way to apply is to
- Create an account on the DfE Apply website.
- Select National Specialist SCITTs as your training provider
- Click on the relevant link below to be taken directly to our training courses:
Your personal statement
You have up to 1,000 words to explain why you want to be a teacher of mathematics or physics.
This is your chance to talk about your motivation to become a teacher, your commitment to education and your potential to train with us.
You should let us know about your level of subject expertise, what skills, and experiences you will bring to your training and how you might contribute to your future school.
Your personal statement is a crucial part of your application – take time to ensure it gives us a good insight to you as a person and as a professional.
Your references
Provide contact details for two references on your form. They will not be contacted until you accept a place on the course:
- If you are a recent graduate, then you will need an academic reference.
- If you already work in a school, you will need a reference from your headteacher.
- If you are a career changer, you will need a reference from your most recent employer.
You can give a character reference, such as from a mentor or someone you know through volunteering, as a second reference. For safeguarding purposes, we can only accept references from verified professional email addresses. We cannot accept references from personal email accountsS
Interview preparation
The interview process is designed to match the best candidates appropriately to the places available. The process is led by the NMAP SCITT team and has two stages.
The first stage consists of:
- A 30 minute online subject knowledge task.
- A 30 minute online written communication task.
The second stage consists of:
- A 10 minute teaching activity to establish your ability to engage and communicate with young people.
- A 45 minute formal interview to determine your potential to train to teach. The interview will assess your resilience, time-management, and organisational skills.
The interview is a two-way process, an opportunity for us and find out more about you and for you to find out about us.
Trainees who are successful at interview will receive a conditional offer of a place. Conditions will include satisfactory references, verification of your qualifications, a criminal record check (DBS) and an online occupational health assessment. Further conditions, such as Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) training, may be discussed at interview as appropriate.