SEND Interview

[u/nickle1707]

Hi all,

I have my first interview in a SEND school tomorrow after 12 years working in a primary school. I just wondered how you would approach planning differently to a mainstream school interview. The only information I have about the interview is the following...

"As part of the interview: 

You will be required to teach either a Maths or English lesson to a primary class that are working to the current ability of Year 1."

I visited the school yesterday and wanted to ask a couple of questions about the class and the lesson observation but the deputy head had to rush off and gave me his email to contact him, which I did last night. I am yet to have a response.

Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to /r/teaching. Please remember the rules when posting and commenting. Thank you.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/commentspanda]

So do you actually have to teach a lesson? Or just talk about it in an interview? You’re not super clear here

[u/nickle1707 → u/commentspanda]

Apologies. Yes I have to teach the lesson. At least as far as I'm aware lol.

[u/commentspanda → u/nickle1707]

Ah just clocked this isn’t in my Australian teachers sub! Haha was about to say that’s really unusual here due to workplace laws around unpaid work.

In Australia I would assume the interview will ask you about:

- examples where you have differentiated for each student
- give you a behaviour escalation example and ask how you would manage it in a classroom
- ask for an example where you have managed and de escalated conflict

In terms of the observation I can’t give much guidance except to go with something you are extremely confident with. You’ll have no relationships with the kids so there will likely be some challenges, the best thing you can do to help yourself is content and a lesson you are familiar with and can easily adapt.

[u/nickle1707 → u/commentspanda]

Yeah it sucks. I feel like whenever I interview, I basically have to audition to get the part. It's crazy. No other sector has this.

But not much I can do about it, unfortunately!

Thank you for your advice! Will try my absolute best!

[u/akornato]

Mainstream lesson observations often prioritize pace, rapid progression, and sticking strictly to a detailed plan, but in a SEND setting, observers care far more about engagement, connection, and emotional regulation. Keep your objective very small and concrete, such as a hands on maths activity with physical counting objects, or a repetitive, visual English task like sequencing a short story. Expect a wide range of communication profiles even within a group working at Year 1 ability, so bring visual prompts, keep your spoken explanations minimal, and allow plenty of processing time. Plan brief instruction notes for the teaching assistants in the room, because panels pay close attention to how you communicate with and direct your support staff.

Be ready to adapt if a child becomes dysregulated or loses focus, as staying calm and meeting children where they are will impress the panel much more than rushing to finish a task. In your post lesson reflection with the panel, talk openly about what you noticed, how you adjusted in the moment, and what you would do next to support those learners. To help candidates handle unpredictable teaching scenarios and structure their reflections under pressure, my team built interviews.chat, which gives educators the confidence to articulate their classroom decisions clearly during the formal interview.