How Do I Prepare for a UK Teaching Interview With a Lesson Observation?

Key facts

The specifics, before the explanation.

• The lesson brief typically arrives 3 to 7 days before interview and states the year group, topic, duration (commonly 20 to 30 minutes) and sometimes the class profile including SEND and EAL pupils
• Safeguarding questions are mandatory in every UK school interview under Keeping Children Safe in Education, and a weak answer can end the process regardless of the lesson
• Early Career Teachers (ECTs) in England have a 2-year induction with a reduced timetable; interview panels ask how you will use ECT mentor time
• Teaching vacancies were advertised through Teaching Vacancies (GOV.UK) and school websites; most September 2027 posts are advertised between January and May 2027 with the 31 May resignation deadline driving the timetable
• Pupil panels, where a group of students interviews you, are common and feed back to the headteacher

What this actually means

Plan the lesson around one learning objective that a pupil could achieve in the time available. Ambitious candidates try to teach a full topic in 25 minutes and run out of time with no evidence of progress. Instead: a quick hook, clear explanation or modelling, a short task where pupils do something you can assess, and a plenary that shows what they learnt. Bring printed resources, a backup if the technology fails, and a one-page lesson plan for the observer with objective, adaptations and assessment.

Adaptation is what observers look for most. Read the class profile you are sent and build in support for the named needs, such as a scaffolded version of the task, a sentence starter, or a stretch question. Name the adaptations in your plan so the observer can see them even if the lesson goes off script.

The panel interview will ask about safeguarding (what you would do if a child disclosed something, who the DSL is), behaviour (a time you turned a difficult class around), subject knowledge and your reasons for wanting this school. Research the school: Ofsted report, values, curriculum, recent news. The question "why this school" is a real question and a generic answer is noticed.

Rehearse your panel answers out loud, especially safeguarding and behaviour. Teachers are used to speaking to pupils but not to being probed by a headteacher and a governor, and the formality catches people out. Also rehearse the lesson itself, timed, with the transitions spoken aloud, so you know where the minutes go.

What to actually do

Rules and figures move. Confirm anything time-sensitive with the official regulator before you rely on it.

• Plan one achievable learning objective and build the lesson so you can show progress against it in the time given
• Write the adaptations for SEND and EAL pupils on your lesson plan and hand it to the observer before you start
• Prepare a safeguarding answer that names the DSL, the reporting steps and the principle of not promising confidentiality
• Rehearse the lesson out loud with a timer, including transitions, and rehearse your panel answers the same way
• Read the school's latest Ofsted report and website and have two specific reasons for wanting to work there

Frequently asked questions

What if the lesson goes badly?

Panels expect bumps with an unfamiliar class. What they assess is how you respond, so adapt visibly and be honest in the reflection afterwards about what you would change.

Are teaching interviews the same in Scotland and Wales?

The structure is similar, but Scotland uses GTCS registration and a probation year rather than ECT induction, and Wales has its own curriculum. Research the relevant framework.

How long after the interview do schools decide?

Usually the same day. You may be asked to stay by the phone in the afternoon, and offers are commonly made verbally before the written contract follows.

Sources

Referenced for this guide:

• GOV.UK: Teaching Vacancies
• GOV.UK: Keeping children safe in education