This guide is an evidence worksheet for a school support application. Use it to collect examples before writing a letter or supporting statement. For a complete letter and application structure, go to the teaching assistant cover letter guide.
Schools use job titles differently. Read the duties and essential criteria in the actual advert: an assistant or support role is not automatically the same as a qualified teacher role. Describe your qualifications, responsibilities and experience accurately.
Build an evidence bank from the person specification
Copy the school's requirements into your notes, then add a genuine example for each. Use anonymised situations; do not include pupils' names, medical details or other identifying information.
| Requirement in the advert | Evidence prompt | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting learning | When did you explain a task or prepare resources? | Claiming independent teaching responsibility you did not have |
| Working with colleagues | How did you agree tasks and share observations? | Taking sole credit for a team outcome |
| Communication | How did you adapt an explanation for the audience? | Describing yourself as an excellent communicator without an example |
| Organisation | What did you prepare, check or keep track of? | Inventing numerical improvements |
| Relevant qualification | What is the exact award, provider and status? | Presenting an in-progress course as completed |
If an essential criterion is not met, check the vacancy's guidance before applying. A letter cannot turn an unsupported claim into a qualification.
Turn this example into your own cover letter
Add the job description and create a draft for the role. Review the wording and check every claim before sending.
A starting draft you can edit in your own voice.
Turn one experience into an application paragraph
Use this drafting frame:
The role asks for [requirement].
During [real context], I was responsible for [your responsibility].
I [specific action], working with [relevant colleagues, if applicable].
[What happened or what you learned].
This experience is relevant because [connection to the advertised work].
Fictional worked example:
During a supervised school placement, I helped prepare a small-group reading activity using materials agreed with the class teacher. I checked that each pupil had the correct resources, clarified the task and shared observations with the teacher afterwards. This gave me experience supporting a planned activity and communicating what I noticed without making decisions beyond my role.
The paragraph identifies supervision, the candidate's contribution and a relevant lesson. It does not invent a pupil attainment result. Replace the situation with your own experience; it is an illustration, not a claim you should copy.
If your experience comes from outside a classroom
Relevant examples can come from volunteering, clubs, youth activities, customer service or study. Explain the transferable skill without presenting it as classroom experience.
Fictional example:
In a community activity group, I prepared materials, explained tasks and checked that participants understood the next step. I worked within the organiser's instructions and raised questions when additional support was needed. I would bring that preparation and willingness to seek guidance to a school support role.
State the actual setting and age group only where relevant and appropriate. Do not imply that volunteering gave you professional status or training you do not hold. The no-experience cover letter guide offers more ways to explain transferable evidence.
Explain your interest in this school
Choose one relevant detail from the vacancy or the school's own public information. Connect it to the work you want to do.
Weak: “Your outstanding school has always been my dream employer.”
More useful: “The advert's emphasis on preparing resources and supporting small-group activities interests me because those were the parts of my supervised placement I most enjoyed.”
Do not claim to know the school's culture, pupils or teaching methods from a brief website visit. Keep the connection specific and supportable.
Decide whether you need a letter or a supporting statement
Follow the application instructions. A short cover letter may introduce your fit and direct attention to your CV. A supporting statement may need to address each criterion within a stated word limit. Neither replaces the school's required application form.
For a letter, select your strongest examples and use the complete teaching assistant letter as a structural reference. For a criteria-based statement, organise your evidence under the requested headings. CV Anywhere's personal-statement tool can help prepare a draft for review.
Final check before submitting
- Use the exact job title and school name.
- Distinguish your own work from a teacher's or colleague's responsibility.
- Check all qualification names, dates and completion statuses.
- Remove identifying pupil information and confidential school details.
- Address the requested criteria and respect the word limit.
- Reopen the final attachment and check its formatting.
Keep a copy of the application and the advert. Your interview preparation should draw on the same truthful examples. If the school also requests a CV, see the teaching assistant CV examples.