How long should a supporting statement be?

Follow any limit in the application form. Without one, long enough to give evidence for every essential criterion, usually one to two pages. Shortlisters reward relevant evidence, not length.

Should I use headings?

Yes, if they help: headings that match the person specification let the shortlister tick criteria off quickly. Some employers ask for a letter-style statement instead; follow the instructions.

What if I don't meet an essential criterion?

Look for transferable evidence (volunteering, study, a different sector) and explain it clearly. If you truly can't evidence an essential criterion, the application is unlikely to be shortlisted.

Is a supporting statement the same as a personal statement?

Mostly. Employers use both names for a statement that evidences the person specification. The Civil Service also calls it a statement of suitability.

Supporting Statement Example: Written Against a Person Specification

A supporting statement is where you show, criterion by criterion, that you meet the person specification. Councils, schools, universities, charities and the NHS all shortlist this way: someone works down the list of essential criteria and marks each one as met or not met, sometimes with a score. Below is a complete example, the two gaps a shortlister would spot, and how to check your own.

Check your own statement

Paste yours and see how a panel would likely score it, criterion by criterion. 1 free check a day with a free account, no card.

Check my statement

How supporting statements are shortlisted

The shortlister has the person specification and a scoring sheet. For each essential criterion they look for evidence in your statement: a qualification, an example of something you did, a result. Where they find none, the criterion is unmet, and many employers only shortlist candidates who meet every essential criterion. Desirable criteria then separate the candidates who are left.

Address every essential criterion, ideally in the person specification's order or under its headings.
Give evidence, not adjectives: what you did, where, and what changed.
Keep each criterion short and specific; a long story that covers one criterion leaves others empty.
Mention desirable criteria you meet, briefly.
Leave out what is not asked for, however proud you are of it.

The person specification

Teaching Assistant (Level 3), primary school. Essential: a Level 3 teaching assistant qualification or equivalent experience; experience of supporting pupils with special educational needs (SEND); ability to deliver phonics or reading interventions to small groups; a good understanding of safeguarding and child protection; ability to manage pupils' behaviour positively. Desirable: paediatric first aid; Makaton or other communication aids.

The example

Supporting statement, Teaching Assistant (Level 3), 257 words

I am applying for the Level 3 Teaching Assistant post because I want to build on four years of supporting children in a primary school, especially children with additional needs.

I hold a Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning, which I completed in 2023.

In my current role in a Year 2 class, I am the key adult for a child with autism and a speech and language delay. I worked with the class teacher and the SENCO to create a visual timetable and a calm corner, and I use short, clear instructions with him. When he started to find the transition back from lunch difficult, I introduced a five-minute warning with a sand timer. His time out of class fell from around an hour a day to under ten minutes, and he now joins the carpet for whole-class phonics.

I deliver daily Read Write Inc. phonics sessions to a group of six pupils who were below the expected standard. I track their sound knowledge each week and share the results with the teacher. Five of the six passed the phonics screening check last June.

I understand how important safeguarding is and I complete the school's training every year.

I follow the school's behaviour policy and use praise and clear routines to encourage good behaviour. When two pupils in my group kept arguing, I gave them shared responsibilities, such as handing out books, and their behaviour in the group improved.

I would bring patience, consistency and a real commitment to helping every child make progress.

Why it scores this way

SEND experience and phonics interventions are evidenced strongly: specific actions and measurable results (time out of class down to under ten minutes, five of six pupils passing the screening check).
Qualification and behaviour management are evidenced, briefly but concretely.
Gap 1: safeguarding is only a claim ("I understand how important safeguarding is"). One example of following procedure, or the training's content, would make it evidence.
Gap 2: neither desirable criterion is mentioned. If the candidate has a first aid certificate or uses Makaton, one line each would help rank higher.

A quick way to check yours

Copy the person specification next to your statement. For each criterion, highlight the sentence that proves it. If you can't find one, or the only sentence is a claim about yourself, that criterion will probably be marked unmet. Our checker does this for every criterion you paste and marks each one evidenced (with your sentence), weak or missing, then ranks the fixes. It never writes the statement for you.

Supporting statements for specific roles