Question 1

What questions are asked in an NHS Paediatric Physiotherapy interview?

Accepted Answer

NHS Paediatric Physiotherapy interviews usually mix values-based questions with scenarios specific to the role. Typical themes include motivation for paediatrics, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, 24-hour postural management, respiratory paediatrics and neuromuscular conditions. Every interview panel writes its own questions, so practise the themes rather than memorising answers. The 8 free questions on this page cover a spread of them.

Question 2

What band is an NHS Paediatric Physiotherapy job?

Accepted Answer

The questions on this page are pitched mainly at Band 5 to Band 7 posts. The band for any job depends on the trust and the responsibilities of the post, so always check the advert and job description. Higher bands bring more questions on leadership, supervising others and improving the service.

Question 3

How should I prepare for an NHS Paediatric Physiotherapy interview?

Accepted Answer

Read the job description and person specification closely, then prepare five or six real examples you can tell using the STAR method (situation, task, action, result). Revise your regulator's standards (such as the HCPC or GPhC), consent and capacity, safeguarding, caseload management and patient safety. Research the trust's own values and the service you would join, and practise your answers out loud before the day.

Question 4

Which NHS values and standards should I mention in a Paediatric Physiotherapy interview?

Accepted Answer

Link your examples to the NHS values from the NHS Constitution, such as compassion, respect and dignity, and working together for patients. For this role, panels will also expect you to understand your regulator's standards (such as the HCPC or GPhC), consent and capacity, safeguarding, caseload management and patient safety. Show these through what you actually did rather than reciting lists.

Question 5

Are these real NHS Paediatric Physiotherapy interview questions?

Accepted Answer

No. They are original practice questions written to reflect how NHS Paediatric Physiotherapy interviews are typically run. Healthcare Interview Prep is independent and not affiliated with the NHS, and nobody can promise which questions you will be asked. Use the model answers to learn structure and content, then build answers from your own experience.

Question 6

What do I get if I unlock the full Paediatric Physiotherapy question bank?

Accepted Answer

You get all 40 Paediatric Physiotherapy practice questions. Each one has what the panel is assessing, a model answer, why the answer works, key points to include, common mistakes and the NHS values it links to. It is a one-off payment of £4.99 for 12 months' access, with no subscription.

Question 7

Why have you chosen paediatric physiotherapy, and why do you want to join our children's therapy team?

Accepted Answer

It really started on my second year placement in a special school. There was a seven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who had been working for months on stepping from her walker to a bench in the classroom so she could sit with her friends at story time. The day she managed it, the teaching assistant cried, her mum cried, and I realised the physiotherapy wasn't about the step itself, it was about her being part of the group. That idea of physiotherapy as a route to participation is what has kept me in paediatrics. Since then I have done a rotation that included the paediatric ward, where I saw the respiratory side, children with bronchiolitis and young people with neuromuscular conditions who needed airway clearance, and I enjoyed how different it was from adults. You are assessing through play, you are reading a child who can't tell you what hurts, and you are always working with a parent who knows that child better than anyone. I find that partnership really rewarding, even when it's challenging. As for this team, I read your service information and spoke to one of your Band 6 physiotherapists on the visit. I know you cover community clinics, mainstream and special schools and home visits, and that you're part of an integrated children's therapy service with OT and speech and language therapy. I liked hearing about your joint postural management clinic and the way you write shared goals with families, because that's exactly how I want to work. I also noticed you're…

Question 8

A two-year-old has been referred with delayed gross motor development and the parents' first question is 'When will she walk?'. How would you approach the first assessment and that conversation?

Accepted Answer

Before I met the family, I would read the referral and any notes from the health visitor or GP, so I knew the birth history, any concerns already raised and whether a paediatrician was involved. I'd want the first appointment to feel relaxed, so I'd make sure there were suitable toys and floor space and enough time. I'd start by listening. I'd ask the parents what they've noticed, what she enjoys, how she moves around at home and what matters most to them. Then I would take a history: pregnancy and birth, early milestones, feeding, any loss of skills, family history, hearing and vision. A loss of skills is something I'd flag straight away, because regression needs urgent medical review. During the assessment I'd mostly observe her through play: how she gets into sitting, transitions, whether she rolls, crawls or bottom shuffles, her quality of movement, symmetry, tone, range of movement and strength. I'd look at her feet and hips and note any asymmetry. I might use a standardised measure appropriate to our service so we have a baseline. On the walking question, I would be honest. I'd say something like, 'I can't give you a date today, and I'd rather not guess, but I can tell you what I've seen, what the next steps are and what will help her get there.' I'd describe her strengths first, then what's holding her back, for example low tone and reduced strength around her hips and trunk. If I had concerns that pointed beyond a simple delay, such as asymmetry, increased tone or…

Question 9

You are asked to see a child on the paediatric ward who has a neuromuscular condition and is struggling to clear chest secretions. How would you assess and manage this?

Accepted Answer

First I'd get a handover from the nurse and medical team and read the notes: the child's diagnosis, their usual respiratory baseline, any existing home plan such as cough assist or ventilation, the current observations and PEWS trend, oxygen requirement and any recent imaging or gases. With neuromuscular children I'm particularly aware that they can tire quickly and deteriorate quietly, so I'd want to know whether the trend is getting worse. I'd speak to the parents early, because they often know exactly what works and what a good day looks like for their child. I'd follow infection prevention practice, hand hygiene at the right moments and the right PPE, especially as there may be a respiratory virus involved. Then I'd do my own assessment using an ABCDE approach: work of breathing, respiratory rate, colour, saturations, chest shape and movement, auscultation, the strength of their cough and their ability to manage secretions, and how alert and comfortable they are. Treatment would depend on what I found and on the plan agreed with the medical team. At principle level, it might include positioning, airway clearance techniques suited to their age and ability, and using their own cough assist device if that is part of their established care and I'm competent with it. I'd keep a close eye on observations throughout and stop if the child became distressed or their saturations dropped. If at any point the child seemed to be deteriorating, a rising PEWS, increasing oxygen need,…

Question 10

What does family-centred care mean to you, and how does it show in your everyday practice as a paediatric physiotherapist?

Accepted Answer

For me, family-centred care means accepting that the family are the constant in a child's life and I am a visitor. They know their child, their routines and their limits, and the therapy only works if it fits into their life. So my job is to bring my clinical knowledge and theirs together, not to hand down a plan. In practice, it starts with how I set goals. I'll ask families what would make the biggest difference to their week. I remember a mum of a four-year-old with cerebral palsy who told me the hardest thing was getting him into the car seat because he went into extension every time. I had been thinking about standing practice, but we made car transfers the first goal. We worked on positioning and handling, and within a few weeks she told me the school run had stopped being the worst part of her day. That built trust, and the standing work followed. It also means being realistic about capacity. Some families have several children, shift work, or their own health problems. Instead of a sheet of ten exercises, I'll look at their routine and fit activities into it, like stretches during nappy changes or practising sit to stand at bath time. I check in about how things are going, without judgement, and adjust if it isn't working. Family-centred care also includes the child's own voice. Even quite young children can tell you, or show you, what they enjoy and what they hate, and teenagers should be leading their own goals. And it doesn't mean doing whatever the family asks.…

Question 11

Can you tell us about a time you worked with a school or nursery to support a child's physical needs?

Accepted Answer

On my community rotation I was supporting a six-year-old boy with diplegic cerebral palsy who had just moved from a specialist nursery into a mainstream primary school. The school was keen to include him, but the class teacher was worried about PE, playtime and moving around a busy classroom, and his mum was worried he was being left out. My task was to help the school understand his needs and put practical strategies in place, without making him feel singled out. I arranged a school visit with my supervisor's agreement and watched a normal morning, including transitions and a PE lesson. I noticed he was getting tired by mid-morning because he walked the long way round the classroom to reach his table, and that during PE he was mainly sitting out. I met the teacher, the teaching assistant and the SENCo. We agreed small changes: moving his table nearer the door, a seat with good foot support, and a few minutes of movement breaks built into the class routine that everyone joined in with. For PE, I suggested adaptations, like a larger target or a seated version of an activity, so he took part rather than watched. I showed the teaching assistant how to support his stretches and how to check his orthoses for red marks, wrote it down with photos, and agreed she would contact me if anything changed. I also checked with his mum that she was happy with what we were sharing. At the review six weeks later the teacher said he was less tired in the afternoon and was joining in PE most…

Question 12

During a home visit you notice unexplained bruising on a non-mobile baby and the explanation given does not seem to fit. What would you do?

Accepted Answer

Bruising in a baby who isn't yet mobile is something I would never ignore, because babies that age rarely bruise accidentally. Most trusts and local safeguarding partnerships have a specific protocol for bruising in non-mobile infants, and I would follow it. During the visit, I'd stay calm and professional. I'd note exactly what I saw: where the bruising was, its size, colour and shape, and I'd ask an open question like, 'I've noticed some marks here, can you tell me how they happened?' I would write down the explanation in the parent's own words. I wouldn't examine further than my role requires, I wouldn't photograph unless that was part of local procedure, and I wouldn't challenge the parent or suggest what I thought had happened, because that could put the baby at risk or affect any later enquiry. If I thought the baby was in immediate danger, I would call the police on 999. Otherwise, as soon as I left the house, I'd contact my trust's safeguarding team and follow the bruising protocol, which usually means a same-day referral to children's social care and an urgent medical assessment by a paediatrician. I'd also let my line manager know. Unless sharing information would increase the risk to the baby, I would usually be open with parents about needing to share my concerns, but I'd take advice from the safeguarding team on how and when to do that. Then I'd document everything that day in the record, factually and objectively: what I saw, what was said, who I spoke to, the…

Question 13

Can you tell us about a time when you and a parent disagreed about their child's therapy goals, and how you handled it?

Accepted Answer

I was working with a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who used a walker indoors and a wheelchair for longer distances. Her dad was very keen for her to stop using the wheelchair altogether, and he asked me to focus all her sessions on walking further. From my assessment, and from what school were telling me, she was exhausted by lunchtime and was missing out on playtime because she was so slow getting outside. My task was to find a plan we could both support, without dismissing what he wanted for his daughter. I asked for a longer appointment so we weren't rushed. I started by asking him what walking meant to him, and he explained that his worry was that if she used the wheelchair, she would lose the ability to walk and wouldn't have the life he'd hoped for her. That helped me understand it was about fear, not stubbornness. I acknowledged that, and agreed that walking was really important and that we'd keep working on it. Then I explained, using what I'd seen, that energy is limited, and that using the wheelchair for long distances could actually save her energy for walking where it mattered most, like in the classroom and at home. I suggested we set two goals: one about walking, such as walking from the classroom to the dinner hall with her walker, and one about participation, getting outside with her friends at playtime. I also asked her what she wanted, and she said she wanted to play on the playground. He agreed to try it for a term. At the review, she was walking…

Question 14

A 14-year-old with cerebral palsy has stopped wearing their orthoses and is refusing their stretching programme. How would you approach this?

Accepted Answer

The first thing I'd remind myself is that a 14-year-old refusing something is normal teenage behaviour, and that pushing harder usually doesn't work. My aim would be to understand why and to give them more control over the plan. I'd ask to see them, and with their agreement, part of the appointment would be on their own, because teenagers often won't say what's really going on in front of a parent. I'd ask open questions: what's annoying about the orthoses, what's the stretching like, what do they want to be doing at the moment. Often the answers are practical. Orthoses might be painful, not fit their trainers, or look different at school. Stretches might be boring or clash with time with friends. I'd check the orthoses for fit and skin, and look at their range of movement, so I had a clear picture of any change. Then I'd explain honestly, in a way that respects them, what the orthoses and stretches are for and what could happen if range keeps reducing, like more difficulty walking or pain later on. I'd link it to their goals. If they want to keep playing wheelchair basketball or walking round the shops with friends, how could we protect that? Then we'd negotiate. That might mean a review with orthotics for a different design or wearing them at certain times only, fewer stretches that matter most, doing them during something they enjoy, or using a phone reminder. I'd write the plan with them, not for them. I'd also talk with their parents, sharing what the young person…

Paediatric Physiotherapy Interview Questions & Answers

Quick answer

Free NHS interview questions and model answers

Question 1: Why have you chosen paediatric physiotherapy, and why do you want to join our children's therapy team?

Question 2: A two-year-old has been referred with delayed gross motor development and the parents' first question is 'When will she walk?'. How would you approach the first assessment and that conversation?

Question 3: You are asked to see a child on the paediatric ward who has a neuromuscular condition and is struggling to clear chest secretions. How would you assess and manage this?

Question 4: What does family-centred care mean to you, and how does it show in your everyday practice as a paediatric physiotherapist?

Question 5: Can you tell us about a time you worked with a school or nursery to support a child's physical needs?

Question 6: During a home visit you notice unexplained bruising on a non-mobile baby and the explanation given does not seem to fit. What would you do?

Question 7: Can you tell us about a time when you and a parent disagreed about their child's therapy goals, and how you handled it?

Question 8: A 14-year-old with cerebral palsy has stopped wearing their orthoses and is refusing their stretching programme. How would you approach this?

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About this NHS interview question bank

Paediatric Physiotherapy NHS interview: frequently asked questions