Primary Education with QTS

Our Primary Education with QTS course offers three different routes: Foundation Stage / Key Stage 1 (ages 3-7), Key Stages 1 and 2 (ages 5-11), and Mathematics Specialism, Key Stages 1 and 2 (ages 5-11). 

On each route, you will focus on the appropriate curriculum and learn specialist teaching approaches for the age range. You’ll also have school placements in those year groups for approximately 8 weeks each year when you’ll be allocated an expert mentor. 

Modules focus on primary curriculum subject content and wider aspects of professional teaching such as behaviour management, working with parents, SEND and inclusive practice.  

In addition, you will choose two subjects to develop as a strength: One core subject (English, maths or science – note that you must choose maths if you’re on the Mathematics Specialism route) and one foundation subject (e.g. art, music, history, computing – note that subjects vary and are offered based on student preferences in each cohort). 

As part of these strength module options, you’ll undertake embedded school-based work, planning and teaching your chosen subject alongside your subject tutors. We don’t just tell you how to teach, we show you! 

There is a strong emphasis on inclusive practice and on learning to teach children with SEND. This is woven through all our modules and there is a separate module in third year which has inclusion as its focus.  

We are ambitious for our student teachers and intend you to gain a broad range of experiences and learning that prepares you well for primary teaching. Our curriculum goes well beyond the scope of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) requirements for initial teacher education. 

There are some lecture-based modules, though you’ll mainly learn through hands-on, interactive workshop-style seminars that connect theory to the classroom. In these, our expert tutors will model and help you to understand effective teaching approaches for each primary subject, as well as developing your primary curriculum subject knowledge.  

Guest speakers regularly visit the university to share experiences and expertise from our partnership schools.  

Your school-based mentors will support you to develop your knowledge and skills in teaching, planning and assessment while you’re in school experience placements.

You’ll be assessed through coursework, with regular submission dates and ongoing, detailed feedback from tutors.

You’ll learn to reflect on, evaluate and develop your own teaching through independent study, as well as by engaging with regular reflective tasks.  

This course is dedicated to enabling to you to become a confident, knowledgeable and enthusiastic primary school teacher with Qualified Teacher Status. At the end of your studies, you’ll be ready to take on a class of your own as an Early Career Teacher and to start your induction into the teaching profession.  

Teaching in primary school offers a huge variety of opportunities and rewarding experiences. Starting from when you’re on placement as part of your BEd course, you could be teaching cooking or football in one lesson then teaching reading or calculations in the next.

Your career as a teacher could include you leading a subject in school, or taking on a mentoring or senior leadership role. You might choose to develop your skills as a SENDCo or even become a headteacher or adviser yourself.  

Teaching helps you develop a wide range of transferrable skills that place you well to explore the opportunities ahead. Our graduates go on to enjoy roles in primary schools here and abroad, as well as education-related roles beyond the classroom.