Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) degree - BEd (Hons)

Program Overview

This undergraduate program prepares students for a career as a primary school teacher. Over three years, students gain a foundation in core subjects and teaching methods, including systematic synthetic phonics. They undertake placements in schools, developing their confidence in teaching and classroom management.

Program Outline

Outline:

• Year 1: Introduction to the primary classroom, focus on how children learn, how teachers keep children safe, and how effective behavior management creates a climate for great learning.
Consider baseline subject knowledge in English, mathematics, and science, understanding the National Curriculum requirements and setting goals to upskill in these areas. Begin learning the basics of English, maths, and science teaching, including teaching reading using systematic synthetic phonics and begin exploring the wider curriculum, particularly the humanities. First placement provides opportunities to observe great teaching in the classroom, supported by a school-based mentor to plan and teach individual and group sessions and parts of whole class teaching.
• Year 2: Extend and deepen understanding of the subjects in the National Curriculum, consolidating skills across the core subjects including teaching reading using systematic synthetic phonics.
Explore misconceptions in maths and science and how they can hinder children's progress and look at strategies to address them along with continuing to improve subject knowledge. Year 2 placement extends and applies learning from placement 1, with a particular focus on confidence in teaching reading including teaching using systematic synthetic phonics. Working with a school-based mentor, challenging targets will be set to build confidence in the classroom, taking increasing responsibility for whole class teaching as well as contributing to the whole community more widely, for example by running after-school clubs.
• Year 3: Focus on preparing for the final placement, the opportunity to apply everything learned on the course and take the reins in the classroom, building up to taking 80% responsibility.
Explore professional issues through developing a professional identity and considering how taking a critical approach can influence learning for pupils. Develop strategies to work well with colleagues and parents and secure subject knowledge across the curriculum through the final audit. Deepen understanding of who you are as a teacher, interests, strengths, and areas for development so that each module can be tailored to areas of development by exploring cross-cutting themes such as creativity and sustainability. Expected to be a highly independent learner in the third year, taking a professional issue and researching and developing it further, to produce a final detailed report as part of the professional skills module. Able to talk confidently about next steps and identify areas of future development as you embark on a teaching career.

Assessment:

• Presentation
• Group presentation
• Lesson planning and accompanying rationales
• Evaluation
• Professional enquiry
• Reflective diary
• Placement portfolio

Teaching:

• Face-to-face campus teaching (with the exception of distance learning courses), supported by established online learning systems, which provide additional support for individual study and engagement.

Careers:

• Primary school teacher
• Roles in education and training

Other:

• Bursary of £10 per day of placement towards costs.

• Tuition fees for UK students starting in 2024/25 (full-time, per year): £9,250
• EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement are eligible for the same tuition fees as UK students.
• International students: Tuition fees vary depending on the course and level of study.
• Additional course and living costs:
You will receive a bursary of £10 per day of placement towards costs.
• As part of the course you will be offered a number of predominantly optional, local school visits.
• Living at university:
• The overall cost of university can vary depending on where you’re studying and which course you’re taking.
• accommodation
• bills
• internet, mobile phone and calls
• travel
• food and drink
• socialising and going out
• study materials.
• As a very general guide, living costs at university can range from around £7,000–£9,000 per year.
They may be lower if you're living at home.
• Most full-time UK students can apply for a Maintenance Loan to help cover living costs.
• EU students starting a course before 1 August 2021 are also eligible for the Maintenance Loan.