Primary Education, BA (Hons)

Become a Primary school teacher with our comprehensive teacher-training course. Our expert tutors will support you to become a confident and creative teacher with the skills and experience demanded by schools.

This is one of the most highly regarded courses in the country, with an enviable employment record. Our close relationship with partnership schools means you gain a wide experience of teaching in many different kinds of educational settings, from large inner-city academies to small, rural schools.

Why choose this course?

You will benefit from:

• accreditation with the Teaching Agency, allowing you to take a post as a Newly Qualified Teacher upon successful completion
• the option to specialise in either Early Years or Primary Education
• four years to extend your skills and prepare you fully as an innovative and confident teacher
• excellent facilities and experienced and enthusiastic tutors.

What our students say

"Having such a wide range of educational experiences and high level of subject knowledge for teaching has meant that I started my career confidently."

Peter Bevington, BA (Hons) Primary Education
Read more about Peter

Want to know more about teaching?

Order our Routes into Teaching brochure to find out more about the types of teaching courses you can study. Click the 'Add to my basket and order literature' link above.

Any questions?

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Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4200
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How many places are available on this course?

There are 112 places available on this course.

When does the course start?

Induction begins on Monday 23 September 2013, during Welcome Week.

What will I study?

On this course there is equal attention given to your professional development and teaching skills. In Years One and Two there is an emphasis on understanding development and progression across the 3-11 age range. You will study all aspects of the primary and early years curriculum.

In the third and fourth years, students opt to specialise in either Early Years or Primary Education. The Early Years strand specialises in the three to seven age range and encompasses both the Foundation years and Key Stage One. The primary route specialises in the 5-11 age phase; both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. You will continue to study the core subjects, however 5-11 strand students opt to specialise in a cluster of foundation subjects, whilst 3-7 strand students take a broader and more holistic approach to learning and development. Whichever option you take, you are still qualified to teach across the whole of the 3-11 age range.

By the end of the course it is expected that you will be able to critically reflect on your own learning and thinking processes in order to further develop your own subject knowledge in a range of curriculum areas, through extending and generalising ideas with a focus on applying them to classroom situations.

In addition to the BA (Hons) Primary Education degree you will receive an additional award; either the Postgraduate certificate in Leading Primary / Early Years practice (Masters level route) or the Advanced Diploma in Leading Primary / Early Years Practice (level Six route). Our emphasis in the final year is on preparing you to lead practice in school.

Modules

Years One and Two

• Professional and Educational Development
• Curriculum and Pedagogical Studies

Year Three

• Professional and Educational Development
• Curriculum and Pedagogical Studies 3-7 or 5-11 years

Year Four

In your final year you will undertake a module entitled Leading Early Years Practice (3-7 strand) or Leading Primary Practice (5-11 strand). As part of this module you will engage in a collaborative Leadership and Management project and an independent study. There is the option to study this module at Masters level and receive 60 masters level credits.

Please note: modules are designed to reflect current educational initiatives and may be subject to change to meet Government requirements.

Contact hours

In your first year when you are not on placements, you will spend an average of 12 hours a week in lectures, seminars and tutorials. Lectures will build your subject knowledge and understanding, while tutorials and seminars provide the opportunity to discuss issues and ideas arising from your studies. You can also expect to spend around 20 hours throughout the year on external visits and fieldwork. The bulk of your time will be spent on independent study and placement. You are expected to have 225 hours across the year on placement.

Placements and professional practice

Throughout your course you will have extensive periods of professional practice, working in schools. Read more about this on the Placements tab.

Professional accreditation

We are accredited by the UK Government's Teaching Agency as a provider of Initial Teacher Training courses. Once you successfully complete your course, you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This means you can be employed as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) in a school to complete you induction year. Once your induction is complete you can claim Qualified Teacher Status.

Learn from expert staff

Our tutors are all experienced professionals who contribute to research and development within their specialist fields. Their research and influence not only shapes new educational practice, but also feeds directly into our courses, keeping you at the forefront of policy and practice.

View the full course specification
Please note that course specifications may be subject to change Clifton campus

You will be based in the Ada Byron King and Lionel Robbins buildings on our Clifton campus, an attractive self-contained greenfield site located on the outskirts of Nottingham.

Clifton campus boasts a large and well-stocked library with group and quiet study areas, modern lecture theatres and teaching rooms, IT resource rooms and Student Support Centre with a wealth of information and advice on careers and boosting your CV.

You will also find the Point bar and diner, a convenience store, refectory, bookshop, newly built accommodation, and recently extended sports facilities that include two gyms, a sports hall and an all-weather floodlit pitch, on-site.

You will find it easy to get out and about from Clifton campus. Our award-winning Go2 Uni 4 bus service runs every 12 minutes taking students to and from the campus to the City site, via the train and coach stations. With such excellent transport links many of our students choose to live in the city or at home and commute to Clifton.