DEGREE GUIDE

Primary Education (Teaching)

What do Primary Education degrees involve?

Primary Education degrees prepare you to teach children aged 5 to 11, combining academic study with extensive school-based training. You will learn how to teach the full primary curriculum, covering core subjects such as English, Maths, and Science alongside foundation subjects including Art, Music, History, Geography, and Computing. Alongside subject knowledge, you will study child development, how children learn, inclusive teaching practices, and classroom management. A large part of the degree is spent on placement in real primary schools, where you develop practical teaching skills under the guidance of experienced mentors. Most programmes lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), meaning you can begin teaching in state-funded schools as soon as you graduate.

Example
Modules

Teaching English in Primary Schools: Develop subject knowledge and teaching strategies for reading, writing, phonics, and spoken language across Key Stages 1 and 2.

Mathematics for Primary Teaching: Build confidence in teaching mathematical concepts to children, learning how to make abstract ideas accessible through practical activities and visual models.

Professional School Placement: Spend extended periods teaching in primary schools under the guidance of experienced mentors, developing your classroom practice and meeting the Teachers' Standards.

Common Degree Names

💼 School placements are a central, compulsory part of the degree, typically totalling 24 weeks or more across different year groups and school settings.

BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
BEd (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
BA (Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status
BA (Hons) Primary Education (5-11) with QTS

⚠️ Important distinction for the guide: Degrees that include QTS lead directly to qualified teacher status. Degrees titled "Education Studies" or "Primary Education Studies" (without QTS) are academic degrees about education that do not qualify you to teach.

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Most Primary Education with QTS programmes do not require specific subjects. Universities are looking at your overall grades, your motivation for teaching, and your experience with children rather than particular subject choices. However, having at least one national curriculum core subject is worth considering, because you will be teaching English, Maths, and Science from the start of the degree and having studied one of these at a higher level builds your confidence.

Subjects that strengthen your application:

English Language or English Literature — directly builds the subject knowledge you will need for teaching literacy, phonics, and reading
Mathematics — helps with the mathematical content you will be expected to teach and explain to children
A science subject (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics) — useful preparation for teaching primary science

If you want to apply for a specialist route (some universities offer Primary Education with an English or Mathematics specialism), you will normally need an A-level (or equivalent) in that subject.

Other subjects are also genuinely valuable. Primary teachers teach across the whole curriculum, so subjects like History, Geography, Art, Music, Drama, PE, Psychology, or Sociology all contribute to your breadth as a teacher.

✨ What matters most for Primary Education is your motivation for teaching, evidence of working with children, and strong GCSEs (or equivalent) in English, Maths, and Science. All applicants will be interviewed, and your understanding of the role carries significant weight.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Education, Childcare, Health and Social Care, or Sport — accepted at many universities, sometimes alongside a GCSE or A-level in English or Maths
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-level subjects
T Levels in Education and Early Years — increasingly accepted and directly relevant to this degree
Access to HE Diplomas in Education, Teaching, or related subjects — a common route for mature students returning to education
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects alongside your Career-Related Study; an education or childcare pathway would be directly relevant

All programmes require an enhanced DBS check, an occupational health check, and an interview as part of the selection process.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses require:

GCSE (or equivalent) English Language at grade 4/C or above — this is a firm requirement, not just a preference
GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics at grade 4/C or above — also a firm requirement
GCSE Science (or equivalent) at grade 4/C or above — required by most Primary Education with QTS programmes, reflecting the need to teach primary science

📘 These three GCSEs (or equivalent) are a Department for Education requirement for QTS. If you do not yet have them, some universities allow you to retake them during the first year of the course, but you will normally need to pass before you can be recommended for QTS.

🔒 DBS Check

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required before school placements, as you'll be working with children.

⚕️ Health Check

An occupational health check is required to make sure you can meet the demands of the course and placements.

🔍 Work Experience

Universities expect you to have spent time in a primary school before you apply, and you'll be asked about this at interview. Contact local primary schools and ask if you can observe or volunteer — even a few days gives you genuine insight into what teaching this age group involves. If you can't arrange a school placement, any experience working with children counts: tutoring younger students, helping at a youth club, sports coaching, running activities at a holiday club, or babysitting regularly. What matters is that you've noticed how children of different ages learn, behave, and respond to different approaches — not just that you enjoy being around them.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

Why do you want to teach primary-aged children? Reflect on what draws you to working with this age group and helping children develop across the whole curriculum. If you've spent time in primary schools, worked with children, or observed teaching, think about what you noticed: what made lessons engaging, how teachers managed different needs, and what the rewards and challenges of the role seemed to be. Reading about how children learn, following debates about primary education, or thinking about teachers who made a difference to you can show you've engaged seriously with what teaching involves. Admissions tutors want to see a realistic understanding of the profession and a genuine commitment to children's learning and development.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Education or Primary Education

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree with QTS.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Education, Primary Education or Early Years)

A well-established and widely accepted route into Primary Education. Choose a pathway with education-focused content, and aim for Distinctions in your graded units — Primary Education courses are competitive.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

A Teaching Assistant or Early Years Educator apprenticeship carries UCAS tariff points from 2026 and provides directly relevant experience working with children in school or early years settings that can support a university application, particularly when combined with a foundation year.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Primary Education degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Learning, Education & Development: Understanding how children learn and develop sits at the centre of this degree. You'll explore what makes teaching effective, how young children think and grow, and why certain approaches help children thrive.

Students who thrive in a Primary Education degree are often motivated by

Building and Sustaining Relationships

You feel energised by work where the people you work with aren't passing strangers but become known to you across years: clients, patients, students, customers. Forming new connections matters, but the deeper energy comes from the slower work of staying present, remembering the small details, picking up where you left off. You come most alive when someone you've known for years is back in front of you, and you take up the conversation as if no time had passed.

Performing and Presenting

You love being in the spotlight, whether that's on a stage, in front of a camera, or giving a presentation to a room full of people. The energy of a live audience or the focus of all eyes on you doesn't make you nervous; it makes you come alive. You thrive on the immediate connection between performer and audience, and you miss it when it's gone.

Teaching and Developing Understanding

You're energised by helping someone else truly understand something. The moment when an explanation clicks, when confusion turns to clarity, gives you a real buzz. Whether it's breaking down a complex idea, coaching someone through a new skill, or finding a different way to explain something that wasn't landing, you're motivated by building understanding in others. You probably already find yourself naturally explaining things to friends or classmates.

Storytelling and Communication

You're excited by crafting a compelling narrative, whether that's writing a script, performing a speech, producing content, or simply finding the perfect way to explain something complex. You notice when stories are told well and when they fall flat. Shaping how people understand and feel about a topic gives you real energy, and you're always thinking about how to land a message.

Helping or Serving Others

You feel driven to support others directly, whether that's providing care, offering help, or doing work that improves the quality of life of people or animals. The satisfaction of knowing your effort made a tangible difference to another living being is what carries you, more than abstract achievement or recognition. You come most alive when the person or animal in front of you is better off because of what you've just done.

Leadership and Guiding Others

You feel energised by helping others succeed, whether that's motivating a team, mentoring someone, or bringing people together around a shared goal. It's not just about being in charge; it's about developing people and helping them do their best work. You notice when someone needs support or direction and feel compelled to step in.

What makes Primary Education click for the students who love it?

Their favourite moment is when a child makes sense of something for the first time. They have a knack for finding the right way to explain an idea, telling it as a story so it sticks. Standing in front of a class lights them up rather than frightens them. They are first to spot the child who is quietly struggling, and care most about getting them through. More than anything, they want to be the trusted grown-up a class and its families know across the year, guiding each child to grow into more than they were.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

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Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you find yourself naturally adjusting how you explain something depending on who you're talking to — making things simpler or more detailed to suit the person?
Do you notice when a child or young person is struggling or upset, and feel drawn to helping them rather than leaving it to someone else?
Does it appeal to you to plan activities that make learning fun and engaging — finding creative ways to bring a subject to life rather than just explaining it?
Do you tend to reflect on how things went after a lesson, session, or activity — thinking about what you'd change next time to make it better?

Primary Education (Teaching)

What do Primary Education degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

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