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Why choose the School of Education
Ofsted – we are a ‘Good’ provider with Outstanding in Quality of leadership and management across our partnerships.
95% of our Education and Teaching graduates are in employment or further studies 15 months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes, 2023)
Over 90% of students across all courses are employed within the first six months of graduation
100% of our undergraduate Primary Education graduates have secured jobs by the end of their course
Our Early Childhood Education course ranks 8th in its subject table for graduate prospects on track (Complete University Guide, 2024)
All teaching-training staff have QTS and were previously employed as teachers and/or head teachers; we also have teaching staff who are school governors or active members of their national subject associations
About the course
An inspirational primary school teacher can help young children make sense of their world and prepare them for life in the 21st century. This course with recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) equips you with the knowledge skills and understanding necessary to take on this important role.
With this DfE-accredited degree you learn through taught sessions and supported teaching practice where you are encouraged to apply the theory you have learnt in areas such as child development teaching and learning.
Mentors and University liaison tutors support you while on placement as you begin to develop the core skills for teaching children aged 5-11. You start with one-to-one and small-group teaching practice before moving on to whole-class teaching. A placement coordinator provides briefings support meetings and guidance as well as overseeing target setting and CEDP completion.
Units include literacy and reading; mathematics and science; meeting the needs of individual children; multidimensional classrooms; planning for learning across subjects; and exploring core subjects.
Why choose this course?
- Our Education courses have a high student satisfaction rating for our teaching (91%) and academic support (90%) (NSS 2022)
- Gain hands-on experience of teaching via three teaching placements: one per year each in a different term to give a good insight into the whole academic year
- Take up four ‘Broadening Experience’ placements (one per year) in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) so you know where children have come from; at Key Stage 3 (KS3) so you know where they are going on to; an enrichment placement related to your chosen elective; and a final personalised placement
- Work with experienced tutors with a wealth of experience in building teacher competence and confidence across all subjects
- Learn to teach a reflective reactive curriculum with sessions responsive to the needs of individual cohorts helping to ensure progression in skills knowledge and experience
- Develop leadership and management skills along with an ability to communicate effectively with children parents/carers colleagues and other professionals
- Benefit from conference days with guest speakers talking on subjects ranging from lesson planning and SEND provision to employability and wellbeing
- Take learning outside the classroom with trips to places of educational interest such as local museums and our Forest School
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
What will you study?
Studying our Primary Education (with QTS) BA (Hons) course aims to equip you with the knowledge, skills and understanding of child development, teaching and learning at primary school level. In core areas of study, you will be introduced to how children develop physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially in our Child Development and Theories of Learning unit while considering adapted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As an educator, it is also essential that you are familiar with primary literacy, and this is where our units in Literacy in The Primary School and Early Literacy and Reading will expose you to a range of theories on the teaching and learning of literacy. Additionally, this unit will develop your appreciation and understanding of poetry, dramatic texts and non-fiction. It is also important that you are equipped to teach core subjects as part of the curriculum, and this is where our Exploring Core Subjects unit will introduce you to the effective teaching of English, mathematics and science. You will then specialise in the study of each of these subjects in our units in Mathematics and Science and Further Mathematics and Science that will develop your knowledge of these topics relevant to the primary National Curriculum.
Moreover, you will learn about practical teaching ideas for both subjects that will allow you to self-experiment with creating learning activities, including for children with SEND. In more advanced areas, you will develop your knowledge with an imaginative approach to teaching numbers, geometry, algebra and more. To enhance your knowledge, our Primary Foundation Subjects Enhancements unit will guide you on how to effectively teach, lead and manage these subjects in a primary setting. In other areas of teaching, you will also be prepared to teach foundation subjects including physical education, art, computing and music in our Professional Studies: Planning for Learning Across Subjects unit. In addition to this, you will learn about the nature of child learning and development with a focus on the role of adults in supporting these processes in our Leading High-Quality Teaching in the Early Years Enhancement unit. In particular, you will consider how aspects of leadership and management can be applied in early years contexts while developing your understanding of high-quality practice in early years.
To prepare you for the long term, our unit in Professional Studies: Preparing to Work with Children in the 21st Century will allow you to understand the ever-changing societal needs and how to manage this in classroom practice. Furthermore, to enhance your versatility, our unit in Professional Practice: Multidimensional Classrooms will support you in adopting a reflective, resilient and autonomous approach to teaching while allowing you to explore dynamic classroom practice. As an educator it is also important to consider diverse needs of children and adopt an inclusive approach in your work. This is where our unit in Meeting the Needs of Individual Children will prepare you to understand the sensitivities of inclusion in the field of socio-cultural learning theory. You will also explore how to enhance learning of pupils who may be asylum seekers or refugees while eliminating discrimination and addressing safeguarding in your work. This ties in closely with our Primary SEND Enhancement unit where you will look at aspects of SEND provision.
Finally, you will have the opportunity to complete a research project in our Research for Teaching unit where you will analyse national and local educational contexts in a topic of your interest. This will enhance your teaching practice by enabling you to understand your own development areas and pupils’ needs and interests.
How will you be assessed?
Throughout the course you will continually be encouraged to explore what is known about teaching and learning and to demonstrate independence and creativity in evaluating the relevance of that knowledge in your own context. Assessed work will be directly applicable to your future role as a primary teacher and predominantly include essays reflective writing reports presentations and portfolios.
During your placements you will be assessed directly against the Teachers Standards. In all years you will complete in-class audits to assess your developing subject knowledge. Sound subject knowledge is a fundamental quality of an effective teacher and you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to on-going development of that knowledge throughout the course.
Also key to the course is a focus on the development of research informed teaching culminating in an extended systematic study of your own practice (dissertation). By embedding the professional requirements for Qualified Teacher Status within the academic requirements of the degree the course supports you in developing the qualities which define the University of Bedfordshire Graduate Teacher: an independent reflective creative innovative collaborative and resilient professional who is committed to on-going personal and professional development.
The assessment for this course seeks to support you in developing your understanding of the connections between theoretical perspectives and practice-based experience. The Profile Review Point is the process by which the mentor reviews your progress in your teaching `practice. The Teachers Standards 2012 provide the framework by which this progress is judged and are supplemented with descriptors which support you in understanding the qualities which define the level at which you meet the standards. The Teachers Standards Descriptors are included in School Placement documentation. Formative use of assessment is embedded throughout the course and is a principle which we would expect you to adopt in your own teaching. You will be supported to become familiar with self and peer assessment approaches and to make effective use of feedback on academic aspects of the course to identify targets for your on-going development and plan actions to address them.
Engagement with published research is a fundamental aspect of the course and you will be supported in developing skills of critical analysis of the literature. Rigorous attention to referencing conventions is therefore essential and you will be required to adopt the Harvard system. You will be supported in developing your understanding of plagiarism and poor academic practice to ensure that your work meets the highest standards of ethics.
Careers
You will gain experience in a range of schools and in different settings throughout your course enabling you to build a network of contacts. By the end of the course you will be fully prepared to enter the primary classroom and have your own class. Should you wish to work outside of the classroom you are equipped for a variety of roles from education officers at places of interest (museums art galleries tourist attractions) to training within organisations or tutoring.
You may also consider undertaking further study such as our MA Education or a specialist qualification in literacy or behavioural difficulties once you become teacher.
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK 2024/25
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Merit Scholarship
We offer a Merit Scholarship to UK students, worth £2,400* over three academic years, which is awarded to those who can demonstrate a high level of academic achievement, through scoring 120 UCAS tariff points or more.
Bedfordshire Bursary
If you aren’t eligible for the Merit Scholarship, this Bursary is there to help UK students with aspects of student living such as course costs. The Bursary will give you £1,000* over three academic years, or £1,300* if you are taking your course over four academic years (including those with a Foundation Year).
Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2024/25 is £15,500 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
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