Overview

Every child needs a hero. Education has the potential to inspire a child's future and change lives. Become a teacher with our BEd (Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status degree and develop the skills to engage the next generation and empower them to succeed and thrive.

You'll be taught by experienced teaching professionals to develop an individual teaching practice that will positively benefit the lives of young people every day.

You'll extend your depth of knowledge in topics that match your career ambitions and benefit from extensive teaching placements in primary schools and other educational settings, such as in a special educational needs (SEN) school or the education department of a zoo.

When you graduate, you'll be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to the Teaching Regulation Authority – a mandatory requirement if you want to work in most state-funded schools in the UK.

Course highlights

Get recommended for Qualified Teacher Status when you graduate with your degree
Be taught by expert researchers and practitioners in education, guest speakers with practical expertise and knowledge in their field and be mentored by experienced teachers on placement
Focus on areas such as technology in education, play and teaching children with learning difficulties
Benefit from our extensive network of partner schools and educational settings when planning your placements, including specialist educational environments such as pupil referral units, hospital schools and museums

Top 30

for student satisfaction

(Times Higher Education, 2024)

Children deserve to have the best teachers. We created this course to help develop them. Ones who can mentor, stimulate, provoke, engage and light the fires of curiosity in children. Ones who are lifelong learners themselves and want to share their enjoyment of learning.

David Hill, Course Leader, BEd Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status

Why study BEd Primary Education with QTS?

Make a real difference in children's lives on our BEd Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status course. Specialising in key stage one and key stage two, you'll benefit from extensive teaching placements with our network of partner schools and education settings.

Sarah Cox: The thing I most like about teaching is making a real difference in children's lives.

David Hill: That light bulb moment that children have, that's always a great feeling. The BEd Primary Education course is a three year undergraduate degree programme that trains you to be qualified to teach, specialising in key stage one and key stage two.

Sarah Cox: It's mostly practical based because that's how we love to teach and our students respond really well to that. At the end of the three years, you will have qualified teacher status, which means you're absolutely ready to go and be a primary teacher. But, actually having QTS can open a lot of doors for you as a teacher.

Drew: As well as teaching, you could also go into primary education tutoring like SATS catch up. You could also take it abroad, you can become a teacher in Dubai or Thailand.

David Hill: Teaching is one of those things where you develop a whole broad range of skills. A key part of that is going into practice and seeing the theory and the knowledge that you develop at university, to see how teachers apply that. We make sure that you get to do placements across all three years.

Alfie: In first year, I did a placement at a primary school for the entirety of the year one day a week, and it complemented my teaching. All the lectures building up that, they would be a reflection of the last placement, but also building onto the next one.

Sarah Cox: In the second year we step up a little bit, so you start off with two days a week and you've got a block placement and then in your third year you've got a great big block placement which really allows you to get into being a teacher. So, by the end of that placement, you're ready to go off and have your first class.

Alfie: The placement has given me a preview to what my career might be like. I love the fact that teaching is essentially helping someone for the rest of their life. Seeing those children's faces light up really excites me for the future.

Drew: Knowing that you're making a difference in these young children's lives that they're going to remember forever, it's so exciting and it's just so heartwarming to see all the children excited for learning.

Alfie: You want to be a primary teacher? I think this is one of the best courses around.

Contact information

Admissions

+44 (0) 23 9284 5566

Contact Admissions

Clearing is open

This course is available through Clearing.

How to apply for accommodation

We have a variety of accommodation options, including studios, en-suites, catered, self-catered and private rental options. See how our housing team can help you find a place to call home.

Find out more

Clearing FAQs

To work out your UCAS points, use our UCAS Calculator to work out how many UCAS points you have.

The tariff calculator will allow you to see what grades you need to get into your preferred course at Portsmouth.

You can apply through Clearing if:

You don't meet the conditions of your offer for your firm (first) or insurance (second) choice courses
Your exam results are better than you expected and you want to change your course or university
You don't hold any offers
You've accepted an offer but changed your mind about the course you want to do
You're applying for the first time after 30 June 2024

Find out more on UCAS

After we make you an offer we'll send you a confirmation email. This email will let you know what you need to do next and it will tell you what you need to provide us. In some instances we may ask you to send us copies of certificates or you may need to send us a portfolio.

If you've previously applied through UCAS you'll need to use your UCAS Hub to accept our offer by adding us as your Clearing choice.

If you're having issues, please contact us on +44 (0)23 9284 8090 or admissions@port.ac.uk

Once you've accepted your Clearing course offer, we'll be in touch with details of available accommodation in the area. This will include our latest hall availability and support to find local rented accommodation via portsmouthstudentpad.co.uk

See our accommodation page for more information.

No, it's not too late and you should make your application for student finance as soon as possible. You don't have to wait for your results. You can make your application now and just amend it when you know where you're going to be.

If you've already applied for your student loan, you'll need to log into your account and update details about your new course/university. If you haven't applied for your student loan yet, don't panic. Apply today – it only takes 30 minutes.

Find out more in our Student finance for Clearing guide.

If you're an EU or international student and you need a visa to study here, you need to start the process quickly as visas can take some time to come through. Get in touch with our visa support team if you have a question or problem.

See more on visa advice.

If you would like further information or guidance, please contact our international office or call our International Clearing Hotline on +44(0)23 9284 8785.

Entry requirements

BEd (Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status degree entry requirements

Typical offers

A levels - BBC-BCC
UCAS points - 104-112 points from 3 A levels or equivalent (calculate your UCAS points)
T-levels - Merit
BTECs (Extended Diplomas) - DMM
International Baccalaureate - 28-29

You may need to have studied specific subjects or GCSEs - see full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.

Selection process

All shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview in support of their application.
All offers are subject to Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance and Occupational Health clearance.

English language requirements

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

See alternative English language qualifications

We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.

If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

We look at more than just your grades

While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.

Explore more about how we make your offer

Careers and opportunities

You can have a huge impact on the next generation of society, creating and developing interests in children that can set them on a successful course for their future. And once you complete this degree course, you'll have all the skills you need to begin your career as a primary teacher.

Potential salary

As a primary school teacher with qualified teacher status in a state-funded school in the UK 2021, you could expect a starting salary of anywhere between £25,714 and £32,157, depending on where you teach. You'll also benefit from a further two years of structured professional development that will build on the skills and knowledge you will gain on the BEd course.

Career progression

As you build your teaching experience, you could move into senior roles, such as head of department, deputy head, assistant head or head teacher. These roles all bring more responsibility and higher salaries.

You could earn upwards of £38,000 as a senior teacher (depending on where you teach in the UK). As a head teacher in the UK, you could earn between £47,735 and £117,197 – or more if you choose to work in London.

Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

Alternative careers

As well as equipping you to become a confident primary teacher, this course opens up a range of other opportunities. If you'd like to stay in a school setting, you can progress to roles such as education officer or a specialist education leader. But you could also choose to work in other educational settings, such as an outdoor education centre or educational department in hospitals, museums or zoos.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of your teachers on the course, or move into research in the area of education, you could also do further study and research at postgraduate level.

Placement opportunities

You'll develop your teaching skills with at least 120 days of placement in primary schools. You'll also have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of education, in an area of interest to you, with three weeks placement in an alternative educational setting. This could be anything from a special educational needs (SEN) school to the education department at a theme park.

We'll give you all the support you need to find a placement that prepares you for your career. While on placement you'll continue to receive mentoring from your teaching staff, as well as the experienced teacher you'll be working with.

CCT membership

You'll be eligible to become a member of the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) when you graduate.

CCT membership allows you to use the post-nominal letters "MCCT" after your name, which highlights your professional status. You'll also get opportunities to shape the profession and educational policy through consultations, as well as access to networking events, online courses and the latest teaching research.

You'll receive free student membership of the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) while you study and receive access to additional training resources, career guides and networking opportunities

Modules

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, four modules worth 20 credits and one module worth 40 credits.

Not a fan of exams?

On this course, you won't have to sit any exams. Instead, you'll submit coursework, assignments and presentations to demonstrate your knowledge. Take a look at how you'll be assessed on this course.

What you'll study

Core modules

You'll explore key theories and research on the ways children and young people develop, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth.

By the end of the module, you'll have a better understanding of how to support children's wellbeing and development.

You’ll identify your own weaknesses in your subject knowledge and develop an action plan to develop these.

You’ll begin to look at pedagogical approaches and how these relate to the content knowledge being taught, in order to start to consider how to plan for effective learning.

You’ll have the chance to apply what you learn in this module through your placements in the School Experience module, where you’ll be supported by an expert professional in your classroom.

You’ll examine the history of current policy in this area in relation to changing ideas.

You’ll address issues of diversity, as well as looking at specific responses for children identified with specific needs.

You’ll also continue to develop skills relating to personal responsibility and management of learning needs and competencies.

You’ll look at safeguarding, behaviour management and inclusion, and develop the fundamental knowledge and skills that teachers require.

You’ll study a range of pedagogies, learning theories and teaching strategies (including behaviour management), which you’ll then apply for real on your placement practice.

You’ll put into action everything you’ve learned so far, including planning and delivering learning to individuals or groups of primary aged pupils.

While on placement, you’ll undertake a number of tasks, start to collect evidence against the Teachers' standards and reflect on your own progress.

Core modules

You’ll be paired up with another student to help you team teach and gain support from each other, as well as your mentor.

In the first phase placement, days will run alongside university sessions during the week, while the second phase will consist of a 6-week block in either a KS1 or KS2 class.

You’ll take increasing responsibility over both phases for taking on the role of the class teacher.

Your university sessions will help you deepen your pedagogical and content knowledge for primary teaching, including looking more closely at progression pathways of learners and cross curricular connections, giving effective feedback to children, and planning to meet the needs of all learners.

You’ll improve your theoretical understanding though lectures and academic readings and relate this to your own placement experiences.

You’ll apply this in using planning and assessment to create an inclusive learning environment.

You’ll cover a range of education theories, philosophies and concepts for learning outside the primary classroom setting, such as early years settings, special schools, forest schools, museums, zoos, parks, outdoor education centres, natural and built environments and also international and indigenous approaches to experiential learning in the outdoors.

You’ll reflect on your own experiences and how these can shape our approaches to pedagogy in education. You’ll learn how to carry out effective risk-benefit analysis and frame your approach to risk as enabling children, young people and adults.

You’ll put all this into practice on a placement in an outside educational setting of your choice. Where possible students you’ll be able to undertake the one-day Hampshire Outdoor Leader qualification.

You’ll develop an understanding of aspects of the research process, as well as methodologies and methods.

You’ll also have the opportunity to apply this in developing a small-scale action research project on your school-based placement.

Optional modules

By exploring how collaboration can work with parents, professionals and carers, you'll learn to consider the whole child and tailor support for their unique needs.

You’ll focus on the principles and practices vital for child-centred communication, ethical decision making and upholding children's legal rights.

On this module, you'll explore the vital role of play in the lives of babies and children up to the age of 12, examining theoretical perspectives and research on the subject.

You'll discover how a child’s age and their individual needs shape the kind of play they engage in. You'll learn how important it is that adults working with children support and join in with them in play, and how to design enriching play environments.

You'll finish the module understanding the cognitive, social and emotional benefits of play, ready to nurture children's growth through purposeful play experiences.

You’ll get to know the child reader, mapping their meaning making and responses to text and images in children's literature.

You’ll discover the affective power of language and illustration in and around children's stories, as well as its potential messages for children exploring texts in a range of creative and expressive ways.

You’ll review how devices, software and online platforms best support various learning goals and student needs, and examine the potentials and pitfalls of emerging tech innovations.

You’ll develop creative blended learning experiences using technology’s strengths while still prioritising real-world interactions, play and healthy development.

You'll explore innovative, real-world focused approaches to link topics together.

Learn to leverage cross-curricular insights to enrich young minds, while strengthening your own pedagogical toolkit.

Core modules

You’ll design and complete an extended academic or work-based study into primary education with clear and specific aims, based on your own enquiry into a specific topic, personal learning, research and original thought.

Your research can take many forms depending on its aims and focus.

You’ll look at this from a strategic as well as an operational view. You’ll gain a better understanding of the different roles of teachers within a primary school (such as head teachers, SENDCO, phase or curriculum leaders) and their relationship with rest of the school community they must direct, communicate or work with (such as HLTAs, ELSA, office staff, governors, outside agencies, parents).

You’ll consider how to lead learning beyond just your classroom and make best use of other members of staff.

You’ll finesse the capabilities you need for effective primary teaching - from insightful assessment to responsive planning.

You’ll have support from your mentor teachers to find your voice and hone a leadership presence.