Primary Education 5-11 (QTS)

ITT provision rated Good by Ofsted (May 2022)
21st for Satisfied with Teaching for Education –The Guardian University Guide 2025 (Education League Table)

This course is ideal if you’re interested in teaching children between the ages of five and 11. You will learn how to teach, how to lead and you will develop your subject knowledge to give you confidence and competence in the classroom. You will spend time in schools supported by a trained mentor during each year to enable you to develop and demonstrate competence in all of the Teachers' Standards. You will be trained to teach Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and upon successful completion of the course you will be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), allowing you to teach anywhere in the country.

Your course consists of university and school-based learning. You will be in school for at least 120 days over the course of your degree. The commitment to the course is full time – you need to be available five days a week. However, not all of that time will be face to face teaching. Sessions in university vary according to the time of year but on average you may have 16 hours face to face teaching. At other times you may be undertaking reading and writing for assignments or completing pre tasks before coming to sessions.

We have a partnership of schools that we work with regularly for school placements. The majority of these schools are in the Northamptonshire area but we do work with schools further afield in Milton Keynes, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Cambridgeshire. Your placements will be arranged by our Placements Team based on your term time address and your previous placements. We ensure a range of placements in terms of types and size of school and the year groups you work in. Your year 2 and 3 placements will be in alternate key stages.

NSS*

95% go onto work and / or study within 15 months after the course
91% Staff are good at explaining things

By studying at the University of Northampton, you can be sure that:

• Our expert academics teach in small groups supported with one to one assistance. Our academics and students form a tight bond, providing individualised support and guidance whilst challenging students academically.

• Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd.

• At UON we guarantee a room in our Halls of Residence for all new full-time, first year students who apply and accept their room offer by June 2026 - and we won't ask for a deposit for September 2026*.

• Students enrolling on this course at Northampton will be provided with their own brand new laptop** to keep at no additional cost. All sports clubs and societies are free to join at Northampton and every essential course text book is available via the library, meaning you won’t have to purchase copies. For more information on this visit our website (northampton.ac.uk/benefits).

• You will experience student life at the University’s £330 million Waterside Campus. Come along to an Open Day and find out more.

The Northampton Employment Promise

In fact, we’re so confident in our careers and employability support that if you achieve at least a 2:2 degree and complete either our Employability Plus Gold programme or achieve a Changemaker Gold Certificate during your time studying with us, but still haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating, we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you or support you into postgraduate study.

✱ eligibility criteria apply. See northampton.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/ for more information
✱✱ eligibility criteria and terms and conditions apply. See northampton.ac.uk/benefits for more information

STAGE 1

• School Experience Primary 1a (compulsory)
• School Experience Primary 1b (compulsory)
• The Foundatoins of Teaching English (compulsory)
• The Foundations of Teaching Mathematics (compulsory)
• The Foundations of Teaching Science (compulsory)
• The Foundations of Teaching the Wider Curriculum (A) (compulsory)
• Professional Studies - Foundations of Practice (compulsory)
• School Experience Primary 1a (Alternative) (Designated for non QTS students)
• School Experience Primary 1b (Alternative) (Designated for non QTS students)

STAGE 2

• School Experience Primary 2 (compulsory)
• Professional Studies - Developing Practice (compulsory)
• Developing the Teaching of English (compulsory)
• Developing the Teaching of Mathematics (compulsory)
• Developing the Teaching of Science (compulsory)
• Developing the Teaching of the Wider Curriculum (compulsory)
• The Foundations of Teaching the Wider Curriculum (B) (compulsory)
• School Experience Primary 2a (Alternative) (Designated for non QTS students)

STAGE 3

• School Experience Primary 3 (compulsory)
• Professional Studies - Enriching Practice (compulsory)
• Enriching the Teaching of English (compulsory)
• Enriching the Teaching of Mathematics (compulsory)
• Enriching the Teaching of Science (compulsory)
• Developing the Teaching of the Wider Curriculum (B) (compulsory)
• Dissertation (compulsory)
• School Experience Primary 3 (Alternative) (Designated for non QTS students)

Module information is quoted for 2025 entry. Please note that modules run subject to student numbers and staff availability, any changes will be communicated to applicants accordingly.

Assessment for this course is continuous. You will engage in various assignments including essays, group presentations, exhibitions, displays, writing lesson plans and a final year dissertation or project. Your teaching, including planning and assessment, will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards. Partner schools share the responsibility for assessment during the practical teaching.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Primary