Primary Education 5-11

Primary education leading to Qualified Teacher Status is one of the most directly consequential professional programmes you can undertake as an undergraduate. Primary school teachers shape the early educational experiences of children between the ages of five and eleven, supporting their development across literacy, numeracy, science, the arts, and physical education while also nurturing the social, emotional, and creative capacities that underpin all future learning. The quality of that teaching matters enormously: the years between five and eleven are foundational for every learner, and the adults responsible for those years carry a responsibility that is both demanding and profoundly meaningful.

At the University of Northampton, this three-year full-time programme integrates academic study with substantial school-based practice, so that your understanding of child development, curriculum, pedagogy, and educational policy is developed alongside real classroom experience from the beginning of the degree. The programme meets the requirements of the Department for Education and leads to the award of both a degree and Qualified Teacher Status, making you eligible to teach in state-maintained primary schools in England and Wales immediately after graduation.

You will study the primary national curriculum in depth, learning how each subject is taught effectively to children at different stages of development, alongside child psychology, inclusive education and special educational needs, assessment and feedback, and the professional responsibilities of a registered teacher. You will spend significant time in schools on placement, working with children under the guidance of experienced teachers and developing the practical skills that classroom teaching demands. Reflective practice, the ability to evaluate your own teaching and respond to evidence, is central to the professional identity the programme builds.

Graduating with QTS means you can start teaching immediately, entering the Early Career Teacher induction phase that leads to full professional status. Primary teaching offers a career with genuine variety, the satisfaction of sustained relationships with children and families, and clear progression routes into subject leadership, year group coordination, and school leadership. Advanced roles in teaching, inspection, curriculum development, and initial teacher education are also accessible to experienced practitioners.