Primary Education with Qualified Teaching Status
Primary school teaching is one of the most consequential and rewarding careers a graduate can choose. Primary teachers work with children in the years when foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking are established, when curiosity and a love of learning can be cultivated, and when relationships with caring and knowledgeable adults can make a profound difference to a child's confidence and development. The role demands intellectual breadth, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage a complex classroom environment while keeping every child's progress in view.
At the University of Portsmouth, this three-year full-time BEd (Hons) programme leads to Qualified Teacher Status, meaning you are fully qualified to teach in primary schools in England on graduation. You will develop subject knowledge across the primary curriculum alongside the pedagogical understanding and practical teaching skills that classroom practice requires. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to experience primary education in a different national context, which can be a genuinely illuminating experience for developing your own teaching philosophy.
Substantial time is spent in school placements throughout the degree, where you develop your teaching practice under the supervision and guidance of experienced teachers. The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.
Graduates qualify as primary school teachers and can work in any maintained primary school or academy in England and Wales. With experience, teachers develop into subject leads, assistant heads, deputy heads, and headteachers. Roles in educational consultancy, school inspection, initial teacher training, and the leadership of multi-academy trusts are also common paths for teachers with ambition and drive.
Primary teaching is a profession with strong job security and genuine social impact.