Primary Education (5-11) with QTS

Program Overview

Primary Education (5-11) with QTS

BA (Hons)

Undergraduate degree - single honours

Overview

This Primary Education with QTS degree course will give you the essential knowledge, skills and confidence that you’ll need to shine in the classroom and leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

What you'll learn

You’ll learn both through university-based exploration of educational theory and more hands-on classroom delivery. You’ll explore not just the why but also how children learn. You’ll think critically about research, national initiatives and classroom practice and learn how to evaluate your practice reflectively.

On the Bath Spa Primary teaching degree, we take a holistic approach to child development. You’ll explore how a child’s learning and wellbeing can be supported by the whole community, including parents and carers, families and schools. You’ll learn how to build relationships outwith the classroom to support child development.

You’ll develop a subject specialism in both a core subject (English, Maths and Science) and a foundation subject(History, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages, Art, Music, Computing, Design Technology, Physical Education, PSHE, RE).

On this Education degree, you’ll have the opportunity to establish yourself with a community of Bath Spa researchers to explore cutting-edge questions and issues that will directly impact your future practice.

Placements are a key part of this BA in Primary Education with QTS course. You’ll spend several weeks a year training in a range of schools or settings, allowing you to become familiar with their ethos and practice. You’ll be fully supported by expert colleagues in schools to develop your teaching skills through practice and reflection.

Course structure

Year one: Introduction and starting to teach.

You’ll be introduced to all subjects of the Primary curriculum, both core and foundation. You’ll begin to learn about professional practice, including curriculum, assessment and approaches to teaching and learning.

You’ll start to develop the necessary skills and behaviours for successful classroom delivery. In addition to several weeks structured classroom-based practice, you’ll spend two weeks in schools doing things like intense observations and learning how to adapt best practice.

Year two: Development and practice.

You’ll develop a deeper understanding of the curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning.

You’ll increase your teaching toolkit by learning how to plan, assess and support the diverse needs of children in the classroom.

Your second-year placement will give you an opportunity to embed your practice and take greater ownership of teaching and learning in your placement class. Our intensive weeks will focus on assessment and supporting child language development.

Year three: Specialism and consolidation.

You'll learn more about teaching and assessment methods, and focus on developing your specialism in two subjects - one core and one foundation.

You’ll get the opportunity to work alongside active researchers to develop specialist knowledge in your chosen core subject.

An extended placement in Semester 2 will support you in developing and extending your practice in preparation for future employment as an Early Career Teacher. The longer nature of the final placement, which is designed to enable full achievement of QTS, means that your final semester will end towards the end of June.

How will I be assessed?

You'll be assessed using various tasks and coursework. These may include portfolios, evidence of school-based practice, posters, reports, presentations, and quizzes to test your subject knowledge.

How will I be taught?

You'll learn through interactive sessions which puts you at the heart of discussion, reflection and learning with others. We provide academic support through the library and academic skills team. Additionally, we offer personal support through student wellbeing services.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

How we'll support you

Learn from experts at an institution with over 75 years of experience and a reputation for producing outstanding teachers.

You'll receive support from a network of experienced colleagues and school-based experts. They'll collaborate closely with your academic tutor to offer comprehensive support

With mentoring and practice, you'll improve creative thinking and problem-solving skills to become a well-rounded reflective practitioner.

If you have a passion for learning and want to inspire the next generation, teaching could be the career for you. Our BA Primary Education with QTS degree is designed to enable you to become a qualified, passionate Primary teacher of pupils aged five to eleven years old.

Course modules

This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.

Year one (Level 4) modules

• Core Subjects 1
• Foundation Subjects 1
• Teachers as Professionals 1
• Placement 1
• Positive Classroom Environments
• How Children Learn

Year two (Level 5) modules

• Core Subjects 2
• Foundation Subjects 2
• Teachers as Professionals 2
• Placement 2
• High Quality Talk
• Assessment for Learning

Year three (Level 6) modules

• Core Subjects 3
• Foundation Subjects 3
• Teachers as Professionals 3
• Placement 3 - QTS
• Adaptive Teaching 1
• Adaptive Teaching 2

Opportunities

Work placements, industry links and internships

You'll undertake a school placement in each year of the course.

In addition, you'll have teaching workshops in purpose built, well-resourced realistic learning environments.

Careers

Successful completion of the course will lead to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status.

Other career options may include working in educational roles with charities, cultural and heritage organisations or in settings such as prisons.

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.

Facilities and resources

Where the subject is taught

As a Bath Spa Teacher, you'll learn in a variety of locations within our wide partnership, both at the University and in schools.

The majority of your classes will be at our Newton Park campus and there will also be some teaching sessions held at Sion Hill. Teaching will take place in rooms equipped with relevant texts, equipment, training materials, and electronic resources.

Situated just out of the city centre, the campus offers panoramic views of the countryside and access to our state of the art facilities, including:

• Commons building, with its superb classroom facilities, social spaces, and specialist digital resources.
• Our Library offers a wealth of learning resources including books, journals, DVDs and an extensive range of electronic services. Our Subject Librarian for Education provides subject-specific support, including help with research.
• Writing and Learning Centre, which provides support for your academic work, including feedback on written drafts and other help with academic writing.
• Virtual Learning Environment, which provides online access to learning materials such as lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources.
• Access to thousands of business, design and tech courses online via LinkedIn Learning.
• In addition to supporting you to find your first teaching role, the Careers team run networking events and advisory workshops that explore your wider options. They help you get experience by assisting with your search for work placements and paid part-time jobs while you're studying. When you're ready to progress into your chosen career, they can help you secure graduate-level employment, freelance opportunities, and funding for your own business ideas. Career support continues for years after you graduate with the dedicated Grad Support Unit.

Fees

2025 entry

• UK full time: £9,535
• International full time: £16,460

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Funding opportunities

Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.

Entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:

You'll also need GCSE passes at grade 4/C or above (or recognised equivalents) in English and Mathematics and a Science subject.

• A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred
• BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
• T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
• International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required.
• Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).

If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants

IELTS 7.0 overall for visa nationals, with with no less than 6.0 in each component.

Non-academic requirements

Before being allowed to enrol, all teacher training applicants are required to complete a number of compulsory compliance checks, including:

• Enhanced DBS check
  • The Disclosure and Barring Service check is a legal requirement for anyone coming into contact with children or young people. It usually takes a few weeks but this can be longer in the summer months. Overseas applicants or those who have lived overseas for more than six months in the last five years will also require a police certificate of good conduct from the relevant country.
• Childrens' Barred List check
  • This check forms part of the Department for Education “Keeping Children Safe in Education” statutory guidance. Requests can sometimes be processed within the same working day.
• Prohibition from Teaching
  • The prohibition from teaching check is a requirement for all teaching staff in accordance with DfE guidance.
• Fitness to Train to Teach questionnaire
  • This is a compulsory requirement for anyone undertaking teacher training and may take up to eight weeks to clear.

Interview

If your application is selected, you will be interviewed before you can be offered a place.

Interviews are held throughout the year. It's your opportunity to share with us your personal qualities and experiences that will allow us to assess your suitability to teach and identify your personal training needs.

You’ll be expected to carry out tasks in preparation for and during your interview. You’ll be notified of any requirements prior to interview.