Primary School Teacher
What is the work like?
Primary school teachers work with children between the ages of five and eleven, in state or independent schools.
As a primary teacher, you would be responsible for a class and teach them all, or most, areas covered by the National Curriculum. You would also have a specialist subject, which you may coordinate throughout the school.
As well as teaching you would:
- prepare lessons and teaching materials
- mark and assess children's work
- put up displays in the classroom
- work with other professionals, such as educational psychologists and social workers
- discuss children's progress and other relevant issues with parents and carers (both informally and at parents' evenings)
- attend meetings and in-service training
- organise outings, social activities and sporting events.
You may have the help of a teaching assistant.
Some areas of England and Wales have middle schools that take children from ages eight or nine to twelve or thirteen. As a teacher in a middle school you would teach the primary or secondary curriculum, depending on the age of children in your class.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
To be a primary or middle school teacher in a state school, you must gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by doing Initial Teacher Training (ITT). There are four types of ITT:
- undergraduate
- postgraduate
- School-Centered Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)
- work-based.
For all of these you would need:
- GCSEs (A-C) English, maths and science or equivalent qualifications – you should check with course providers for their requirements
- to pass tests in numeracy, literacy and ICT (information and communications technology)
- CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) clearance.
It would also be an advantage if you have experience of working with children (either paid or voluntary) in the relevant age group. For example, you could volunteer at a local school or holiday play scheme.
You can choose from the four types of ITT, depending on whether you already have higher education qualifications.
Undergraduate route
If you do not already have a degree you can get QTS at the same time as completing a degree, by doing one of the following types of course:
- BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) with QTS
- Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree course (at a few universities).
The courses last for three or four years full-time. As well as the basic requirements listed above, you would usually need at least two A levels (one of which should be in a National Curriculum subject) and at least five GCSEs (A-C). Universities may accept other qualifications, such as an Access to Higher Education course. Check with course providers for their exact requirements.
To search for colleges and universities offering the degrees see Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Postgraduate routes
If you have a degree or equivalent in a subject relevant to the primary National Curriculum, you can get QTS by doing a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course. Courses can be one year full-time, two years part-time or flexible by distance learning.
You can search for PGCE courses and apply on-line on the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) website.
School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)
SCITT is classroom-based postgraduate training which takes one year. You would need to have a degree.
Employment-based routes
You can gain QTS whilst working in a school on a trainee salary on one of the following programmes:
- Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) – you must already have a degree
- Registered Teacher Programme (RTP) – you must have completed two years of higher education (for example, a BTEC HND, foundation degree or two years of a degree)
- Overseas Trained Teacher Programme (OTTP) – you must have an overseas teaching qualification that is equivalent to a UK degree.
The number of places on employment-based programmes is limited and competition is strong.
Visit the Training and Development Agency for Schools or the Department of Education Northern Ireland websites for full details of all entry routes and funding for training.
What further training and development can I do?
After your ITT course, you would need to successfully complete three terms in a teaching job before you are considered fully qualified. During this time you would have a reduced teaching timetable and would be supported by a mentor.
Throughout your teaching career you would need to keep up to date with new methods and ideas in education by doing in-service training. You could do this by attending training days in school or at local authority training centres.
Fast Track Teaching
As a qualified teacher, you may be able to enter the Fast Track Teaching programme. This provides coaching, mentoring and development activities to help especially talented teachers progress more quickly to senior roles, such as deputy head.
The selection process is challenging, and you must have the support of your headteacher. See the Fast Track Teaching website for details. The Fast Track programme is not available in Wales.
Transferring to another age group
You do not need to do further training to transfer to another age group. However, schools recommend that you get some experience of the age group you are intending to teach. This could be done on a voluntary basis.
Some LEAs and teacher training institutions may offer short conversion or refresher courses. You can get details of some of these from the Training and Development Agency for Schools website.
Returning to teaching
If you are a qualified teacher wanting to return to teaching after a career break you can find information (including details of returners' courses and other available support) on the Training and Development Agency for Schools website.
Where can I go for more information?
Balloo Road
Bangor
BT19 7PR
Tel: 028 9127 9279
New Barn Lane
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 3LZ
Tel: 0870 112 2205
London
SW1W 9SZ
Teaching Information Line: 0845 6000 991
Related profiles...
Nursery/Primary School Teacher (Scotland)
Secondary School Teacher (Scotland)
Special Educational Needs Teacher
What salary and other benefits can I expect?
The main salary range is from £20,627 to £30,148 a year (£25,000 to £34,768 in inner London).
Teachers who reach the top of the main scale may apply to be assessed to progress to the upper pay scale. This ranges from £32,660 to £35,121 (£39,114 to £42,419 in inner London).
Salary scales are reviewed each year. See details of the full pay scales on the Training and Development Agency for Schools website.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
You would teach 39 weeks a year. Teaching hours vary between schools, but are usually 9am to 3.30pm or 4pm.
You would also spend a lot of time outside these hours preparing lessons, marking and assessing work, and taking part in other activities such as outings, parents' evenings and in-service training.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- enthusiasm for the subjects you teach
- the ability to make good relationships with pupils, parents/carers and colleagues
- commitment to equal opportunities
- the ability to work in a team but also to use your own initiative
- organisational and time-management skills
- the ability to manage classes and deal with challenging behaviour
- excellent communication skills
- patience and a good sense of humour.
What opportunities are there?
Most teaching jobs are in state schools, but you could also work in independent schools, pupil referral units, hospitals and schools run by the armed forces. Part-time and supply teaching are possible.
As an experienced teacher you may become an Advanced Skills Teacher (AST), supporting other teachers as well as teaching your own class. See the Teachernet website for details.
In most schools you could progress to curriculum leader, deputy headteacher and headteacher. You could also choose to specialise in teaching pupils with special educational needs or move into private tuition.
You may find the following links useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):
Education Guardian
Times Educational Supplement
eteach.com
Teachernet
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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