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Course overview
You cover professional skills, subject understanding, pedagogy, research and theory, with a focus on developing your subject knowledge and exploring teaching theories. Throughout the course, you embed this knowledge and refine these skills, enhancing your own practice with placements and reflecting through action research.
On placement, you practice teaching strategies, learn how to manage a classroom environment and develop an evidence-based approach from skilled professionals. By carrying out practical work in a school setting, you apply your knowledge in the real world. You also engage in research and subject enhancement projects to develop your skills further.
You may be eligible for a bursary or scholarship, check the getintoteaching website to find out more.
Course details
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Develop a detailed knowledge of core curriculum areas in English, maths and science at all relevant levels. Contextualise your knowledge and skills appropriately and apply your understanding of learning and teaching to these subjects. Evaluate and critique policies and approaches to teaching at institutional, regional and national levels.
Educational Research and Enquiry 1
Become familiar with the core content requirements of initial teacher training for the compulsory sector. You also develop your confidence with discussion and research in the sector.
Appreciate the value of research and develop the basic skills required to carry it out. Learn how to search for, select, and record different research studies when using them in writing.
Reflect on your own experiences with evidence-informed strategies to meet the ever-changing needs of young people, specific institutions and the sector as a whole.
Carry out your first practice placement, building professional skills to support your development as a teacher. Engage with all aspects of school life and actively learn the ways that schools operate within your subject specialism and beyond. Build your confidence by observing experienced teachers, team teaching and delivering lessons independently to a range of ages.
Understanding Pedagogy and Practice 1
Develop an understanding of theory that can be applied through professional practice. Build your confidence in creating, planning and delivering effective teaching and assessment across a range of ages and levels.
Gain a critical understanding of teachers’ professional roles and responsibilities. Learn the skills required to effectively embed the core standards of English, maths, inclusion and diversity, classroom management and the provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities.
Wider Curriculum Humanities and Enrichment 1
Explore the wider curriculum areas in humanities subjects and enrichment at all relevant levels. Contextualise your knowledge and skills appropriately and apply your understanding of learning and teaching to these subjects. Evaluate and critique policies and approaches to teaching at institutional, regional and national levels.
Wider Curriculum Practical Subjects 1
Develop your knowledge of wider curriculum areas in the practical subjects and enrichment at all relevant levels. Contextualise your knowledge and skills appropriately and apply your understanding of learning and teaching to these subjects. Evaluate and critique policies and approaches to teaching at institutional, regional and national levels.
Year 2 core modules
Develop the skills required to deliver the core curriculum across ages, stages and levels. You focus on teaching and early reading, as well as the key transition from early years to the national curriculum. You also consider the impact of special educational needs and disabilities on the development of knowledge and skills. Critically explore the ways that the core curriculum is organised, taught and managed.
Educational Research and Enquiry 2
Build on your knowledge of the core content requirements of initial teacher training for the compulsory sector. Develop your confidence with discussion and research in the sector.
Appreciate the value of research and implication of research for policy and practice in primary education, and develop basic skills in searching for and selecting research studies, plus recording research, and reading research studies.
Reflect on your experiences with evidence-informed strategies to meet the ever-changing needs of young people, specific institutions and the sector as a whole.
This is your second immersive teaching practice placement, where you build your professional skills to support your development as a teacher. You engage with all aspects of school life to actively learn the ways that schools operate. Build your confidence by observing experienced teachers, team teaching and delivering lessons independently to a range of ages.
Understanding Pedagogy and Practice 2
Develop an understanding of working with schools successfully in different contexts. Gain theoretical knowledge and apply this in your professional practice, adapting to local, regional and national needs. Build your confidence in creating, planning and delivering effective teaching and assessment across a range of ages and levels.
Understand teachers’ professional roles and responsibilities. Learn the skills required to effectively embed the core standards of English, maths, inclusion and diversity, classroom management and the provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities.
Wider Curriculum Humanities and Enrichment 2
Develop the skills required to deliver the wider humanities curriculum across ages, stages and levels. Understand the concepts underpinning the learning and teaching of these subjects, as well as school ethos and values. Focus on the transition from early years to secondary education and the enrichment curriculum to support pupils' development. You also consider the impact of special educational needs and disabilities on the development of knowledge and skills. Explore the ways in which the core curriculum is organised, taught and managed.
Wider Curriculum Practical Subjects 2
Develop the knowledge and skills required to deliver wider curriculum practical subjects across ages, stages and levels. Understand the concepts underpinning the learning and teaching of these subjects. Focus on the transition between early years and primary education onto secondary education. Explore the outdoor learning environment and how to create engaging digital environments, and consider the impact of special educational needs and disabilities on the development of knowledge and skills. Examine the ways that wider curriculum practical subjects are organised, taught and managed in the compulsory sector.
Optional work placement year
You have the option to spend one year in industry learning and developing your skills. We encourage and support you with applying for a placement, job hunting and networking.
You gain experience favoured by graduate recruiters and develop your technical skillset. You also obtain the transferable skills required in any professional environment, including communication, negotiation, teamwork, leadership, organisation, confidence, self-reliance, problem-solving, being able to work under pressure, and commercial awareness.
Many employers view a placement as a year-long interview, therefore placements are increasingly becoming an essential part of an organisation's pre-selection strategy in their graduate recruitment process. Benefits include:
· improved job prospects
· enhanced employment skills and improved career progression opportunities
· a higher starting salary than your full-time counterparts
· a better degree classification
· a richer CV
· a year's salary before completing your degree
· experience of workplace culture
· the opportunity to design and base your final-year project within a working environment.
If you are unable to secure a work placement with an employer, then you simply continue on a course without the work placement.
Final-year core modules
Build on your knowledge of core curriculum areas in English, maths and science at all levels. Develop a more detailed understanding of transition into secondary education and the primary teacher’s role in supporting this. Contextualise your knowledge and skills to apply these to your teaching, evaluating policy and approaches at institutional, regional and national levels.
Educational Research and Enquiry: Dissertation
You produce a piece of research over time, appropriate to your academic and vocational interests. Apply a substantive area of theory relevant to primary education, developing your own intellectual voice with a sustained argument and perspective. Reflect on your experiences with evidence-informed strategies to meet the ever-changing needs of students, institutions and the sector as a whole.
This is your final practice placement, where you build on your professional skills to support your development as a teacher. You engage with all aspects of school life to actively learn the ways that schools operate. Build your confidence by observing experienced teachers, team teaching and delivering lessons independently to a range of ages.
Understanding Pedagogy and Practice 3
Evaluate your performance, enhancing your ability to link theory with practice. Look beyond your direct experiences and consider a range of pupils and educational settings. You are encouraged to become more independent and resilient, applying your skills to unfamiliar professional and classroom situations.
You also develop your understanding of traditional and contemporary learning, teaching and assessment theories. Explore government policy and curriculum theory, evaluating different approaches. Gain critical and evaluative skills to construct and sustain reasoned arguments about current educational issues and underpinning ideologies.
Wider Curriculum: Subject Specialist Development
You build on your ability to link theory to practice. You are encouraged to take responsibility for your professional development through the planning, implementation and evaluation of wider curriculum enhancement. You engage in an area of practice relevant to your placement setting, to review and reflect on practice and how it can be enhanced.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You learn through lectures and seminars in university and through professional practice in schools.
How you are assessed
You are assessed through essays, reports, lesson planning and portfolios.
Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services
Find out more about financial support
Find out more about our course related costs
Entry requirements
2027-28 entry requirements
For Clearing 2026 entry requirements, please refer to the information in the box above.
The following admission criteria applies:
- a typical offer is 104 - 120 tariff points from at least two A levels, T level or equivalent
- GCSE grade 4, or standard equivalent, in English, maths and science (qualifications in key and functional skills at level 2 are not equivalent to GCSEs in breadth of content). If you have not achieved the standard equivalent, you can sit an equivalency test at equivalencytesting.com
- ability to demonstrate capacity to meet the Teachers’ Standards
- verification of your identity either from your birth certificate, or an acceptable, alternative document
- completed a satisfactory Occupational Health Clearance (further details will be provided)
- completed a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and enrol on the DBS update service
- completed a satisfactory suitability assessment in line with the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education. Any declarations made may be subject to a panel process before a decision can be made
- submission of two references. Referees must confirm that they know of no reason why you cannot work with children. Admissions will also check there aren’t any breaks in your employment or education history. References must be either academic (for example, your university tutor), professional (for example, your manager), school experience (for example, the headteacher of the school you have been working in) or character (for example, a mentor or someone you know from volunteering). If you’re still studying or graduated in the last five years, one of your references should be an academic reference. If you already work in a school, one of your references should be from your headteacher. If you graduated more than five years ago and do not work in a school, you can choose any combination of references. Ensure you provide a professional email address, not a personal email address for each reference
- successful completion of a formal interview and selection process.
- a formal interview where you will be interviewed by two members of the teaching team
- a presentation about a reading activity
- a reflective and a classroom-based scenario task
- a data task.
- fluent communication skills
- writing that reflects a high standard of accuracy
- an ability to use data and graphs to interpret information, identify patterns and trends to draw appropriate conclusions.
Applicants taking other qualifications that are equivalent to A levels will be considered. We welcome applications from mature students, and those returning to education, who have studied appropriate qualifications. We accept a wide range of qualifications that meet the UCAS tariff points or equivalent.
You must also have:
The interview and selection process includes:
The process determines whether you possess the appropriate attitudes and value expected of a teacher. It also assesses whether you demonstrate intellectual and academic suitability for the course, including:
Upon completion of the interview and selection process, you will be asked to give an evaluation of the day, so that we can continually monitor and improve our processes.
IELTS entry requirements for international students is level 6.5.
International qualifications will be checked for equivalency by the International Admissions team.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements.
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting our international country pages.
You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL
Employability
Career opportunities
You are supported to prepare for the next steps in your teaching journey as you progress to meet teachers’ standards. Develop your professionalism and employability, receiving advice and guidance in relation to recruitment and selection. The course ensures that you are ready to progress to professional development through the Early Career Framework in your first teaching role as an early career teacher.
Work placement
You complete three professional placements and gradually build up your teaching experience while observing and working with colleagues. You experience the life of a teacher by fully immersing yourself in the school environment. You benefit from the support of a curriculum mentor and professional mentor, providing feedback and working with you to set targets. Mentors are highly trained and effective educational practitioners who provide you with information, advice and guidance throughout the course. We are partnered with a diverse range of schools and settings across the Tees Valley to give you contrasting experiences where possible. Placement in schools is dependent on several variables and while we will endeavour to take your location preferences into account, you should be prepared to travel across the Tees Valley.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.