BA (Hons) Primary Education

This three-year BA degree course is designed for those working as teaching assistants in schools who wish to become primary or prep school teachers. To be a qualified teacher in England you have to have a degree and the most relevant degree to take is one in Education.

While the number of teachers in schools in England has remained steady over the past decade or so, the number of full-time equivalent TAs has more than trebled since 2000, from 79,000 to 262,800. Teaching assistants now comprise more than a quarter of the workforce in mainstream schools in England, rising to 35% in primary schools.

Our degree has many significant advantages:

1. It is designed to enable you to work in a paid job while taking the course.

2. The course is online and this enables you do the work and complete tasks at times you can manage. The course has been running in 2023 – so we know it works. The course materials are written by academics and leading primary school head teachers in England.

3. The course is excellent value. Every student will need to find out whether their employer is happy to pay, or whether they will take a student loan.

4. You will have your own University of Buckingham tutor who will support you throughout the course.

5. The degree course is integrated with your work because much of the study is based on you reflecting on your school and what happens there.

6. For students living in England, the BA can be followed by the 12-month Qualified Teacher Status course at the University of Buckingham which is free of charge (at the time of writing) because it is paid, through your employer, by the apprenticeship levy. QTS is needed to teach in many schools in England.

7. A typical teacher training course is only 10 months long, so adding a three-year degree to that will ensure you have a much higher level of knowledge.

Teaching assistants should not embark on this course unless they are determined and can find a good amount of time each week to do the necessary reading and writing.

Part-time teaching assistants are welcome.

Overseas applicants should know that the course content is about primary schools in England only. You will not be eligible for the apprenticeship-funded QTS course but can apply for the International QTS course for which there is a fee.

Start date: 1 July 2024. The compulsory induction day is 24 June 2024, online.

Finish date: June 2027 (October 2028 if you add the teacher apprenticeship QTS course).

To apply to this course, click ‘Apply Now’, below.

1. You must be in employment in a primary school in England and your school will need to write a letter supporting your application
2. You cannot have a university degree already
3. You should have passed two A-levels or equivalents; overseas qualifications must be checked through UK ENIC to show they are the same standard as British A-levels
4. You must apply by by May 15 2024
5. You must pass an interview
6. You must be determined and organised.
7. To teach in a primary school you need to have passed GCSE English, Maths and Science . So at some point before the QTS course you need to have done that. Overseas applicants will need to prove they have equivalent qualifications using UK ENIC.
8. Overseas applicants must have a good standard of written English and have an IELTS score of 6.5 or above or have completed some of their education in English.

Course Structure

There are 10 modules of 30 credits each, and a final 60 credit Enquiry module. The modules are:

• Child development 1 and the purposes of education
• School organisation and regulation and successful primary schools
• The science of learning and successful primary pupils
• The role of play and creativity in primary education
• Child development 2: barriers to learning, classroom culture and managing behaviour
• Early Years learning and an introduction to oracy and phonics
• Literacy and numeracy
• Foundation subjects and statutory RE
• Teaching primary science and assessment in primary schools
• Literacy and numeracy throughout the curriculum
• Enquiry module

You will study one of the above modules in each of the terms of the programme (four a year) , using the online platform. You will be sent readings and talks to work through and you will be assessed via computer-marked tests and reflective writing during the term and submit an end of module assignment of 3,000 words. These will be based on your study and in-school observations and experiences. The final Enquiry module is assessed in part by via computer-marked tests throughout the module as well as reflective writing and a larger piece of research based on an area of your choice from the programme that will involve a literature review of 2000 words and a research project of 6000 words, written over two terms.

If you live in England, after the BA you would proceed directly onto the University of Buckingham one-year apprenticeship-levy funded online teacher training course which leads to Qualified Teacher Status and for which there is no charge (unless a future government changes the regulations). If you do not live in England you will take an alternative Qualified Teacher Training course with Buckingham for which there will be a fee.

This will enable you to be a qualified teacher at any school in England.

The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.

Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.

For information on fees, please contact baprim-EDU@buckingham.ac.uk.

A non-refundable registration fee of £300 is also payable.

Apply by 15 May 2024. There is a limit to the numbers on this course so please apply quickly.

Bursaries and scholarships are available on application.