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Why choose the School of Education
Over 95% of our full-time UK graduates in education and teaching are in employment and/or further study, 15 months after graduating (Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes for 2020/21, pub 2023).
Our Education courses are in the top 10 in their subject table for teaching quality (Times Good University Guide, 2024).
Our Education students gave positive responses over 90% for our teaching; learning opportunities; assessment and feedback; academic support; organisation; and learning resources (NSS, 2024).
About the course
This course with recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) equips you with the knowledge, skills and understanding you need to take on this important role and help young children make sense of the world. You will learn through taught sessions and supported teaching practice where you apply the theory you have learnt in educational settings, developing your knowledge and skills to teach the national curriculum across Key Stages 1 and 2.
Course accreditation
This course is accredited by the Department for Education (DfE).
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Mock classrooms with specialist technology so you can watch and assess your lesson
- Forest School where you can deepen your understanding of the long-term educational benefits of outdoor learning opportunities
- Specialist Early Years and Sensory Centre to support your understanding of how teachers teach and children learn, within early years and SEND contexts
- Multi-media space for webinars and podcasting
Industry links
As one of the largest providers of teacher education in the eastern region, we have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations, a network that puts us at the forefront of educational developments.
Student experience
- Gain hands-on experience of teaching through four ‘Broadening Experience’ placements (one per year) in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS); Key Stage 3 (KS3); a placement related to your chosen elective; and a final placement based on your specialism/area of interest.
- Work with experienced tutors with a wealth of experience in building teacher competence and confidence across all subjects.
- At the University, you benefit from the support of your own personal tutor as well as a unit and course coordinator.
- On placement, you have mentors and University partnership liaison tutors to support you as you teach individuals, small groups and classes in the 5-11 age range.
- You have the opportunity to go on relevant field trips to places you would be likely to take your pupils, such as theatres, museums and art galleries.
- Broaden your understanding via regular visits by professionals from schools and academy chains; SEN schools; local education authorities; and other agencies. 
- Our Bedford campus is a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
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with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
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What will you study?
Studying our Primary Education (with QTS) BA (Hons) course aims to equip you with the knowledge, skills and understanding of child development, teaching and learning at primary school level. In core areas of study, you will be introduced to how children develop physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially in our Child Development and Theories of Learning unit while considering adapted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As an educator, it is also essential that you are familiar with primary literacy, and this is where our units in Literacy in The Primary School and Early Literacy and Reading will expose you to a range of theories on the teaching and learning of literacy. Here, you will develop your appreciation and understanding of poetry, dramatic texts and non-fiction. It is also important that you are equipped to teach core subjects as part of the curriculum, and this is where our Exploring Core Subjects unit will introduce you to the effective teaching of English, mathematics and science. You will then specialise in the study of each of these subjects in our units in Mathematics and Science and Further Mathematics and Science that will develop your knowledge of these topics relevant to the primary National Curriculum.ÌýÌý
Moreover, you will learn about practical teaching ideas for both subjects that will allow you to self-experiment with creating learning activities, including for children with SEND. In more advanced areas, you will develop your knowledge with an imaginative approach to teaching numbers, geometry, algebra and more. To enhance your knowledge, our Primary Foundation Subjects Enhancements unit will guide you on how to effectively teach, lead and manage these subjects in a primary setting. In other areas of teaching, you will also be prepared to teach foundation subjects including physical education, art, computing and music in our Professional Studies: Planning for Learning Across Subjects unit. In addition to this, you will learn about the nature of child learning and development with a focus on the role of adults in supporting these processes in our Leading High-Quality Teaching in the Early Years Enhancement unit. In particular, you will consider how aspects of leadership and management can be applied in early years contexts while developing your understanding of high-quality practice in early years.Ìý
To prepare you for the long term, our unit in Professional Studies: Preparing to Work with Children in the 21st Century will allow you to understand the ever-changing societal needs and how to manage this in classroom practice. Furthermore, to enhance your versatility, our unit in Professional Practice: Multidimensional Classrooms will support you in adopting a reflective, resilient and autonomous approach to teaching while allowing you to explore dynamic classroom practice. As an educator it is also important to consider diverse needs of children and adopt an inclusive approach in your work. This is where our unit in Meeting the Needs of Individual Children will prepare you to understand the sensitivities of inclusion in the field of socio-cultural learning theory. You will also explore how to enhance learning of pupils who may be asylum seekers or refugees while eliminating discrimination and addressing safeguarding in your work. This ties in closely with our Primary SEND Enhancement unit where you will look at aspects of SEND provision. Finally, you will have the opportunity to complete a research project in our Research for Teaching unit where you will analyse national and local educational contexts in a topic of your interest that will enhance your teaching practice by enabling you to better understand pupils’ needs and interests.Ìý
How will you be assessed?
Throughout the course you will continually be encouraged to explore what is known about teaching and learning and to demonstrate independence and creativity in evaluating the relevance of that knowledge in your own context. Assessed work will be directly applicable to your future role as a primary teacher and predominantly include essays reflective writing reports presentations and portfolios.
During your placements you will be assessed directly against the Teachers Standards. In all years you will complete in-class audits to assess your developing subject knowledge. Sound subject knowledge is a fundamental quality of an effective teacher and you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to on-going development of that knowledge throughout the course.
Also key to the course is a focus on the development of research informed teaching culminating in an extended systematic study of your own practice (dissertation). By embedding the professional requirements for Qualified Teacher Status within the academic requirements of the degree the course supports you in developing the qualities which define the ÑÇÉ«ÊÓƵ Graduate Teacher: an independent reflective creative innovative collaborative and resilient professional who is committed to on-going personal and professional development.
The assessment for this course seeks to support you in developing your understanding of the connections between theoretical perspectives and practice-based experience. The Profile Review Point is the process by which the mentor reviews your progress in your teaching `practice. The Teachers Standards 2012 provide the framework by which this progress is judged and are supplemented with descriptors which support you in understanding the qualities which define the level at which you meet the standards. The Teachers Standards Descriptors are included in School Placement documentation. Formative use of assessment is embedded throughout the course and is a principle which we would expect you to adopt in your own teaching. You will be supported to become familiar with self and peer assessment approaches and to make effective use of feedback on academic aspects of the course to identify targets for your on-going development and plan actions to address them.
Engagement with published research is a fundamental aspect of the course and you will be supported in developing skills of critical analysis of the literature. Rigorous attention to referencing conventions is therefore essential and you will be required to adopt the Harvard system. You will be supported in developing your understanding of plagiarism and poor academic practice to ensure that your work meets the highest standards of ethics.
Careers
You will gain experience in a range of schools and in different settings throughout your course enabling you to build a network of contacts. By the end of the course you will be fully prepared to enter the primary classroom and have your own class. Should you wish to work outside of the classroom you are equipped for a variety of roles from education officers at places of interest (museums art galleries tourist attractions) to training within organisations or tutoring.
You may also consider undertaking further study such as our MA Education or a specialist qualification in literacy or behavioural difficulties once you become teacher.
Entry Requirements
- 112 UCAS tariff points including 96 from at least 3 A-levels or equivalent
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
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International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
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