Primary Education (QTS) BA (Hons)
Subject and course type
- Education and teaching
- Undergraduate
Get your teaching career off to the best possible start with Kingston University’s Primary Education undergraduate course. With a blend of expert teaching, in-school support, hands-on placements and specialised enhancement experiences, this course is the perfect way to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
This course is in Clearing.
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Inspire the next generation of pupils
Open doors to become a class teacher, subject leader, headteacher or tutor.
This course will give you the skills you need to create first-class learning experiences for primary pupils through the full breadth of national curriculum subjects, digital technology and more.
You’ll learn the art of teaching, master your professional practice and get to grips with the core and foundation subjects of the National Curriculum.
When you graduate, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of pedagogy, theories of learning, child development, safeguarding and how to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Your teaching career starts here.
Education and teaching at Kingston University
Our students are making big changes to small peoples' lives. Hear how you could develop the skills you need to play a pivotal role in the lives of children and young people.
The course, the lecturers and the people are amazing and you will never feel alone because the lecturers will support you just as much as your friends will. Choose to make yourself the best version of you that you can be!
Why choose this course
Kingston University has been training teachers for more than 100 years. We’ve partnered with over 200 schools to make sure your learning experience is rounded and diverse, and we’re ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
On this course, you’ll spend 120 days teaching pupils in a primary school setting. You’ll work alongside experienced teachers, build your knowledge and build confidence in a range of different learning environments.
As well as your Professional Practice placements, you’ll independently arrange ‘Beyond the Classroom’ experiences at the end of your first and second years. These will give you the opportunity to spend at least 10 days working in an area that interests you – perfect for deepening your understanding and enhancing your professional practice.
When you’re not putting your skills into practice at a school, you’ll be taught by experienced professionals at our Kingston Hill campus. Facilities here include an outdoor learning environment – great for simulating teaching with natural materials.
Inside, you can use our subject based classrooms to practise your lessons. You can also access a wide range of teaching resources – from children’s books and music to artefacts and kits – from our library at the Nightingale Centre.
Course content
You will experience a range and variety of teaching and learning strategies that are demonstrated by expert colleagues within the programme and that mirror approaches within primary teaching and learning that you will encounter in professional practice.
Your induction will include specific activities that relate to the preparation required before you go into schools and covers aspects of practice such as professionalism, safeguarding, social media for teachers and an introduction to behaviour management. These are all framed by reference to the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (DfE, 2024) and Teachers' Standards (DfE, 2021), so you will understand core professional expectations.
The programme provides a strong emphasis on the core subject areas of mathematics, science and English, including the teaching of early reading, systematic synthetic phonics and grammar. This closely mirrors practice in primary schools, together with a more holistic approach to the curriculum, focusing on innovative and creative approaches to teaching and learning with emphasis on cross-curricular links with the National Curriculum foundation subjects such as physical education, history, geography and art.
A significant amount of teaching about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has been embedded within the course. You will be introduced to this in Year 1 and then engage with 40 taught hours in this specialist area during the Child Development and Inclusive Practice module in Year 2. We have a specialist dyslexia tutor who delivers key content around developing current skills, strategies and pedagogical approaches specifically to support dyslexic pupils and those with additional literacy difficulties. This is further built upon in Year 3, ensuring that you are equipped with the necessary tools to confidently and competently support pupils with SEND in the classroom.
My course is preparing me with the knowledge, skills and experience I need to begin my career in teaching.
You will also experience and develop your knowledge of the appropriate selection and use of digital technologies to promote pupils' interests and engagement within and beyond the curriculum.
Our carefully sequenced and ambitious curriculum progressively builds on your knowledge, understanding and key skills. The course is designed to ensure that all teaching and learning activities support and enhance student development in the five core areas of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (DfE, 2024), to enable trainees to make good progress and meet the Teachers' Standards at the end of their training.
Year 1
Core Modules
30 credits
This module provides you with the opportunity to begin to explore and define theories of learning that influence and/or underpin different pedagogical approaches in education.
You will be introduced to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (2021) framework and explore the principles of effective learning and development in young children that provide the foundations for learning and progression for all pupils. This learning is contextualised through visits to nurseries and reception classes, where you will observe expert colleagues modelling effective practice in planning and assessment and have the opportunity to discover what makes particular pedagogical approaches successful for different pupils. You will begin to recognise how high-quality teaching across different ages and phases has long-term positive effects on pupils' life chances, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The module also introduces you to the core subjects of English, mathematics and science in the National Curriculum (NC), so that you can begin to examine and use the frameworks that influence curriculum design, pedagogical approaches, key skills and concepts that underpin teaching and learning in early years and primary contexts. You will spend some time developing your own subject knowledge in the core curriculum areas, learning from expert colleagues who will model different pedagogical approaches that you are likely to observe in professional practice.
30 credits
This module is designed to introduce you to child development. It begins by exploring patterns of growth and development from birth to adulthood. You are introduced to the physical, cognitive, language, emotional, social and moral development of children, and are encouraged to appreciate the uniqueness of every child and to have an awareness of difficulties and barriers children may face, as they grow, develop and learn.
The module introduces your responsibilities as a teacher in terms of understanding how your expectations can affect pupil outcomes and the importance of developing a culture of mutual trust and respect to ensure that you are able to work effectively with pupils, their families and other professionals to adapt teaching and address diversity, so that all children reach their potential.
30 credits
This module introduces you to the notion of curriculum. It explores different interpretations including the planned curriculum, the hidden curriculum and the extra curriculum that pupils experience in primary schools. The module explores the concept of curriculum in the context of historical, social and political influences. It also introduces you to foundation subject specific knowledge in the National Curriculum and how the present curricula in different subject areas have been influenced and impacted upon over time.
You are introduced to different foundation subjects through immersion in planned learning activities to ensure that your own foundation subject knowledge is developed through effective pedagogical practices modelled by expert teachers. This includes having experiences of learning new concepts related to prior knowledge and examining what is meant by the process of learning.
30 credits
This module introduces you to the foundation phase of the professional practice-based element of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme, involving placement in a primary school, across the academic year. Initially, you will be supported in exploring some aspects of professional practice, in preparation for going into a school. These include expected professional behaviours, codes of conduct, safeguarding, child protection, classroom management and behaviour management. As you begin to gain experience in the primary school context, you will revisit these aspects and begin to evaluate your effectiveness within practice, understanding that you act as a key role model for pupils, that you must take responsibility for their learning and that you have the ability to affect and improve their well-being, motivation and behaviour.
You will be expected to undertake a series of tasks under the guidance of expert colleagues, to foster the academic and professional development of your practice, demonstrating your knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn. You will begin to engage with planning and assessment and you will also collect information on a small number of pupils, following their learning and development in close detail throughout your placement.
As well as a school-based placement, you will also have the opportunity to gain some experience of working as a volunteer with children in a different educational context, such as museum education, art gallery education or recreational sports and activities (subject to appropriate university safeguarding checks). This enhancement experience, called ‘Beyond the Classroom', will take place towards the end of the academic year and will culminate in a celebration of your learning (and the learning of your peers), through the presentation of a small exhibition, with invited guests.
Year 2
Core Modules
30 credits
This module critically explores aspects of the curriculum and pedagogical knowledge related to the primary core subjects of English, mathematics and science. You are given opportunities to review and develop your own core subject knowledge as well as examine and practise pedagogical approaches to ensure that you can motivate and teach pupils effectively and they can make progress in their learning with confidence.
Tutors on this module will model carefully sequenced learning sessions so that you experience and learn how to link new knowledge to existing knowledge. Connections between taught sessions will be made so that you will have personal insights into how knowledge and skills can be transferrable and applied in different contexts. The module enables you to focus on and discuss how pupils learn and explores the concepts of working-memory and long-term memory. Planning and assessments are further developed to ensure that you are able to respect difference and meet the needs of all pupils, through well-structured lessons.
30 credits
This module addresses the importance of using knowledge of child development theory and patterns of growth and development to make informed choices about learning and teaching approaches, including the pupil's voice and with an emphasis on effective inclusion.
You will learn about relevant legislation and statutory guidance, and examine how to recognise indicators that might suggest a pupil has particular and specific learning needs and how to address these in practice.
You will also explore how to work effectively with other adults in the classroom, other professionals and experts in the wider field to ensure that targeted support and interventions enable all pupils to make progress. This module relates specifically to the Professional Practice 2 module as you will design and develop a resource to support a pupil experiencing literacy difficulties in practice.
30 credits
This module builds on learning gained in the module Foundation Curriculum and Pedagogy 1. It explores a broader range of intercultural subject and pedagogical approaches in learning and teaching, giving you an opportunity to compare and contrast these with current approaches in the English education system.
During the module you will critically explore approaches and resources that impact upon foundation subject knowledge and effective pedagogy and practice in national and local contexts. You will have opportunities to consider factors that contribute to intercultural dimensions of education as you continue to explore and critically review subject knowledge.
As part of the module, you will engage in further developing your specific subject knowledge. You will be given opportunities to try out different pedagogical approaches. You will further develop an appreciation for how your attitude and approach to subjects can influence the attitudes, values and behaviours of pupils.
30 credits
This module provides you with the opportunity to build on the foundation phase practice-based elements of the ITT programme developed in Professional Practice 1 and involves a professional practice placement in a different school and age range to that experienced previously. The module will enable you to develop your existing knowledge and key practice skills. You will continue to benefit and learn from the experience of expert colleagues as you apply developing knowledge and understanding in the classroom, with reference to the Core Content Framework (2019).
With expert input, you will continue to be encouraged to take greater opportunities to practise, receive feedback and develop your pedagogical skills in the primary school context, understanding that you are a role model who can influence the attitudes, values and behaviours of pupils and that as a teacher you must take responsibility for pupils' learning. You will begin the module by revisiting key responsibilities of teachers in areas such as safeguarding and child protection to ensure that your knowledge is current.
Year 3
Core Modules
30 credits
This module explores a range of contemporary issues that impact upon core subject knowledge, pedagogy and practice in the context of primary education. As you further develop your knowledge you will critically examine the influence of research on the teaching of English, mathematics and science within schools, critically exploring issues such as financial education, climate change and sustainability.
You will investigate contemporary education policies in the core subjects and how they may be shaped by social trends and political discourse. You will be encouraged to question and examine your own developing professional position within the issues explored and how this may affect changes in the core subject curriculum, as delivered in local contexts. As part of this module, you will explore how to make changes in professional practice working with expert colleagues, peers, pupils and other stakeholders.
You will undertake and lead a small-scale Action Research project in your placement, identifying an area for development, implementing the change and critically evaluating the impact in terms of improvements in learning.
30 credits
This module builds on the work covered in Child Development and Inclusive Practice 2. The module is designed to enable you to identify where pupils need specific interventions and how to work effectively with others to ensure a consistency of approach. The module also explores the specific needs of different communities of learners and how potential barriers to learning might be addressed in practice.
The emphasis in this module is on effective collaborative working with parents/carers, communities, colleagues, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and other professionals. You explore the notion of interprofessional working and critically examine the roles of other professionals and relevant agencies in providing support and services for pupils and their families.
You will enhance your knowledge of inclusive practice as a continuum of education and a right of all children. Learning from expert colleagues in the field enables you to gain insights into the complexities of pupils’ needs and provision to support progress in growth, development and learning.
30 credits
This module is designed to build on knowledge gained in Foundation Curriculum and Pedagogy 2. It is designed to develop an in-depth and critical understanding of learning theories, curriculum design and effective pedagogy with a focus on the use of cross curricular learning opportunities in, and beyond, the primary classroom. You will critically explore different and varied pedagogical approaches in different and varied learning environments. You will critically examine possibilities to enable pupils to transfer what has been learnt in one subject into new or unfamiliar contexts.
As part of developing this practice you will examine the purpose of effective assessments in informing cross curricular planning. Built into the module are visits to local areas, buildings and/or places of interest that you will critically explore and use as the stimulus for cross curricular learning. You will investigate possibilities of arranging visits for pupils and examine detailed preparation such as adhering to health and safety legislation, guidance and risk assessments.
30 credits
This module will provide you with the opportunity to enhance and refine your professional practice as a trainee teacher in preparation for your final assessment against the Teachers' Standards (DfE 2021) to be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The focus of this module is an extended professional placement in a primary school, where you will be able to demonstrate effective pedagogy as you apply your learning from expert colleagues in the classroom context.
You will take on additional opportunities to practise independently, demonstrating effective teaching and learning through pedagogical approaches relevant to the subjects and age range being taught. You will begin the module by working on specific targets set in the Professional Practice 2 module and there will be a strong focus on ensuring you have experienced the full breadth of the curriculum throughout your school-based experience with a particular focus on ensuring you are proficient in teaching phonics and early reading. You will be provided with a range of opportunities throughout the professional practice placement to foster your academic and professional development, gradually taking on increased responsibilities and up to 80% of whole-class teaching and learning, with guidance from expert colleagues.
You will be supported in implementing a range of assessment strategies, focusing on whole class and individual assessments, culminating in generating a number and range of individual end of year reports. You will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, orally, in writing and digitally within a professional context.
In this final professional placement, you will undertake a small action research project related to your own professional development. This practice-based module is designed to help you transition to an emerging professional into the Early Career Framework (ECF) and beyond. You will set targets from the ECF, establishing a clear starting point for your first post as an Early Career Teacher (ECT).
International students: direct application
Are you an international student? Have you decided Kingston is the place for you? If so, you can apply for this course directly, rather than having to go through UCAS.
What career opportunities does this course offer?
Gain hands-on experience
This course offers 120 days of school-based training over three years, giving you the chance to teach across the primary age range. Working alongside experienced teachers, you’ll develop your professional skills and gradually take on more responsibility for children’s learning during three placements.
Beyond the classroom
In addition to your school placements, you’ll independently arrange a 10-day ‘Beyond the Classroom’ experience at the end of Years 1 and 2. This could include working in museum, arts, theatre, or sports education, enabling you to apply your skills in alternative learning environments alongside industry specialists.
These varied experiences will broaden your understanding of education and provide valuable professional networks to support your future as a qualified teacher.
After you graduate
Graduates from this course have gone on to teach in classrooms, as subject leaders or as specialist tutors. You could progress towards a headteacher role, or become part of an advisory or inspection team. There’s even the option to progress into related fields of education or further study at Kingston University.
Future Skills
Our Future Skills programme is embedded within all our undergraduate courses and throughout the whole Kingston experience. These skills will help you to become a future-proof graduate by equipping you with the skills most valued by employers, such as problem-solving, digital competency and adaptability.
As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills. You’ll also understand how to demonstrate and articulate to employers how these future skills give you the edge.
Teaching and assessment
Your taught sessions will be a mix of seminars, lectures, practical workshops, field trips and work with pupils. Most of your sessions will be taught by university tutors but there may also be guest speakers, such as headteachers or subject leaders. We will encourage you to be active in your taught sessions so that you maximise your learning.
One of the many popular elements of this course is that there are no exams. Instead, each module has a final assessment point which must be passed, in order to progress to the next academic year. We have created a wide range of assessments, which reflect our diverse student community and provide opportunities for you to demonstrate your strengths and skills in different areas.
There are opportunities to work independently and collaboratively, reflective of the type of professional skills you will be required to implement when working in the classroom. Providing a range of assessment opportunities in the classroom is good practice and it is hoped that by engaging in a range of assessments, it will encourage you to be creative in your professional practice.
Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.
Our academic support team here at Kingston University provides help in a range of areas.
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, support you throughout your time at Kingston and show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at Kingston University.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- Year 1: 37% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 2: 38% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 3: 10% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
You will not be required to take any exams. Your academic work will be assessed through coursework, such as essays, presentations and projects. Some of your assessments will be independent work; others will be group work with fellow students on your course.
At the end of each school placement, you will be supported by your University Link Tutor and Class Teacher / School Based Mentor to identify strengths and next steps in your practice to ensure you are making good progress and have engaged with the five core areas as outlined in the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (DfE, 2024). You will receive a report that summarises your practice alongside clear targets to support your development in your next placement. The final teaching placement in Year 3 will be assessed against Teachers' Standards (DfE, 2021).
Types of assessment
- Year 1: Coursework 100%
- Year 2: Coursework 100%
- Year 3: Coursework 100%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
We aim to provide feedback to you on your assessments within 20 working days.
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £10,050* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2027/28): | £20,500 |
| Year 2 (2028/29): | £21,300 |
| Year 3 (2029/30): | £22,100 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed in our Fees and Funding section. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
*For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course.
Your annual tuition fee covers your first attempt at all modules required for that academic year. Any re-study or repeat of modules will incur additional charges, calculated according to the number of credits taken.
Home students (UK): Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
International students: Full-time taught international student fees are subject to an annual increase, which is published in advance for the full duration of your programme.
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,790* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2026/27): | £19,200 |
| Year 2 (2027/28): | £19,900 |
| Year 3 (2028/29): | £20,700 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed in our Fees and Funding section. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
*For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course.
Your annual tuition fee covers your first attempt at all modules required for that academic year. Any re-study or repeat of modules will incur additional charges, calculated according to the number of credits taken.
Home students (UK): Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
International students: Full-time taught international student fees are subject to an annual increase, which is published in advance for the full duration of your programme.
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,535* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2025/26): | £18,500 |
| Year 2 (2026/27): | £19,200 |
| Year 3 (2027/28): | £19,900 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed in our Fees and Funding section. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
*For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full-time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
The University will pay for your application to be processed, but you’ll need to subscribe to the Update Service for £16 per year. This allows universities and potential employers to view any changes to your DBS.
Placement travel costs will vary depending on your location and mode of transport. The Placement Team work hard to find you a placement close to where you are living during the term time. However, please note the Kingston Hill campus is generally viewed as the base and a placement could be up to a two-hour commute from this point.
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
Key information
The scrolling banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).
