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Education Studies (Primary)

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C

Also required are GCSEs in English Language, English Literature and Maths with a B/6

Access courses will be considered on an individual basis.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

English is required at Higher level with a grade 5 Maths is required at Standard level with a grade 5

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H3

English is required at Higher level at grade H2 Maths also required at ordinary level at grade O3

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

Will also require GCSEs in English Language, English Literature and Maths with a B/6

Scottish HNC

Pass

HNC Childhood Practice or HNC Social Sciences. These must include a B in the graded unit. Applicants applying with an HNC must also have Higher English at grade B and National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths with a grade C

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B

Higher English is required at a grade B National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths also required at grade C

UCAS Tariff

112-114

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About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Primary teaching

Scotland’s newest Education Studies (Primary) degree provides a fresh, innovative approach to teacher education, recognising the rewards and challenges that teaching presents in the 21st century. The dynamic course will give you the expertise, confidence and professional qualification you need to teach in primary schools.

Why QMU?

This course offers a forward-looking, evidence-based approach to teacher training.
Our teaching degree is distinctive in its forward-looking focus on education in community settings, as well as in schools, and builds on our strong existing collaborations with local and national community organisations.
This is an intellectually inspiring course that is your first step on a rewarding career in education.
A curriculum and ethos suited to those with a social conscience who want to engage with socio-political issues and make a difference.

On this course you will:
Develop the skills, confidence and passion to make a real difference in the lives of young learners as a teacher.
Study contemporary issues in education, psychology and sociology to develop a sound knowledge base of children’s developmental pathways and the range of factors that affect them.
Gain an understanding of how pedagogic theory and knowledge informs classroom practices at early years and primary school level.
Develop a detailed knowledge of all areas of the curriculum, including outdoor learning and become skillful at integrating literacy, numeracy and wellbeing throughout your teaching.
Benefit from practical experience in educational and community settings, learning how to build positive relationships with children and work alongside other professionals.
Develop your academic literacies including digital and data literacy.
Develop research skills to enable you to develop as an autonomous, critically thinking, reflective professional.

The course offers an approach to teaching that is founded in evidence-based research in the social sciences. If you want a career as a primary school teacher where you will genuinely make a difference in the world and inspire our future citizens, this course is for you.

This course is about more than simply preparing you to inspire a class of young learners; it will engage you in the wider socio-political issues that affect education on every level and how this in turn influences educational outcomes for children.

Our education courses draw on our expertise in, and focus on, wellbeing, resilience, child welfare and inequality. You will learn how to assess individual needs and plan inclusive learning experiences taking account of diversity and difference.

This is a fresh, modern and ambitious approach to teacher education. We hope you feel as passionate about this new direction as we do and look forward to receiving your application. At QMU we are committed to widening access to education and we welcome applications from all backgrounds and genders.

You will study for four years to become qualified to work as a primary school teacher. Progression into Year Two will be dependent on successfully completing all modules, placements and a reflective report in Year One. If, after the first year you decide not to pursue teaching there is an option to transfer to our Education Studies course. This is a broad based social sciences degree with an emphasis on broader aspects of education.

Modules

Year One
Introduction in Education Studies in 21st Century,
Developing Academic Literacies for Learning,
Introduction to Psychology 1,
Learning through the Lifespan (Primary),
Sustainable Human Behaviour Learning for Sustainability,
Diversity, Identity and Wellbeing (Education),

Year Two
Early Childhood Development and Learning in Context,
Language & Literacy: Theory and Pedagogy,
Society and Sustainable Lifestyles,
Mathematics & Numeracy: Theory and Pedagogy,
The Inclusive Curriculum: Theories of Learning & Teaching,
Creative and Cultural Curriculum in 21st Century,

Year Three
The Creative Curriculum: Planning for Assessment and Continuity,
Languages, Literacy and Children’s Literature,
Everyday Life Contexts: A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics,
Teacher as Reflective Practitioner,
Inclusive Practice: Difference and Diversity,

Year Four
Teaching as Professional: Inter-agency Working,
A Global Curriculum: Planning a Pedagogy for Social Justice,
Community-based Education,
Professional Enquiry into Practice,

Assessment methods

You will learn through lectures, seminars, workshops, enquiry-based, student-led activity, independent study, online group tutorials, school experience/community placements. An innovative feature of the course is the incorporation of outdoor learning that includes a Forest and Outdoor Learning Award, as well as the opportunity to undertake a British Sign Language course. Assessment methods are varied, including essays, reports, presentations, blogs and audiovisual submissions.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
International
£8,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Queen Margaret University

Department:

School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management

Read full university profile

What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Primary teaching

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
10%
Male students
90%
Female students
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
A

After graduation


Sorry, no information to show

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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