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Primary Education with Mathematics

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Grade B in A level Mathematics or a related subject. Acceptable subjects: Statistics, Use of Maths, Further Mathematics and Economics.

Access to HE Diploma

D:18,M:27

Must include at least 12 level 3 credits in Mathematics or a related subject. Acceptable subjects: Statistics, Use of Maths, Further Mathematics and Economics.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

M2,M2,M2

Grade M2 IN Mathematics or a related subject. Acceptable subjects: Statistics, Use of Maths, Further Mathematics and Economics.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English, Mathematics and Science at grade C or 4

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

Grade 5 in Higher Level Mathematics or a related subject. Acceptable subjects: Statistics, Use of Maths, Further Mathematics and Economics.

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B,B

Grade B in Higher Mathematics or a related subject. Acceptable subjects: Statistics, Use of Maths, Further Mathematics and Economics.

UCAS Tariff

120-141

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Primary teaching

Study BA Primary Education with Mathematics Specialism (QTS) and discover how you can champion mathematics within primary education and build pupils' confidence as mathematicians.

This course will enable you to get a job as a primary school teacher following graduation. There is a high demand for specialist primary school teachers and many of our graduates go on to become subject leaders. Furthermore, we are ranked 9th in the UK for Education (The Guardian University Guide 2023).

You will divide your time between studying modules on professional skills and curriculum subjects, and developing your knowledge of mathematics. The former will introduce you to the core National Curriculum subjects, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT). You will develop skills essential to the role of a teacher, including leadership, classroom management, and evaluation and assessment. You can then put these skills into practice through professional placements, which take place throughout the course.

Additionally you will study professional legal requirements, and investigate the role of the teacher and how children develop. In mathematics you will study both pure and applied aspects, and build on your knowledge each year.

Maths needs champions within primary education, and you will develop the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that will aid you in this. This includes topics such as building students' confidence as independent mathematicians, and international perspectives on the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Finally, there is a key component within the Mathematics Specialism for you to develop leadership skills in order to lead mathematics in primary schools.

**Placement**
You will have the opportunity to carry out placements throughout this course. These will take place within local schools that the Institute of Education has active relationships with. Whilst there you will be mentored by a teacher and linked to a University tutor, who will provide you with additional support.

During your first year you will attend a weekly placement, which will familiarise you with the daily routine of the classroom and link in with your professional modules. For example, you may have to complete an observation for an assignment. You will also complete a block placement during each year of the course.

You will spend four weeks in a Key Stage 1 (KS1) setting during your first year, seven weeks in a KS2 setting in the second year, and an eight-week placement in a Key Stage of your choice during the final year.

**Climate and sustainability education**

At the University of Reading we believe that climate and sustainability education is everyone’s responsibility. This is why we have set out our vision that all initial teacher trainees should be able to access training that empowers them to effectively incorporate climate education within their teaching across all levels and subjects as part of our National Climate Education Action Plan.

Across all of our ITT programmes at the Institute of Education, you will learn about:

- what is happening to our climate, how to help children learn about climate and sustainability in an age-appropriate and accessible way, and how to develop your own positioning as a teacher

- climate justice, the impact of current and future changes to our environment and climate on ourselves and others and implications for teachers

- how to translate knowledge and theory into change and personal action through building climate and sustainability education into your planning, teaching, and children’s learning.

Modules

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2024/25. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.

Core modules for this course:
Professional Studies and School Placement 1
English in the Primary Curriculum 1
Mathematics and Computing in the Primary Curriculum
Teaching Practical Sessions in Science and Physical Education
Global Citizenship and Social Justice for Education
Mathematics, Children and Education 1
Professional Studies and School Placement 2
English in the Primary Curriculum 2
Mathematics and Science in the Primary Curriculum
The Foundation Subjects in the Primary Classroom 1
Global Citizenship in the Primary Classroom
Mathematics, Children and Education 2
Professional Studies, Research and School Placement 3
Refining Pedagogy in Core Subjects: English, Mathematics & Science
Mental and Physical Health - Psychology of Education
The Foundation Subjects in the Primary Classroom 2
Mathematics, Children and Education 3

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available between May and July 2023. We suggest that you regularly revisit this webpage during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£22,350
per year
International
£22,350
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Reading

Department:

Institute of Education

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

92%
Primary teaching

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.

Teacher training

Teaching and learning

92%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
94%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

76%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
86%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
9%
Male students
91%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section 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.

Teacher training

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,917
high
Average annual salary
98%
low
Employed or in further education
98%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

94%
Teaching and educational professionals
2%
Design occupations
2%
Childcare and related personal services

The stats above mainly cover teaching degrees for training and qualifying in primary school education. These tend to be three or four-year courses — check with course tutors about how long you will need to study to get your Qualified Teacher Status. Most graduates go into teaching roles — usually primary school teaching, so these courses have good employment rates and starting salaries. We have a shortage of teachers of all kinds, which is deepening, and whilst many of the most severe are at secondary level, the prospects for this degree are not likely to take a downturn any time soon.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Teacher training

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£24k

£24k

£26k

£26k

£31k

£31k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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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:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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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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