Primary Education and Teaching Studies

Primary education is both a profession and a vocation, built on the conviction that the quality of a child's early educational experience has a lasting influence on their development, their relationship with learning and their life chances. Those who teach in primary schools must be knowledgeable across a broad curriculum, skilled in managing the needs of children at very different stages of development, and able to create environments where curiosity, confidence and effort are nurtured. Teaching studies as an academic field sits alongside the practical formation, asking why and how children learn, how schools function as institutions, and how educational practice can be made more effective and equitable.

At Coventry University you will study this three-year full-time programme, which includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad and embedded work placement opportunities. Classroom experience is central to the programme, and you will gain substantial hands-on time in primary school settings as part of your studies, developing the practical skills and professional judgement that teaching requires. The year abroad offers the chance to experience primary education in another country, broadening your perspective on how children are taught and how different systems approach early learning.

The typical entry tariff is around 120 UCAS points.

You will develop your knowledge of core primary curriculum subjects alongside child development, educational psychology, inclusion, assessment and teaching methodology, building the academic understanding that complements your practical classroom formation.

Graduates of primary education programmes typically pursue Qualified Teacher Status in England and Wales, either through a route that integrates QTS or through a subsequent PGCE. Career paths include teaching across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in maintained schools, academies and independent settings, with many graduates progressing to subject leadership, special educational needs coordination, year group leadership and eventually senior leadership roles. Education also opens paths into early years provision, educational publishing, curriculum development and teacher training.