Primary Education
Primary education is the study of teaching, learning, and the conditions that enable children in their early years of schooling to develop and flourish. It draws on developmental psychology, educational theory, sociology, and the study of curriculum to ask how schools can best support children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth, and what it means to teach well in a complex and diverse educational landscape. For those who want to understand and contribute to the earliest formal stages of education, a degree in primary education provides a rigorous and deeply practical preparation.
At the University of St Mark and St John (Marjon University) in Plymouth, this three-year full-time degree explores primary education through both theoretical and practical lenses. You will engage with the complex forces that shape the world of primary schooling in the UK and in international contexts, developing an understanding of policy, curriculum, pedagogy, and the social and cultural dimensions of children's learning. Practice is built into the programme through a range of projects and placement activities that give you first-hand experience of primary school environments, allowing you to connect your academic study to the real conditions of classroom life.
The degree is explicitly designed as a foundation for progression to initial teacher training in the primary sector, and Marjon provides support throughout that transition.
The programme develops your analytical and reflective skills alongside your subject knowledge, preparing you to think rigorously about education and its purposes.
Graduates typically progress to a Primary PGCE or School Direct programme to achieve qualified teacher status, opening a career as a primary school teacher. Others go on to roles in education support, family services, early years settings, educational research, school administration, and the public sector. The degree also provides a foundation for postgraduate study in education, childhood studies, or related fields for those who want to develop specialist expertise.