Teaching in Primary Education (with QTS) BA (Hons) Top Up

What makes Primary teaching at Worcester special?

This part time course offers an exciting opportunity for you to train to become a primary school teacher. You will be able to top up if you have 120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5 and are working or volunteering in a school setting or equivalent. Ideally, your foundation degree will be in a teacher and learning related field, however we will accept level 4 and level 5 credits from other degrees should you also have significant experience in an education setting. It is your responsibility to source a "home school" in which to complete the majority of your placement time but the University will support you in acquiring an "alternative school" to complete your additional statutory six week placement.

This course is the quickest and cheapest route to QTS at the 蜜桃直播 starting from a foundation degree and taking you from level 5 to Qualified Teacher Status in just 16 months.

Throughout this course you will have opportunities to build your skills, knowledge, and confidence in teaching through practical placements alongside your academic programme. Training to be a teacher in conjunction with working in your employing school or volunteering setting, offers a rich, varied and immersive learning experience in Primary Teacher training to optimise your abilities. You (and your school) will need to commit to you being at university on Wednesdays, plus approximately 12 additional Intensive Training and Practice days, to work with experts in primary teaching and also for you to utilise self-study materials.

Overview

Key features

Top up a Foundation Degree and gain recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status.
Learn from specialist staff with expertise and experience across all Primary School Subjects.
Engage in study and gain a qualification whilst in employment or volunteering (please note that you will need to be released from your work or volunteering context for 1 day a week (Wednesday), plus approximately 8 Intensive Training and Practice days and for the duration of a 6 week, fulltime placement in another school).
Placement opportunities and learning to support you in developing your teaching skills, under the guidance of an experienced mentor.
Opportunity to engage in an action research project in your own school/education context.
Joining a learning community where collaboration and support from peers and from tutors will enable you to flourish.

Accreditation

At the end of your course, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) Teaching in Primary Education. You will also be recommended to the Teaching Regulation Agency for Qualified Teacher Status.

Some of our most recent Ofsted report findings:

"University staff provide trainees with high-quality support with issues such as managing workload and maintaining good mental health. Relationships between staff and trainees are trusting, positive and based on mutual respect."

"Everyone working with trainees takes the time to get to know them exceptionally well. These strong relationships mean that trainees experience high-quality academic and pastoral support that is well matched to their circumstances."

Entry requirements

You will normally have completed a Foundation Degree in an education or teaching related field for example, the 蜜桃直播's Foundation Degree in Teaching and Learning.
All entrants must have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade 4 (formerly grade C) in the GCSE examinations in GCSE in English Language or Literature, Maths and Science. (applicants must have these qualifications by the start of the course). Alternatively, we offer an equivalency test if you don’t have the required GCSE grade to apply for our courses. Trainees who begin courses before providing evidence of the required GCSE standard (or equivalent) will not be eligible for financial incentives, such as bursaries or grants until they achieve the required standard.
You will need to source a home school in which to complete your placement and your headteacher must agree to support the requirements of the course

Additional requirements

You will be sent details of how to apply for your DBS in the summer term. You will need to pay for this. You may already be part of the DBS update service. Find out about the update service . As part of the DBS process, you will be checked against the Children’s Barred List
A check against the Prohibition List
If you have lived, studied or worked overseas for three months or more in the last five years a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country of residence will be required. Further information and guidance associated with additional costs are available from the
A range of other safeguarding checks is undertaken
An online occupational health check. All those on a teacher training programme must be certified as meeting national requirements for physical and mental fitness to teach, as set by the Department for Education
International students: IELTS 6.5 or equivalent
You will need to be employed in a school setting (or equivalent educational setting) or be volunteering in a school. The Headteacher will need to support your application and commit to the requirements of the programme

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed, with interviews currently taking place online. To help you prepare for your interview, you can expect questions covering the following:

the role of being a teacher - both the positives and the challenges
your ability to identify the skills and qualities a teacher requires including key English and Maths skills
your understanding of current issues in education and the wider role of a teacher
your knowledge of professionalism and how teachers demonstrate this
how schools and teachers keep children safe

As work-based learning agreements need to be put in place before schools close for the summer, the closing date for this course is Friday 4^th July. Any applications received after this date will be deferred until the following academic year.

A day in the life of a Primary School Teacher

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course.

The course programme has four interrelated modules which will help you become an effective teacher. You will learn about professional practice and the wider role of the teacher, as well as having subject specific sessions so that you are confident in delivering the full primary National Curriculum and the Early Years curriculum. You will also explore evidence-informed teaching and you will undertake your own research project in school.

Alongside these modules, you will also engage in placements in your own school and one placement of 6 weeks plus 2 preparation days in an alternative school setting.

Your modules will run concurrently across the course.

Module 1	Professional Studies This module includes aspects such as behaviour and classroom organisation, inclusion (SEND, EAL) and diversity, pedagogy, planning and assessment.
Module 2	Teachers as evidence-informed practitioners and researchers This module will look at theory to practice and will include a small action research project.
Module 3	Teaching and Learning: The Primary Curriculum This module will include subject specific session across the range of National Curriculum subjects. These sessions will be built upon in the School Experience module where students will develop their practice and reflect upon their development as a practicing teacher.
Module 4	School Experience This module will involve two school placements, one at your ‘home’ school and one in an alternative school setting. You will be supported by school staff and tutors from the university.
Module 5	Achieving QTS This module will simply assess your progress against the Teacher Standards. Successful completion will result in the recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status.

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, placement, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress. You will build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

The BA (Hons) Teaching in Primary Education Top Up (with QTS) is an opportunity to combine work-based learning with a structured programme. The programme’s primary aim is to enable you to become an excellent classroom practitioners and to understand the latest evidence about effective learning and teaching. The programme is structured to encourage wider participation with a particular focus upon enabling those who already have experience in education to further their qualifications and career.

This will be achieved through a variety of modes of study:

Tutor-led workshops and fieldwork, primarily to introduce underpinning knowledge, theoretical argument, practical skills, central issues, key texts and inter-professional fields of study
Study of key texts and supplementary reading enables students to identify subject matter that will enhance their understanding and intellectual ability whilst providing opportunities to critically reflect upon policy and practice
Participation in group discussion, presentation and debate, encourages students to develop their skills of critical analysis and further increases involvement and collaboration in order to enhance their interpersonal, group and communication skills
Case studies and problem-solving tasks provide opportunities to develop approaches that will deepen levels of understanding and professional judgement, including multi-agency approaches
Development of practice-based competence and skills of critical reflection through personalised support and mentoring during placements
Working with expert colleagues in school to develop and refine practice
Personalised support through the Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) system.

Contact time

Typically, students will be engaged with the course 3 days a week. There are also 2, 6-week fulltime placements where students will attend school for the full 5 days.

A typical week:

6 hours of seminar sessions (1 day a week) on campus.
In addition, students will be expected to engage in online research, completing learning activities and accessing learning materials each week for around 12.5 hours per week. This includes independent study preparing for assessments. Students will complete placement and school experience in line with DfE requirements. You will complete two days a week of work-based learning in a school setting. Individual tutorial sessions will also be provided for academic progress and assignment support.

Independent self-study

In addition to the formal contact time, students are expected to undertake personal self-study. Typically, this will involve pre-reading, post reading, completion of audits in English, Maths and Science and directed study tasks equating to approximately 12.5 hours per week.

Independent learning is supported by learning facilities such as our library (The Hive), our virtual learning environment (Blackboard) and other resources which your tutors will signpost to you.

Duration and timetables

This is an 16 month course part time and runs from September to the following December.

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Location of teaching

Teaching sessions will be delivered at the 蜜桃直播. You will also be assigned to an alternative school setting for one of your placements and the other placement experience will be in your home school setting.

Teaching staff

Students will be taught by the Department for Primary Education teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes subject specialists in both core and foundation subjects as well as specialists in pedagogical areas such as behaviour and inclusion. Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and all staff should have a teaching qualification and will be or, working towards being a fellow of Advance HE.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to assess understanding and learning formatively and summatively across the programme. Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessment which is graded and counts towards the overall module grade. A typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1:

1 x 4000 word written assignment
1 x 5000 word research project plus
1000 word poster
1 x 3000 word written assignment plus 10 minute presentation

Year 2 (term 1)

Reflective Portfolio (equivalent to 4000 words)
Assessment against Teachers’ Standards for recommendation for Qualified Teacher status (QTS)

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment,

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Kaytie Holdstock

Kaytie is the course leader for the BA (Hons) Teaching in Primary Education (QTS) Top Up course, supporting school colleagues both working and volunteering in Primary Schools to achieve Qualified Teacher Status. She has 18 years experience working as a primary school teacher and has a passion for promoting creativity in the classroom.

Throughout her career, she has worked with children across the primary age range and held many in-school roles including Deputy Head teacher. Kaytie was awarded Advanced Skills Teacher status which gave her the opportunity to support other schools in developing engaging, creative and inspiring content for their own pupils. She later became a Teacher advisor for Worcestershire Local Authority specialising in The Arts.

Rosemarie Hill

After completing her degree in English and History at the University of the West of England, Rosemarie completed her PGCE at the University of Central England (now Birmingham City University).

Rosemarie went on to teach for 15 years across the primary age range in schools in Staffordshire and Worcestershire. During her primary teaching career, Rosemarie was responsible for leading History and Creative Curriculum across the school.

Having joined the 蜜桃直播 in 2021, Rosemarie is really looking forward to lecturing in History and English on the undergraduate and post-graduate courses.

Kate Howen

Learning to love our fellow human beings and understanding different perspectives is a vital component to any teacher, in any context, and this underpins Kate’s whole teaching philosophy.

Kate joined the university in 2017 and teaches on the Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching courses. She has a focus on inclusion through adaptive and culturally responsive teaching with specialisms in teaching Music, History and English.

Kate is the PGCE cohort leader for the Part Time pathway, teaching across the modules and supporting trainees during their school experience. She also leads modules on the BA Teaching in Primary Education (TIPE) course to enable trainee teachers to develop their professional identities and become research informed practitioners.

Careers

Employability

This course enables you to gain Qualified Teacher Status and pursue a career in teaching. Your academic and professional qualifications will support you in a career in education. The 蜜桃直播 has an extensive partnership of schools and this will provide you with opportunity on your alternative placement to find out about practices at other schools. You may wish to continue in study and there are opportunities to engage with postgraduate courses.

Fees and funding

Part-time tuition fees	UK and EU students The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £1,190.83 per 15-credit module, £1,587.77 per 20-credit module, £2,381.66 per 30-credit module, £3,175.55 per 40-credit module, £3,572.50 per 45-credit module and £4,763.32 per 60 credit module. For more details on course pages, please visit our course fees page.
Additional costs	There may be some costs to you in engaging with this course linked to purchasing your own stationery and ensuring you have appropriate clothing for your school placement. You will also need to make sure that you are able to travel to your placement school and the university for sessions. Travel costs for placements vary depending on the location of the schools in which you are placed. Typically, placement schools may be in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire or Birmingham and the surrounding areas but are occasionally further from the University campus. We aim for placements to be within a 40-mile radius of the 蜜桃直播 or about 1 hour’s travel time, although this cannot always be guaranteed. Travel to placement typically costs between £5 and £15 each day but this depends on the distance to each placement, the mode of transport and other variables such as the cost of public transport. Whilst we will provide as much assistance as we can, responsibility for arranging travel to and from the placement setting remains with the student. There is no entitlement to reimbursement or assistance with travel arrangements; any financial contribution is at the discretion of the University and is not intended to cover actual costs in full, although these costs may sometimes be reclaimed depending on your individual circumstances. For more information please refer to the Institute of Education Student Placement Travel Policy.
Sources of financial support	Most financial support is available from The University’s Money Advice Service can provide information about student money; this can be accessed through Firstpoint.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £1,190.83 per 15-credit module, £1,587.77 per 20-credit module, £2,381.66 per 30-credit module, £3,175.55 per 40-credit module, £3,572.50 per 45-credit module and £4,763.32 per 60 credit module.

For more details on course pages, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

There may be some costs to you in engaging with this course linked to purchasing your own stationery and ensuring you have appropriate clothing for your school placement. You will also need to make sure that you are able to travel to your placement school and the university for sessions.

Travel costs for placements vary depending on the location of the schools in which you are placed. Typically, placement schools may be in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire or Birmingham and the surrounding areas but are occasionally further from the University campus. We aim for placements to be within a 40-mile radius of the 蜜桃直播 or about 1 hour’s travel time, although this cannot always be guaranteed. Travel to placement typically costs between £5 and £15 each day but this depends on the distance to each placement, the mode of transport and other variables such as the cost of public transport. Whilst we will provide as much assistance as we can, responsibility for arranging travel to and from the placement setting remains with the student. There is no entitlement to reimbursement or assistance with travel arrangements; any financial contribution is at the discretion of the University and is not intended to cover actual costs in full, although these costs may sometimes be reclaimed depending on your individual circumstances. For more information please refer to the Institute of Education Student Placement Travel Policy.

Sources of financial support

Most financial support is available from The University’s Money Advice Service can provide information about student money; this can be accessed through Firstpoint.

How to apply

Make your application

For all part-time courses please apply directly to 蜜桃直播.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application

As work-based learning agreements need to be put in place before schools close for the summer, the closing date for this course is Friday 5^th July. Any applications received after this date will be deferred until the following academic year.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Admissions Office

admissions@worc.ac.uk

01905 855111

Kaytie Holdstock

Course leader

k.holdstock@worc.ac.uk

蜜桃直播