Profession of primary teacher

PROFESSION OF PRIMARY TEACHER
Plan:

1. 
   Primary schools in England
   
2. 
   Working hours
   
3. 
   Find your first teaching job
   

I’m a third year student of Teachers’ Training College. My speciality is primary education that means that when I graduate from the university I’ll become a primary school teacher. I’ve chosen this profession because it’s one of the most honourable and important in every society. And it is also of great responsibility too as you should teach your pupils not only the ABC's of reading, writing and counting but give them the basic knowledge of other subjects they are going to learn during their future school life. It’s no doubt too that a primary school teacher mustn’t only teach his pupils, he or she must develop their mind and form their views and characters.

What makes a good primary school teacher? First of all, he should have true interest in children and love for them. Also he must be a well-educated person with a broad outlook and deep knowledge of his subjects and child psychology. And at last he must be ready to learn throughout all his teaching career that is to work hard to remain up-to-date in his subjects and to find out about new trends and developments in methods of teaching. They say that teaching is a very stressful job taking much time and efforts. I fully agree with that but I’d like to mention that it’s one of the most enjoyable jobs too so I hope that after my graduation from the university I’ll be able to get a job which I will really enjoy.
As a primary school teacher, you'll develop schemes of work and lesson plans in line with curriculum objectives. You'll facilitate learning by establishing a relationship with pupils, keeping your learning resources organised and creating a positive learning environment in the classroom.
Your role is to develop and foster the appropriate skills and social abilities to enable the optimum development of children, according to age, ability and aptitude.
You'll assess and record progress and prepare pupils for national tests. You'll link pupils' knowledge to earlier learning and develop ways to encourage it further, challenging and inspiring pupils to help them deepen their knowledge and understanding.
Responsibilities
Primary schools in England (following the national curriculum) are usually divided into:

• 
  Foundation Stage - nursery and reception (ages three to five)
  
• 
  Key Stage 1 - years one and two (ages five to seven)
  
• 
  Key Stage 2 - years three to six (ages 7 to 11).
  

Primary schools in Wales (following the national curriculum and Foundation Phase) are typically divided into:

• 
  Foundation Phase (ages three to seven)
  
• 
  Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 11).
  

A new curriculum and assessment framework, Curriculum for Wales 2022, is being rolled out in schools across Wales. This will mean that education in Wales will become one seamless curriculum for pupils aged 3 to 16 years old.
Primary schools in Northern Ireland (following the Northern Ireland curriculum) are generally divided into:

• 
  Foundation Stage - years one and two (ages four to six)
  
• 
  Key Stage 1 - years three and four (ages six to eight)
  
• 
  Key Stage 2 - years five to seven (ages 8 to 11).
  

Primary schools in Scotland (following the Curriculum for Excellence - CfE) are usually divided into:

• 
  Nursery and P1 - primary (ages four to five)
  
• 
  P2-4 - primary (ages six to eight)
  
• 
  P5-7 - primary (ages 9 to 11).
  

Tasks are broadly the same for all primary school teachers and include:

• 
  teaching all areas of the primary curriculum
  
• 
  taking responsibility for the progress of a class of primary-age pupils
  
• 
  organising the classroom and learning resources and creating displays to encourage a positive learning environment
  
• 
  planning, preparing and presenting lessons that cater for the needs of the whole ability range within the class
  
• 
  motivating pupils with enthusiastic, imaginative presentation
  
• 
  maintaining discipline
  
• 
  preparing and marking work to facilitate positive pupil development
  
• 
  meeting requirements for the assessment and recording of pupils' development
  
• 
  providing feedback to parents and carers on a pupil's progress at parents' evenings and other meetings
  
• 
  coordinating activities and resources within a specific area of the curriculum, and supporting colleagues in the delivery of this specialist area
  
• 
  working with others to plan and coordinate work
  
• 
  keeping up to date with changes and developments in the structure of the curriculum
  
• 
  organising and taking part in school events, outings and activities, which may take place at weekends or in the evening
  
• 
  liaising with colleagues and working flexibly, particularly in smaller schools
  
• 
  working with parents and school governors (in England, Northern Ireland and Wales) or parent councils (in Scotland) to maximise their involvement in the school and the development of resources for the school
  
• 
  meeting with other professionals such as education welfare officers and educational psychologists, if required.
  

Advertisement
Salary

• 
  New entrants to the profession in England start on the main salary scale, which rises incrementally from £25,714 to £36,961. Enhanced pay scales apply for teachers working in or near London.
  
• 
  In Wales, new entrants start on a salary of £27,018, rising incrementally to £37,320.
  
• 
  New entrants salaries in Northern Ireland start at £23,199, rising incrementally to £33,906.
  
• 
  In Scotland, the new entrants' starting salary is £27,498, plus any payments made through the Preference Waiver Payment (PWP) scheme, rising incrementally to £41,412.
  
• 
  After gaining experience and expertise, there are opportunities to move up into the role of lead practitioner in England and Wales. In Scotland there are opportunities to move into chartered and then principal teacher roles. Salaries for head teachers can rise to around £100,000.
  

Academies, free schools and independent schools set their own pay and working conditions.
Experienced classroom teachers undertaking additional responsibility may receive teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments.
Details about pay are available from the teaching unions and the Department for Education (DfE) Get Into Teaching website (for England).
Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Working hours
Hours vary between schools but are usually from 8.30am until 3.30pm or 4pm. Most teachers are in school before the school day starts and remain after school is finished.
Teachers are entitled to a minimum of 10% of timetabled teaching time for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA). In Scotland this is a minimum of seven and a half hours. Teachers also often spend time at home planning and preparing lessons and assessing pupils' work.
Teachers are in school for 39 weeks of the year, but may also use time within the 13 weeks' holiday for marking, planning and preparing.
Part-time work and career break opportunities are possible. Supply teaching is also an option. For more information on working hours, see the NASWUT, The Teachers' Union.
Related case studies
Olivia Schwartz
Primary school teacher

What to expect

• 
  Primary teachers are usually based in their own classrooms, although they may teach elsewhere in the school to cover staff shortages or because of their specialist subject area. Resources vary between schools.
  
• 
  Teaching posts are available in all areas, although there are more jobs in towns and cities than in rural areas. Certain areas of work, such as nursery or special needs, are only available in some schools.
  
• 
  Men are currently underrepresented as teachers in primary schools.
  
• 
  There may be occasional trips with pupils, or staff development opportunities, which involve staying away from home and/or overseas travel.
  

To find out what to expect in terms of timetables, term structure and rewards and challenges, see life as a primary school teacher.
Find your first teaching job
Stand out to schools. Join England's leading NQT pool
Visit
Qualifications
To work as a primary school teacher in a maintained school (England and Wales), you must have a degree and achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) by completing a period of initial teacher training (ITT), (initial teacher education (ITE) in Wales). QTS is awarded by the Teaching Regulation Agency (England) or the Education Workforce Council (EWC) (Wales). You must also register with the EWC to teach in Wales.
Independent schools, academies and free schools are permitted to employ teachers without QTS but, in practice, this is uncommon.
In order to achieve QTS you can take an undergraduate Bachelor of Education (BEd) or a BA/BSc with QTS.
However, if you already have a degree, you can gain QTS in a number of ways. These include:

• 
  Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) - available at many universities, colleges of higher education and teacher training led by schools. Training led by schools will offer QTS and most offer the academic qualification of a PGCE.
  
• 
  Salaried teacher training - options for receiving on-the-job training while earning a salary include postgraduate teaching apprenticeships, School Direct (salaried), Teach First (for graduates with a 2:1 or above) and the salaried PGCE delivered by The Open University, Wales (Wales only). In most, but not all cases, a PGCE accredited by a higher education institution (HEI) will be awarded.
  

Most applications for PGCEs are made through UCAS Teacher Training in the autumn before you wish to commence training. The DfE is setting up a new Apply for Teacher Training service, which will eventually replace UCAS Teacher Training. Until then, both application services will run side by side. Competition for places is high and early application is advised.
Most course providers require a good honours degree for PGCE entry. Primary teacher training is open to graduates of all subjects, but a degree in a national curriculum subject area will increase your chances. You must also have GCSEs in English, maths and science. For more information about obtaining QTS, explore your options at Get into Teaching.
The Assessment Only (AO) route leading to QTS is possible for candidates who have a degree alongside a substantial amount of teaching experience in the UK, but do not have QTS. This involves submitting a portfolio of evidence of your work and a day-long assessment where you are observed while teaching at your school.
In Scotland, you'll need a degree and a Teaching Qualification (TQ) gained through undertaking a programme of ITE to qualify as a teacher. You must also register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). All teacher training programmes are university-led and you can take either a four-year undergraduate programme or a one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). Applications are made via UCAS Undergraduate for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.