Course summary

Studies in Primary Education at Birmingham Newman University is intended for students with career aspirations in the field of Primary School Education. Although this degree does not award qualified teacher status (QTS) it provides a dynamic programme of study which will offer you a unique platform if you want to pursue a PGCE or school-based training programme in primary teaching, such as Birmingham Newman Direct. Studies in Primary Education has been designed in response to the wide-ranging changes that have taken place across the primary phase sector and in teacher education and training. A key feature of the course is that it explores the range of professional, teaching, support and assistant-related roles in primary school settings. What does the course cover? Studies in Primary Education provides an imaginative platform for future employment in the field of primary phase education. In the first year you will be introduced to a variety of topical issues that govern teaching, learning, children’s well-being and school organisation in primary education in the UK and other international settings. You will study the complex process surrounding learning and child development. You will gain essential insights into the theory and practice of learning in primary school settings and examine the key characteristics of effective teaching and the learner experience. The course will explore key areas of pupils’ experience, including socialisation, learning styles, creativity, Special Educational Needs (SEN), safeguarding and pastoral care. You will have the opportunity to explore the different ways in which creativity has been defined and conceptualised, and the relationship of imagination to the creative process. You will also consider the attributes of creative and imaginative practice and the environments and conditions for promoting imagination and creativity with children and young people. Through the study of Special Educational Needs you will gain an appreciation of the depth and diversity of pupil needs within primary settings. You will engage with the debates surrounding the inclusion, pupil disaffection and the current research and inspection evidence relating to school exclusion. In your second year you will examine education systems in the UK and abroad, to give you an international perspective on primary education. You will also undertake a self-selected work placement, providing an important link between practice ‘on the ground’ and the issues covered in the taught course.