subject: A Guide To A Career In Primary School Teaching [print this page] A career as a primary school teacher is an extremely rewarding job; young children are fun and energetic. Their young minds are full of endless possibilities. A career in teaching requires complete dedication as you are being entrusted with the youngest and most impressionable members of our society.
The national curriculum for 5-11 year olds is split into key stage 1 and key stage 2, stage 1 is for 5 7 year olds and key stage 2 is for 7 11 year olds. Reception children are slightly different and are covered by early years which is a continuation from their nursery settings.
As a primary school teacher you may be working in a first school or a primary school, in some parts of the UK children will attend first school from ages 4 9 then onto middle school from 9 13 and high school from 13 onwards. In other parts of the UK a newer system is in place where children will attend a primary school from 4 11 years and then to high school from age 11 where the younger children are in a different part of the school.
The national curriculum for key stage 1 and 2 covers the following subjects: maths, English, science, design & technology, information technology, geography, history, art & design, music and physical education. There are other subjects that are taught such as religious education, languages and personal, social and health education.
In order to become a primary school teacher you must have obtained a gcse grade C or above in maths, English and science, 2 good A-levels are required. You will need a degree and there are 2 routes you can take; you can either take a degree in teaching or a degree in the subject that you want to teach followed by a Postgraduate Certificate of Education.
Your job description as a teacher will include teaching according to the national curriculum, charting the progress of the children, organising the classroom and learning equipment, planning all lessons, motivating pupils and successfully disciplining your class. You will be responsible for marking pupils work and preparing books, recording the childrens development and relaying the information to parents.
Your job role will include maintaining positive relationships between pupils, the school and parents. Planning and co-ordination in all areas of teaching this may include helping out other colleagues and working in a flexible manner. There will also be the call for taking part in school events outside of school time at weekends.
