BA Primary Education with Music (QTS)

Train as a subject lead in primary music, while developing your own musical skills, with BA Primary Education with Music Specialism (QTS).

This course will enable you to get a job as a primary school teacher following graduation. There is a high demand for specialist primary school teachers and many of our graduates go on to become subject leaders.

Choose Reading

• We are ranked 9th in the UK for Education (The Guardian University Guide, 2024).
• We have excellent links with our partnership schools, where our students develop their skills as primary music teachers by working with children.
• In the National Student Survey 2023, 97% of our students said that their knowledge and skills for the future were developed well or very well (96.97% of respondents studying in the Institute of Education).

You will divide your time between studying modules on professional skills and curriculum subjects, and developing your skills as a musician. The former will introduce you to the core National Curriculum subjects, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Your final year will involve research engagement, developing reflective critical thinking and application of theory into your teaching practice. 

You will develop skills essential to the role of a teacher, including leadership, classroom management, and evaluation and assessment. You can then put these skills into practice through professional placements, which take place throughout the course. Additionally you will study professional legal requirements, and investigate the role of the teacher and how children develop. You will engage in professional studies, which include gaining school experience through teaching placements in partnership primary schools.

This is a practical course that encourages you to be a musician in the classroom. In music modules, you will develop your classroom musicianship skills so that you can devise and deliver creative and inclusive music lessons for all children. This includes:

• performing
• improvising
• composing
• conducting
• ensemble directing.

You will develop your theoretical knowledge of music, and research into music education, by investigating music teaching and learning, and reflecting on your own experiences as a student. You will also be encouraged to develop your leadership skills as a musician to help you develop a strong professional identity to help you plan your career as a primary music specialist. 

Placement

You will have the opportunity to carry out placements throughout this course. These will take place within local schools that the Institute of Education has active relationships with. Whilst there you will be mentored by a teacher and assigned a University tutor, who will provide you with additional support.

During your first year you will attend a weekly placement, which will familiarise you with the daily routine of the classroom and link in with your professional modules. For example, you may have to complete an observation for an assignment.

You will also complete a block placement during each year of the course. You will spend four weeks in a Key Stage 1 (KS1) setting during your first year, seven weeks in a KS2 setting in the second year, and an eight-week placement in a Key Stage of your choice during the final year.

Climate and sustainability education

At the University of Reading we believe that climate and sustainability education is everyone’s responsibility. This is why we have set out our vision that all initial teacher trainees should be able to access training that empowers them to effectively incorporate climate education within their teaching across all levels and subjects as part of our National Climate Education Action Plan.

Across all of our ITT programmes at the Institute of Education, you will learn about:

• what is happening to our climate, how to help children learn about climate and sustainability in an age-appropriate and accessible way, and how to develop your own positioning as a teacher
• climate justice, the impact of current and future changes to our environment and climate on ourselves and others and implications for teachers
• how to translate knowledge and theory into change and personal action through building climate and sustainability education into your planning, teaching, and children’s learning.

Visit our Partnering for the Planet to find out more about the University of Reading’s world-leading work in climate science.

For more information, please visit the Institute of Education website.