A Level subjects?

sheilavw

My daughter is currently in year 10. She wants to be a primary school teacher when she leaves school. She is studying for GCSE English Lang and English Lit (which she is sitting in year 10) Food Tech (compulsory at her school to do a tech subject) dual Science, drama, dance, french and Maths and she is also sitting AS level in politics next year. She has looked at the A level subjects on offer at the school she wants to do her A levels at (no 6th form at her school) and she has chosen combined English lang/lit, drama and theatre studies, Sociology and Pychology. Dont know anything about what is needed for primary school, or uni after A levels. Any advice anyone? Do these sound okay?

Gingernutmeg

Basically there are two routes into primary teaching - you can either go to uni, get your degree in *anything* (within reason lol) and then take a Primary PGCE (one year teacher training course, which leads to QTS - qualified teacher status) OR you can go to uni and take a specific Primary Education degree which also leads to QTS - the main difference between the two routes is that the first is a year longer than the other (I think there are funding differences too, not sure about that). When you study to be a primary teacher, as well as studying every subject and teaching generally you also choose a specialism (ie maths, science, history, english, languages, PE etc etc). Normally, if you choose the first route, your specialism will probably be whatever you studied at degree level, although this isn't always the case. Education degrees (where you study education in the broad sense, not actual teaching) are a popular way of getting into primary ed. courses, as you don't necessarily need to have studied a national curriculum subject at degree level to get into primary teaching, whereas you generally do if you want to go into secondary.

So ... your daughter needs to think about what she wants to study at uni, whether she wants to study 'teaching' straight away or whether she wants to study something else first. If she does want to go straight into the teaching degree, then she really needs to do some voluntary work with children or in a school during her A-Levels, as it's *very* hard to get into a teaching degree without any experience, regardless of what A-Levels you've got or how well you do in them.

A-Level choice wise it really depends what uni your daughter is looking at, and what route she wants to take into primary teaching. If she's looking at Oxbridge, then she might be better looking at more traditional A-Levels (ie lit rather than lit/lang) etc, but if she's aiming more in the middle then those A-Levels might be ok - although possibly she might be better choosing something a bit more academic, especially if she wants to specialise in something other than English or if she doesn't want to study any of her A-Level choices at degree level. It's all subjective of course, but it sounds like she could do with a bit more careers advice from school - she sounds very bright and it looks like she needs a bit more guidance about A-Level choices, degrees/universities and routes into teaching.

Oldernotwiser

sheilavw wrote: »

My daughter is currently in year 10. She wants to be a primary school teacher when she leaves school. She is studying for GCSE English Lang and English Lit (which she is sitting in year 10) Food Tech (compulsory at her school to do a tech subject) dual Science, drama, dance, french and Maths and she is also sitting AS level in politics next year. She has looked at the A level subjects on offer at the school she wants to do her A levels at (no 6th form at her school) and she has chosen combined English lang/lit, drama and theatre studies, Sociology and Pychology. Dont know anything about what is needed for primary school, or uni after A levels. Any advice anyone? Do these sound okay?

You'll probably get a wider response on this on the student board and I expect someone will move it there.

To be a primary school teacher she'll need to get either a degree plus a year's education certificate (PGCE) or a degee course that combines them both. There was a long discussion on the student board recently where the pros and cons were thrashed out pretty thoroughly. At this stage she need only worry about her A level choices and making sure that she gets at least C grades in English Language, Maths and Science.

I can see why she's chosen the above subjects as they fit in well with her plans but I do think that they're a bit light academically. (I'm assuming that she's a bright kid.) Personally I'd suggest that she does English Literature and select a more traditionally academic subject in exchange for one of those she's picked. It's no big deal if she doesn't want to but her GCSEs are also a bit lightweight and she'll have a wider choice of universities if she were to study French at A level, for example. On the other hand, if these are the subjects she enjoys and will do well in she should still not have too much difficulty.

More importantly, she should be doing all she can to get as much experience as possible in working with the age group she wants to teach, whether paid or voluntary. Entry into primary teaching is very competitive and she's unlikely to be accepted without substantial experience. This will be less urgent if she decides that she wants to do a straight degree first, as long as she gets the experience whilst doing her degree. If she wants to her degree in teaching straight off then she won't be accepted without it.

Wishing her all the best.

Oldernotwiser

Gingernutmeg: we bought the same hymnsheet!

looby-loo_2

Gain experience - yes!
The Dyslexia institute often run Saturday morning schools where volunters are welcome.

laurad85

my advice wouldbe to take a-levels and a degree (if shes not doing a 3 year teaching course) in a national curriculum subject. im starting a pgce in secondary english is september (not the same i know) and the people who interviewed me said they would not even consider anybody who didnt have relevant qualifications in national curriculum subjects. If shes thinking about doing english that would be fine, she might change her mind like me and want to teach secondary and not primary. Also personally i think it would make more sense studying something you will have to teach.
laura
x
ps: like the others say, get as much experience as possible. i did my english degree for 3 years, took 2 years out, now work as an lsa (which is the best thing i have done) and will start my pgce in a few months. i had an advantage at the interview as i was the only one with experience and have really had my eyes opened (unlike the people who will go straight from uni into a pgce with no experience-think they will have a shock when they enter a school for the first time!).

loftus

I think virtually all specific teaching degrees - i.e not going the PGCE route - are four year degrees to take into account all the placements the students have.

Gingernutmeg

loftus wrote: »

I think virtually all specific teaching degrees - i.e not going the PGCE route - are four year degrees to take into account all the placements the students have.

Not at my uni - which was known for teacher training. The primary course, leading to QTS, was just three years. Teaching practice is done (I think) during what used to be the third 'term', as the uni has now moved over to a two semester year which means that the 'year' finishes in mid-May, so lots of time for teaching practice from May to July. Think it's similar in other places too.

Just to add something - I was having a read around the website and they do like you to have an A-Level in your specialism, so if the OPs daughter doesn't want to be an English specialist, then she needs to look at her A-Level choices. They also (for English) want at least a C at A2, so that's something to take into consideration too.

Oldernotwiser

If going the degree + PGCE route it's best to choose a degree that's at least 50% national curriculum subject if possible; not all PGCE providers require it although many do and it will leave more options open. As has been said earlier, it also leaves the way open for secondary/middle school teaching if the student changes her mind in the next few years.

Riq

Don't do Sociology & Psychology together, my sister got advised not to do that. She chose psychology for the record and is in her final term at uni now and loves it.

That is all I know on this subject as a teacher is my idea of hell for a career, i have no patience!

oramgepekoe

Foreign languages are become more important at primary school so doing French A level would be very useful.