Article
Skills of Primary School Teachers
This article from Key Stage Supply offers a great overview of the skills that Primary School Teachers need to succeed in their role.
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Primary School Teacher
Primary School Teachers are responsible for planning and delivering lessons to groups of children aged between 4 and 11. This involves preparing teaching materials, setting up classrooms, following safeguarding procedures set by the school, and working with parents and carers to support their child's well-being and development. Although it can at times be stressful, the work is highly rewarding as it has a direct impact on the lives of children and their families.
Key Details
£36,000
Entry
£40,000
Average
£48,000
Senior
50 / Wk
Average Hours
Average Rating
Summary
Primary School Teachers are fundamental in a child's educational and social development. Taking on a key role in a child's life, teachers are responsible for planning and delivering lessons, aiding children, ensuring their safety, and working with colleagues to support and meet the school's wider goals.
Work can be stressful and demanding, taking over a large part of your life, and qualified teachers - either by completing a PGCE or the Assessment Only route to Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) - will need to be highly organised, skilled in management, creative, passionate, and able to communicate effectively to succeed as they’ll need to work with children who learn at differences paces, their parents, colleagues, and the UK’s educational regulatory body, Ofsted.
It’s a stable and highly rewarding career where you can really make a difference in the world while bonding with children. It also offers quick progression to senior roles like Department and Subject Leaders, Headteacher, and Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teacher.
Work can be stressful and demanding, taking over a large part of your life, and qualified teachers - either by completing a PGCE or the Assessment Only route to Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) - will need to be highly organised, skilled in management, creative, passionate, and able to communicate effectively to succeed as they’ll need to work with children who learn at differences paces, their parents, colleagues, and the UK’s educational regulatory body, Ofsted.
It’s a stable and highly rewarding career where you can really make a difference in the world while bonding with children. It also offers quick progression to senior roles like Department and Subject Leaders, Headteacher, and Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teacher.
Responsibilities
A Primary School Teacher has a lot of responsibilities when working with and teaching children. Some of these include the following:
Teach children the English National Curriculum. Teach children the English National Curriculum, which is a set of subjects and standards - Split into Key Stages 1 to 6 - that all primary schools must follow to provide children across the country with a similar learning experience.
Mark work and plan, prepare, and deliver lessons. Plan, prepare, and deliver lessons to students under the English National Curriculum and the school’s unique Primary Curriculum, which is a set of goals that must be met through lesson materials, evaluation methods, and other resources. Teachers must also mark their class’ work and assess each pupil’s development on a regular basis.
Ensure the well-being of all children and maintain discipline. An important part of being a Primary School Teacher is the need to ensure that all children are kept safe and disciplined to prevent teaching disruption and safety risks. Teachers must also follow all safeguarding measures in accordance with the school and national policy.
Manage teaching assistants and support other teachers. Manage teaching assistants to support the development of pupils’ education and wellbeing. Primary School Teachers should also work with colleagues and other teachers to coordinate activities and resources according to the National and Primary Curriculums, and to stay updated on any changes to said Curriculums.
Take part in school events like trips, parents’ evenings, and open days. Primary school teachers will often have to participate in school events, including managing and supporting school trips, attending meetings with parents to discuss the development of their children, and participating in open days to encourage prospective students and parents to join the school.
Key skills & traits
Being a Primary School Teacher requires an array of skills. Fundamentals include management, organisation, and communication, but creativity and patience also help.
Communication
Primary School Teachers must communicate clearly and effectively with pupils, their parents, and colleagues. In many cases, teachers will need to adapt their communication style so children remain engaged.
Creativity
Creativity through story-telling, interactivity, and more can help in making lessons and teaching materials much more engaging for pupils, helping to ensure that learning remains fun for them.
Computer skills
Having basic computer skills and being proficient in programs like Microsoft Office and others can help in planning engaging lessons and teaching materials.
Management
Teachers need to create and maintain a clean and positive learning environment while managing a large class of pupils, ensuring they remain engaged, focused, and respectful of the teacher and each other.
Adaptability
All teachers need to be adaptable to respond to unexpected situations as they happen, as well as their changing class of pupils, different timetables, and new rules.
Patience
All pupils learn at a different pace, and some may require an individualised approach to help them learn. Being able to remain patient and flexible is key to ensuring success in their educational development.
Organisation
Teachers need to organise lessons and classroom materials, mark pupils’ work on time, and plan out non-classroom activities like school trips, all while meeting the requirements set by the school.
Problem-Solving
Primary school teachers must be ready to face difficult problems, including disruptive children, bullying, behavioural problems, unengaged parents and pupils, health incidents, absent colleagues, and more.
Education & qualifications
A career in teaching, both primary and secondary, requires GSCEs in English, Maths, and Science, as well as an undergraduate degree and the essential Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) awarded by the Teaching Regulation Agency. Previously, schools required prospective teachers to undertake a skills test, but that is no longer needed in favour of QTS.
Some teachers who want to expand to teaching internationally should look at getting a PGCE qualification, a postgraduate degree that is recognised overseas but is not required to teach at primary level in the UK.
Some teachers who want to expand to teaching internationally should look at getting a PGCE qualification, a postgraduate degree that is recognised overseas but is not required to teach at primary level in the UK.
Lifestyle
Primary school teaching is a job that is considered to be highly stressful, unsuitable for remote working, and a role that comes with a poor work-life balance due to the high volume of work and responsibilities.
0%
Remote SuitedA Primary School Teacher requires direct communication and face-to-face interaction with pupils, so it is not suitable for remote working.
80%
StressfulPrimary school teaching is considered highly stressful, having to manage pupils, plan lessons, mark work, and meet the school's and pupils' needs.
30%
Work Life BlancePrimary School Teachers are expected to be at school before children to prepare resources and the classroom, and to stay after school to clean classrooms, complete marking, plan lessons, and do more, although many teachers leave early and complete work at home or over the weekend.
4.5Enjoyment
Our collection of reviews from professional Primary School Teachers have scored enjoyment as 4.0 out of 5.0 on average.
50/hrs
WeeklyTypical working hours for a Primary School Teacher are around 50 hours a week.
Salary data
The average salary for a Primary School Teacher in the UK is £40,000 before tax. New teachers should expect to make around £36,000, while senior teachers can earn a salary of £48,000 or more.
£36,000
Entry
£40,000
Average
£48,000
Senior
Career path
With experience, Primary School Teachers can progress to specialise in Pastoral Care, transition into Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teaching, move to teach overseas, or become a Lead Practitioner, Subject Leader, or Headteacher.
Primary School Teacher
The responsibilities of Primary School Teachers in junior and senior roles do not change much, only a teacher’s experience and effectiveness. The fundamentals remain the same, as all teachers will need to manage their classroom and pupils, plan and deliver lessons, assist colleagues and the wider school when needed, and work with parents. However, Primary School Teachers can progress to lead certain departments within the school.
Department or Key Stage Leader
Many Primary School Teachers are promoted into leadership roles, where they specialise in leading one or more subjects, departments, or Key Stages of the school while also teaching. The role comes with additional responsibilities of Curriculum planning, meeting with Ofsted inspectors, and assisting colleagues with the teaching of their subject alongside the usual teaching responsibilities.
Headteacher
A Headteacher represents the school and leads it, setting its values, direction, and vision. They require several years of experience as a Senior Manager or Deputy Head, and Headteacher’s have to work closely with all aspects of the school while ensuring a safe space for pupils, quality teaching, and controlling school finances.
To become a Primary School Teacher, you will need to complete a degree and obtain a QTS, having some experience of working with children in different age ranges can also help. Although progression differs between all schools, you can progress into a Department or Key Stage Leader once you show enough expertise within your chosen subject or department, an Assistant or Deputy Headteacher, and then a Headteacher.
There are other roles you can consider, such as moving overseas to teach with a PGCE, focusing on special needs teaching by undergoing extra training and qualifications through local education authorities and becoming a member of the National Association for Special Educational Needs, or moving into freelance private tutoring with the right connections and experience.
There are other roles you can consider, such as moving overseas to teach with a PGCE, focusing on special needs teaching by undergoing extra training and qualifications through local education authorities and becoming a member of the National Association for Special Educational Needs, or moving into freelance private tutoring with the right connections and experience.
History of the profession
Teaching has been around since the beginning of time, as parents were required to teach their children basics to survive even before modern education was established. Education dates back to the 6th century, although it underwent numerous changes to become the system we’re familiar with today.
Reviews
With teaching being a very demanding and stressful but rewarding job, we think that hearing from fellow teachers is one of the best ways to discover whether a career in education is the right choice for you.
Primary School Teacher
Kate
It’s not the easiest job and it definitely isn’t for everyone, but I love it. The days are long but I feel I’m doing something worthwhile by shaping the next generation and making a meaningful impact on those around me.
Primary School Teacher, Greenwich
Simon
I don’t bring work home in the evenings or the weekends, but I think I do less work outside of school than most teachers. Working in a very supportive school really helps, and knowing when to switch off or stop.
KS1 Primary Teacher
Lucy
I absolutely love it. Working with kids is the best job you can ever have, but I don’t like the extras around teaching. The paperwork, the observations, the targets; they all drive me mad. But I’m happy to work with children for the rest of my life.
Reviewing a career on Focus can help others decide whether being in education is right for them. If you’ve worked as a Primary School Teacher, please help others by leaving a review using the link below. It doesn’t take long and you’ll be improving the lives of others.
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Similar careers
The following careers function alongside a Primary School Teacher. It’s likely that you may work with them, move between them, or be promoted into any of these roles.
Resources
If you’re interested in learning more about being a Primary School Teacher, we’ve collected the following resources to help you.
Specialisms
Primary School Teachers can move on to to specialise in a range of other roles, as progression is quick. This can range from focusing on a specific type of teaching like a subject or department and working with an age range to helping students who require additional needs in the form of a Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teacher.
Regulatory bodies
There are several regulatory bodies and organisations in the UK that oversee and support primary school teaching. They include but are not limited to Ofsted, the Department for Education (DfE), the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS), and more.