BEd (Hons) Primary Education (with QTS)

Gillian: We have a long history of providing teacher education. And one of the oldest institutes in the country. We work in partnership with a range of school partnerships offering school direct routes into teaching, both at primary and secondary level. A long history means that we have a very high reputation nationally and internationally for producing high quality teachers.

Bea: As a training teacher, it's really important to just be in the classroom and learn that way. Placement has to be a highlight, and I've been very fortunate with my placements that I've had a huge variety of placements. I've done a village school, a really big city school. Myself and a couple of my peers went to Germany for our third year placement. That definitely has to be a highlight to just be offered those kinds of things.

Chloe: And I chose the University because the fact of how small it is here. It wasn't like a massive university and you're just a number. It's actually because of the small class sizes.

Bea: I really like the fact that it has a really small community campus. And I wasn't going to be going to a big uni where none of my lecturers or tutors would know me.

Thomas: The lecturers are really helpful. They're always on hand if you need to ask anything or if you're having any problems with anything to do the course.

Maeve: Because they know you so well, they know your areas of development, which is really helpful, especially being on a practical course. And they can lead you in the right direction. So that's really good to know, that you can go to someone. They know you well enough, they feel comfortable to tell you what you need to work on.

Thomas: I think it's really helpful to work in a group of like-minded people who are really driven to get the best out of their teaching.

Chloe: I would say, come and visit for a start, because that's what really sold the university to me was seeing everything they have to offer here and then actually talking to lecturers and the students and just everyone who get to see what an amazing place and course you're actually on.

Marie: Currently I'm working as a class teacher in a year five class. I have been here since September. So my responsibilities range from the planning, the resourcing and assessment, everything that a teacher needs to do to make the classroom run really. With the School Direct program, where you're based in the schools and having the essays and assignments and things to do, it's only really setting you up for what life is like as a teacher. So although sometimes it's hard work, you think, well, actually it's really no different next year when I'm teacher, I feel like it really did set me up.

The teaching training rooms are designed to replicate the classroom environment typically found in schools. Desks can be rearranged for group work. The walls are decorated with posters and other student work. There is a smart screen and lectern for presentations and lectures. This room offers a lovely view of the quad and chaplaincy, with additional seating by the windows.

Carly: My favourite thing about teaching might sound a bit strange, but I really love Monday mornings. So sometimes on a Sunday you think, "Oh, I just don't want to go to work," and that's a normal feeding that everyone feels, but as soon as I walk through the door and the children are happy to see me, and they're skipping down the path, ready to find out what's happening that day, I'm ready for them. And I'm ready to see their progress in their learning.

Paul: When I'm doing PE with the children, and we're learning how to catch and they catch the ball for the first time, a little girl ran up to me last week and she was like, "I caught it, Mr. Dixon. I caught it." It's those moments why I do teaching.

Carly: I looked around lots of different universities, and I liked the size of Marjon. It felt really warm and welcoming when I walked in, and I quite liked that it was around that quad in the middle. And I saw lots of other students chilling out in the quad, and having their lunch and walking between lectures, and I thought that's a place that I'd like to be.

Paul: The most helpful part for me, that Marjon helped me with my teaching, was the placement, and it was allowing and working alongside me to produce the placements where I felt I really wanted to develop my own skills.

Carly: I had three really good placements and really different placements. They made sure I was in different key stages each time. So my first one was in key stage two, then key stage one, and then a different class within key stage one, which was really, really useful, because I could see the breadth of the curriculum and see how children progress through different skills. I also really enjoyed the fact that the groups in the seminars were really small. And I got to know my fellow students in my group very, very well, and we stayed in that group the whole way through the three years. So I felt very secure and comfortable to share ideas and any problems I thought I had. If I was to give advice to a new teacher starting the primary course At Marjon, I would say make the most of your placements and the most of all of the experience that the teachers have there. You'll have newly qualified teachers within your school. You'll have teachers with real specialisms in their subjects, and teachers who have just a wealth of experience because of the years they've been teaching. Ask them questions, shadow what they do, and find out as much as you can, because it'll all help when you finally have your very own class.

Paul: If someone was worrying about whether it's Marjon or another university, I would say, I ended up choosing Marjon. It was down to the sizes of the seminars and the lecture sizes, and the ability to have that one-on-one contact time with the tutors, when I was in dissertation writing, as well. There was every opportunity that we had there. And you could take as much time as you needed with the tutors who are really available. I think it was that availability that really pulled me to Marjon. And that was why I ended up choosing Marjon, it was down to the sizes of the seminars, the lecture sizes and that availability to have one-on-one contact time with the tutors, even when I was doing dissertation writing as well. So that's why I would recommend someone else go to Marjon.

Carly: If someone was sitting on the fence about going to Marjon and training to be a teacher, I would say, think about what you really want and do the best thing for you. But if you want somewhere that's small and welcoming and really supportive, and you can get the most out of your course and the most out of your lecturers, then I would recommend Marjon.