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Nursery or primary school teacher - scotland
Hours
35 per week
Starting salary
£21,438 + per year
WorkDesc
The work
Nursery and primary school teachers in Scotland work with children between the ages of three and eleven, in state or independent schools.
As a nursery teacher you would work in nursery schools and classes with children aged three to five. You would use mainly play activities to help children's:
- social, personal, physical and emotional development
- creativity
- understanding of the world
- language, literacy and numeracy skills.
As a primary teacher you would teach children aged five to twelve. You would be responsible for a class, and would teach them all or most subjects. You may also have a specialist subject, and may co-ordinate this throughout the school.
As well as teaching, you would spend a lot of time:
- preparing lessons and teaching materials
- marking and assessing work
- putting up displays in the classroom
- working with other professionals such as educational psychologists
- speaking to parents and carers about their children's progress (both informally and at parents' evenings)
- attending meetings and in-service training
- organising outings, social activities and sporting events.
You may be assisted by teaching assistants or nursery nurses, especially in nursery and reception (first year primary) classes.
Visit the Scottish Executive Education Department website for further information about nursery and primary teaching.
HoursDesc
Hours
In state schools in Scotland you will have a standard 35 hour week and work 195 days a year. School times vary between schools, but are usually 9am to 3.30pm or 4pm. The amount of class contact time is 22.5 hours a week. You will also spend time outside school hours:
- preparing lessons
- marking work and exams
- attending meetings.
IncomeDesc
Income
- Classroom teachers earn from £21,438 to £34,200 a year.
- Chartered teachers earn up to £41,925 a year.
- Head teachers earn from £42,228 to £82,542.
Figures are intended as a guide only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
To qualify as a nursery or primary school teacher in Scotland you must achieve the Teaching Qualification (Primary Education). This involves completing one of the following types of initial teacher education (ITE):
- a four year Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Primary Education, or
- a one year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)
- a part-time PGDE course, usually done in partnership with certain local authorities.
For the BEd degree you will usually need:
- at least three H grades, including a high grade in English, and
- S grade maths (or equivalent qualifications).
For the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) you must have all of the following qualifications:
- a degree
- H grade English at C or above (or equivalent)
- S grade maths at credit level (or equivalent).
To be accepted for ITE you will need to show that your educational background (including the content of your degree) provides a good basis for becoming a nursery or primary teacher – course providers will look for evidence that you have studied at least two of the following areas (as well as English and maths):
- science
- social studies
- expressive arts
- religious and moral education
- technology
- modern foreign languages.
You should check with your chosen university for their exact entry requirements.
Before applying for a course it will be useful if you have experience of working with children (paid or voluntary) in the relevant age group.
Visit the Scottish Executive Education Department website for:
- full career and training information
- details of universities offering ITE courses
- information on eligibility for teaching jobs if you have qualified outside Scotland.
For details of funding your training, check the Student Awards Agency for Scotland website.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
As a newly qualified teacher, you will be provisionally registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland and must complete a probationary year in order to meet the Standard for Full Registration. See the General Teaching Council for Scotland website for details.
You must agree an annual continuing professional development (CPD) plan with your manager and keep a record of your CPD activities.
When you have completed the Standard for Full Registration and have experience in teaching, you may be able to work towards Chartered Teacher Status. See the Teach in Scotland website for details.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
- an interest in the education and welfare of pupils
- enthusiasm for the subjects you teach
- commitment to equal opportunities
- organisational skills
- the ability to manage classes well and deal with difficult behaviour
- excellent communication skills
- patience and a sense of humour.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Scottish Executive, Education Department 
Area 2A North
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
Tel: 0845 345 4745
www.teachinginscotland.com
Student Awards Agency for Scotland
Gyleview House
3 Redheughs Rigg
Edinburgh
EH12 9HH
Tel: 0845 111 1711
www.saas.gov.uk
General Teaching Council for Scotland
Clerwood House
96 Clermiston Road
Edinburgh
EH12 6UT
Tel: 0131 314 6000
www.gtcs.org.uk
Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR)
Rosehill
New Barn Lane
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 3LZ
Tel: 0871 4680 469
www.gttr.ac.uk
Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS)
21 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7PE
Tel: 0131 220 2106
www.scis.org.uk
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You will find most opportunities for teaching jobs in state schools. Some jobs are part-time.
Depending on the size of the school, you may be able to progress to principal teacher, deputy head teacher and head teacher.
As an experienced teacher you could specialise in teaching pupils with special educational needs, or in private tuition. As a nursery teacher you could set up your own nursery or playgroup.
You may find the following links useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
Early years, children and young people’s services are represented by the Skills for Care and Development Sector Skills Council. This includes those working in early years, children and young people’s services, and those working in social work and social care for children and adults in the UK. The social care sector comprises two sub-sectors:
- Adult social care – with a workforce of nearly 1.5 million, accounting for 5% of England’s workforce, and 38,000 employers
- Children and young people – with an estimated workforce of 2.7 million
Early years, children and young people’s services provide publicly funded services accessed by between 1.5 and 2.5 million families per year, including early years education, childcare, children’s social care, family support, child protection, fostering and adoption services. There are more than 500,000 workers delivering these services in England.
[N.B. Following the change of Government on 11th May, all statutory guidance and legislation referred to here continues to reflect the current legal position unless indicated otherwise, but this document may not reflect Government policy.]
Key facts:
- The children and young people’s social care workforce includes:
- Over a quarter of a million people working within early years and childcare settings, with 165,200 employed in full day care and 58,300 workers in sessional day care
- An estimated 111,484 nannies
- An estimated 1,152 portage workers in England (who provide a home-visiting service for pre-school children who have developmental or learning difficulties, physical disabilities or other special needs)
- About 1,985 in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
- An estimated 7,500 residential childcare workers in children’s homes and 2,100 in care homes for disabled children
- 25,460 full-time equivalent social workers
- Approximately 37,000 foster families in England
- Approximately 14,000 learning mentors
- 2,247 educational psychologists
- Between 3,000 and 5,000 education welfare officers in England
- 65% of full day care provision is privately run, with 22% of settings run by a voluntary organisation.
- The majority of sessional care settings are run by voluntary organisations or are privately run.
The children and young people’s workforce includes a wide range of workers, jobs and professional occupations, including:
- Early years and childcare – Early years/nursery teachers; Nursery nurses/workers; Portage workers; Nannies; Home Child carers; Heads of children’s centres; Volunteers in childcare settings
- Children and young people’s social care – children and family court advisory and support service officers, foster carers, residential childcare workers, children and family social workers
- Learning, development and support services (LDSS) – learning mentors, educational psychologists, education welfare officers, behaviour and education support teams, family support workers
National and regional data
[N.B. National and regional data are currently unavailable.]
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