Study alongside your work: you will attend St Mary's University one day a week whilst continuing to work with children and young people for at least half of the week.
Please note: for those wishing to enrol in September 2025 classes will be held on Thursday and the course will start on Thursday 11th September 2025.
- Judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2019.
- One year after graduating our education students are, on average, the second highest paid across the sector earning £3,300 more per year (on average) than the median salary. Five years after graduating this figure goes up to £6,100. (Department for Education LEO data, 2017).
- Each module is delivered by specialists with a background in the primary classroom.
- Study one day at university
Working with children and young people in a primary setting is a challenging career, but is incredibly rewarding. This one-year course allows graduates of our Primary Education FdA to complete a Bachelor's degree.
Studying one day a week whilst working within education provides you with a unique opportunity to apply your learning in a practical environment throughout the course.
Why St Mary's
Students on the course come from a range of settings including Primary and Early Years, special education needs and those working in faith and secular contexts and people special needs.
We have developed strong partnerships with a variety of schools including Catholic, other church and secular schools. Colleagues from these schools are involved in selecting students and supporting them through school experience. They also contribute to University-based modules.
St Mary's also offers two work-based degree courses that lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS):
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Course content
Modules
Over the one year programme the course will focus on educational support.
Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.
How the degree is taught
Teaching methods
You'll be taught on our beautiful and historic campus located in Twickenham, London.
The course is taught using a range of teaching methods:
- Presentations
- Discussions
- Small group work
- Observations
- Practical-based activities
You are expected to bring your own work experiences into the discussions and to relate this to the academic theories to which you will be introduced.
A virtual learning environment will support you throughout the course with an appropriate range of resources.
Class sizes range from 25 to 35 students.
Assessment methods
All work is assessed by means of a course portfolio, which may include presentations and research undertaken at your place of work. Work-based school experience will be assessed through observations and the completion of a QTS portfolio.
Feedback
We adhere to the university’s policy of providing feedback on assessments within 15 working days.
Entry requirements
N/A
We are committed to recruiting trainee teachers who have the 'ability to work in a way that promotes the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.' The interview process will cover the suitability of applicants to work with children and young people.
An A Level, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent is required and you must have already gained a foundation degree in Education.
You will need to be employed in work with children and young people for at least half of the week (in either a paid or voluntary capacity). At least three years' experience working in school (either paid or voluntary) is also required prior to the start of the programme.
List of free level 3 qualifications available to eligible adults
The UK government website has a list of places where students can find colleges that offer free level 3 qualifications which in turn will allow them to apply to St Mary's.
We understand that sometimes barriers you can't control get in the way of academic achievement. You are more than just your grades. We'll consider your application as a whole, taking into account things like:
- subjects studied at Level 3
- your GCSEs (or equivalent) profile
- non-academic achievements you mention in your personal statement
- your references and motivation.
GCSE
A GCSE grade 4/C (or equivalent) in English Language.
We offer GCSE equivalency tests for those who need to improve their GCSE grades.
International requirements
International students should check our country-specific pages for equivalents. If English is not your first language you will need to achieve an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section (or equivalent).
Head teacher supporting statement
Your head teacher will need to complete the Supporting Statement Form in order for us to confirm your place on the course. We will notify them of your application, but feel free to send them the link.
DBS check
Successful completion of a physical and mental fitness to teach and a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with barred lists, which shows the same as an enhanced check plus whether the applicant is on the list of people barred from doing the role are required.
Equality Act 2010
St Mary's is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and nurturing an inclusive and diverse student population. As such, we welcome applications from all those interested in pursuing an academic programme of study. Throughout the application process and while a student is enrolled at St Mary's, we will ensure that individuals will not be discriminated against based on any of the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.
UCAS Personal statement support
Create your UCAS personal statement through our online builder and we'll email you a copy of your completed version at the end.
Further Information
For more information about entry requirements please get in touch.
How many UCAS points my grades are worth
A levels
A*
56 pts
A
48 pts
B
40 pts
C
32 pts
D
24 pts
E
16 pts
My qualification isn't listed:
If you can't find your qualification in this list please check the full list of UCAS tariff tables.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees
Home
£9,535
International
£17,100
*Please note: these fees are annual and may increase as detailed in our tuition fee variation disclaimer.
For more information on foundation year fees for home students, please check the details on our tuition fee page.
Information about tuition fees, student loans, and funding your studies can be found within our fees and funding section.
Additional costs
Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme.
Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.
For further information about additional costs please see our additional costs webpage.
Scholarships
Find out more about our range of scholarships and bursaries available to undergraduate students .
Living costs
A guide to your living costs has been created by our Student Funding Team.
Accommodation costs vary depending on whether you opt for an en suite room and on-site catering. Take a look at our accommodation options and the prices you can expect to pay.
Career opportunities
This non-QTS pathway will help you improve upon your classroom practice and develop your career within the education sector.
The Careers Service has more information on careers and postgraduate study opportunities available to Primary Education students who have started their studies at St Mary’s. You can contact them at careers@stmarys.ac.uk.
Apply now
If you're currently living in the United Kingdom and Ireland, you'll need to apply directly through UCAS. You can check our step-by-step application guide for detailed information.
If you are living outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland, you can submit an application directly or add St Mary's University as a choice on UCAS. Check our guideline for more information.
Transferring from another institution?
St Mary's is happy to consider applications from students who wish to transfer from another university. If this is you, please follow these instructions.
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Discover what life is like on our London campus.