Teacher - Primary School
Teach primary school children, help them enjoy learning and encourage them to be confident about their abilities.
About the job
A day in the life – Primary school teacher
What it's like
Imagine inspiring the next generation to learn and develop in primary school. You'd teach a wide range of subjects to your class. You might be putting pupils through their paces in gym class one day and testing their times tables the next.
You’d plan and deliver lessons across different areas of learning, including:
expressive arts
health and wellbeing
languages
mathematics
religious and moral education
sciences
social studies
technologies
Your main responsibility is to improve the knowledge and understanding of your pupils. Your lessons would follow the Scottish Government's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). Although, you might have a different curriculum if you work in an independent school.
You’d encourage children to express themselves and play a positive role in school life. With your guidance, your pupils will feel confident and prepared so they can thrive at secondary school.
If you enjoy helping others and are passionate about learning you might be a future teacher!
Your tasks might include:
creating lessons and teaching materials
creating an environment that encourages learning, cooperation and good behaviour
evaluating progress in the curriculum and helping pupils assess their own work
adapting your teaching to support children struggling in class
considering additional support needs in lesson plans and the learning environment
discussing children's development and progress with parents and carers
helping pupils apply learning to different subjects and see how it fits in to the wider world
organising and supervising outings, clubs, social activities and sports events
attending meetings and training courses
working with other professionals, such as education psychologists and social workers
Hours
Environment
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Like the sound of this career?
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Teacher - Primary School'
Select qualification level(s)
Other careers that you might like
Early years teacher
Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- curriculum development
- pedagogy
- christian education
- gaelic language
- british sign language (bsl)
- social-emotional learning (sel)
- simd
- cello
- violin
- classroom management
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- motivating others
- mentoring
- coaching
- ethical
- social conscience
- empathising
- written communication
- verbal communication
- supporting
- positive attitude
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Maths (Mathematics)
Modern Languages
Care
Childcare and Development
English
French
Gaelic (Learners)
Gàidhlig
History
Skills for Work: Early Education and Childcare
You'll need a BA degree (SCQF Level 9/10) in Primary Education.
If you already have a degree, you can study for the one year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) - Primary Education (SCQF Level 11).
To enter a BA degree in Primary Education usually requires four to five Highers including English plus Maths and another subject at SCQF level 5 (Standard grade Credit level or Intermediate 2 or National 5 at B).
To enter a PGDE in Primary Education you require a relevant degree. The course will prepare you for teaching children in the 3-12 years age range.
If you do not have the entry requirements for a degree course, you may be able to get into a one year (SWAP) Access course at college. To be eligible as a SWAP student, you must have been out of full-time education for at least three years (or five years if you have an NC or Highers).
You will be expected to have particular strengths in arithmetic, mathematics, reading and writing as these are key elements of a primary teacher’s job.
Experience of working with children in a primary school or similar.
An up-to-date knowledge of the education system
To be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
You must normally have studied at least two of the following subjects in your degree or elsewhere:
Science
Social studies
Expressive arts
Religious and moral education
Technology
Modern foreign languages
Find the right course for you
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Teacher - Primary School'
