Bachelor of Education (Primary)

The ANU pathway to primary teaching uses the Plan structure: students complete the AITSL-accredited primary teacher-education sequence with a foundation discipline major (English, Mathematics, History or Sciences) plus pedagogy units. Year one covers child development, foundations of literacy and numeracy, education theory, indigenous education and the first observation placement (around 20 days). Year two layers curriculum and pedagogy across the six K-6 key learning areas (English, maths, science and technology, HASS, health and PE, the arts), classroom management, inclusive education and the second placement block (around 30 days). Year three carries specialist methods in English and mathematics, assessment and reporting, behaviour management, advanced literacy and numeracy pedagogy, plus the third placement (around 40 days). Year four runs the internship-style final placement (around 60 days), the literacy and numeracy test (LANTITE), and a teaching specialisation chosen from ACT Education Directorate priority areas (Early Childhood, Special Needs, EAL/D, STEM). Total supervised professional experience: 80 plus days across the degree, in ACT public, Catholic and independent schools.

AITSL requires 80 supervised teaching days across the four-year primary degree, broken into block placements of increasing length and responsibility. Placements run across ACT Education Directorate public schools, Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn schools, and ACT independents. Final-year internship runs as a near-full teaching load under a supervising teacher. Before placement starts students must complete the ACT Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration, TQI accreditation registration, child protection training and the LANTITE literacy and numeracy test. Country-school placement blocks rotate through schools in Queanbeyan, Cooma, Yass and the southern tablelands.

Graduates apply for provisional teacher registration via the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) and start as classroom teachers in ACT Education Directorate public schools, Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (CEACG) schools, and independents (Canberra Grammar, Canberra Girls Grammar, Burgmann, Radford). Permanent ACT Education positions go through the Education Directorate teacher recruitment system, with priority for graduates accepting placements in priority schools. Postgraduate pathways include Master of Education (Special Education, TESOL, Leadership), Master of Educational Leadership and the Master of Teaching (Secondary) for K-12 versatility. Higher accreditation levels (Highly Accomplished, Lead Teacher) require evidence-based portfolio submissions to TQI.