Become an Early Years
Primary School Teacher
Train to teach in a local primary school with one of the country’s leading teacher training providers. Choose this Primary Teacher Training -Early Years 3-7 Specialism to specialise in the 3-7 age range but get qualified to teach at any stage.
- Learn in the classroom from Day 1
- Turn your degree into Qualified Teacher Status
- School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) (Learn more)
- Once qualified, start on a salary of £31k-£38k
Apply by June 15 to secure a priority interview and funding!
Express Your InterestApply Now
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Why Become an Early Years Primary School Teacher?
Working with children in the Early Years and primary phase is one of the most rewarding roles in education. These are the years when children begin to develop a love of learning, build confidence and curiosity, and form the foundations for later success in life.
As an Early Years Primary teacher, you’ll play a central role in shaping this critical stage of development—helping children thrive both socially and academically from the very start of their school journey.
What’s the difference between EYTS and QTS?
There are two main routes into teaching young children:
Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
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EYTS is a specialist award for those who want to work with children from birth to five. While it recognises expertise in Early Years practice, it does not award Qualified Teacher Status, meaning EYTS holders cannot be employed as qualified teachers in maintained primary schools.
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QTS, on the other hand, is the professional status required to teach as a qualified teacher in state-funded schools in England, including primary schools. It enables you to teach across the primary age range and is recognised in many schools internationally.
Primary Teacher Training Comparison Table
Use the table below to compare the key features of our Fee-Funded Initial Teacher Training and Teacher Apprenticeship programmes at a glance.
📱 On mobile? Swipe sideways to see the full table →
Student finance made simple
If you’re a UK national (a ‘home’ student) or from the European Economic Area (EEA), you could be eligible for a tuition fee loan to cover the full cost of your training. This means there’s nothing to pay upfront — your fees are paid directly to us by Student Finance England, and you’ll only start repaying once you’re in full-time work and earning over £21,000 a year.
If you’re a UK national, you may also be able to apply for a maintenance loan to help with living costs such as rent, food and travel. This is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term.
Best Practice Network offers full support in helping you access this funding. Please view our tuition fee policy here.
How will I train to become a, Early Years Primary School teacher?
Over 12 months, you will complete practical training in two schools. Throughout the programme, 1 day a week (20%) of your time will be dedicated to off-the-job training delivered by Best Practice Network.
Upon completion of your practical training, you will...
- Present your portfolio and demonstrate your readiness to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in July.
- (For Apprenticeship route only) complete your End Point Assessment, which includes a lesson observation and a professional discussion with an external examiner—giving you the opportunity to achieve a distinction-level award.
- Induction: you will have your first day of learning and ITT Induction before the start of your training to help you prepare for the programme
- Term 1: You will be in your host school this term. Training in school four days a week and attending online or in-person training one day a week
- Term 2: You will spend 6 weeks in a contrasting school placement.
- Term 3: You will return to your host school to prepare for the recommendation of QTS
- Term 4 (Apprenticeship only): End Point Assessment for Level 6 Teacher Apprenticeship Qualification, where you can reach distinction level in addition to your QTS!
Hear what our student teachers have to say...
Why choose Best Practice Network for your teacher training?
- Ofsted outstanding: provider of the DfE’s full teacher progression pathway, supporting student teachers from entry into teaching through to executive leadership.
- 20+ Years experience: Delivering teacher training and professional qualifications for teachers, school leaders, support staff and early years professionals.
- Subject & phase specific groups: As a leading national provider our enrolment enables student teachers to train alongside peers specific to their phase, subject and specialism.
- Local placement: Our network of 500+ schools provides our student teachers local access to in-school placements.
- Supporting wellbeing: Our pathway is QTS-only helping support student teacher capacity and wellbeing on their journey into teaching.
- Award-winning: Best Practice Network has been named Education Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year for the past two years.
- 100% of our 2023/24 graduate teachers have secured employment for September
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What qualifications do I need to train to be an Early Years Primary School Teacher?
To be eligible for our teacher training, applicants MUST hold:
- A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with a 2:2 or above
- GCSE grade 4/C* or above in English and maths and science (or recognised equivalent*)
- While school experience is not mandatory, we highly recommend it as a valuable way to confirm your interest in a teaching career
*Qualifications in key and functional skills at level 2 are not equivalent to GCSEs in terms of breadth of content.
The Application Process
What Happens After You Apply?
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Application review
Once you’ve chosen the age phase you’d like to teach and submitted your application, our team will conduct an initial review.
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Online interview
We’ll contact you to arrange an online interview. You'll be asked to complete some pre-interview maths and English task as well as a presentation.
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Conditional offer
If your interview is successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer to join the programme.
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School placement support
Don’t have a school to support your training yet? No problem! Our dedicated placements team will work with you to secure a placement school, ensuring you’re ready to begin your teaching journey.
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Enrolment and onboarding process begins
"I want to work in a primary school and specialise in nursery, reception or Key Stage 1" - Apply Here
Whether you're changing careers or graduating soon, our fee-funded Primary Initial Teacher Training with an Early Years (3–7) specialism offers a direct route to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in just 11 months.
You’ll train in a primary school setting with a strong Early Years focus for four days a week, supported by one day of expert-led training — either online or face to face. Best Practice Network arranges your placement and training, so you can concentrate on becoming an excellent teacher of our youngest learners.
Starting in September, this full-time programme can be funded through a student loan or self-funding. It’s a flexible, supportive and structured route into a meaningful career helping children get the best possible start in education.
"I want to work in a nursery" - Apply Here
Applications are currently closed for the EYITT - Graduate Entry Full Time Route for those who want to qualify to become Early Years Teachers and work in a nursery setting.
Meet the team!
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