The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) is designed to equip students with the necessary skills needed to teach in Christian, independent and state school systems in both Australia and overseas. There is an increasing demand for Christian teachers to be employed in all school sectors across Australia. Avondale graduates are highly valued for being reflective, creative, and confident in the classroom.
The degree qualifies and prepares graduates to teach from Kindergarten to Year 6, and to be responsible ethical leaders to children. BA/BTch (Primary) is a highly practical course with hands-on classroom experience from the second year of full-time study. Students will engage in four Professional Experience Placements. These are undertaken at various schools to enable the application of theory in a practical setting. Students may also be able to undertake an overseas Professional Experience Placement.
Primary Key Learning Areas include:
There are many options for satisfying the entry requirements for our courses. An applicant needs to meet at least one of the following entry requirements to be given an offer to study at Avondale.
*Applicants must not be a current year 12 (or equivalent) student and must be 18 years or older at the time of commencing their course.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant may be admitted based on equivalent qualifications or work and life experience as assessed by the Course Convenor or delegate and/or the DVC Academic.
Applicants must submit the Personal Statement for Initial Teaching Training (PSITE). The PSITE assesses the applicant’s suitability for becoming a teacher and consists of four questions with a maximum of 250 words per response.
If you plan to study any of the following primary teaching areas, you must meet the relevant criteria for admission:
Chemistry
Mathematics
Other qualifications may be acceptable. Students should contact the Course Convenor.
Music
Admission to the Avondale Conservatorium is by audition.
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
Where an applicant does not meet the required minimum standard, admission is possible with other appropriate music experience upon approval from the Director of Music.
For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
To arrange an audition, email the Director of Music at [email protected].
This course is available to international students who meet the Australian government requirements for a student visa to reside in Australia for the duration of the course. For information regarding visas refer to https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-finder/study.
Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency one of the following:
Applicants who have completed prior study may be eligible for advanced standing (credit recognition). Applicants should discuss their eligibility for advanced standing with the Admissions Team or the Course Convenor.
The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) consists of 32 units and requires 192 credit points for completion. Every unit has a 6 credit-point value.
The first year of full-time study is comprised of core and specialisation units which must be completed prior to the first Professional Experience Placement, scheduled in the second year of study.
The course structure is based on eight semesters with four units normally studied in each semester in a full-time load. The course is comprised of:
Core units are compulsory for all students in the BA/BTch (Primary) providing students with foundational understanding.
These units cover a range of current educational topics designed to prepare teacher education students to successfully teach young people.
Curriculum units prepare students to teach in Primary School settings by focusing on Primary Curriculum Studies. These units cover all mandatory Key Learning Areas.
The Primary specialisation is comprised of four units within a KLA of the primary curriculum. Primary specialisations are content units that are taught by the relevant disciplines and are designed to build a strong body of knowledge in one area of the Primary Curriculum. Primary specialisations include:
Students must contact the Course Convenor for details about unit selection.
| BA/BTch (Primary) - Course Grid | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Semester | Subject | Subject | Subject | Subject |
| 1 | 1 | Primary specialisation 1 (select a unit from the same specialisation area) | Primary specialisation 2 (select a unit from the same specialisation area) | Core WHPE10101 Foundations of Wellbeing | Core MATH10000 Applied Numeracy |
| 2 | Primary specialisation 3 (select a unit from the same specialisation area) | Primary specialisation 4 (select a unit from the same specialisation area) | Core GSTL15000 Tertiary Writing | Core SCTS11100 Exploring the Physical & Natural World | |
| 2 | 1 | EDUC14104 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Initial English | EDUC14101 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Creative Arts I | EDUC12102 ICT & Curriculum | EDUC12101 Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies Primary-Preparing for the Learning Environment |
| Professional Teaching Experience I (July - 15 days) | |||||
| 2 | EDUC14102 Curriculum Studies - Teaching English I | EDUC24112 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Creative Arts II | EDUC10102 Child Development & Learning | EDUC22102 Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies Primary-Planning & Assessment for Learning | |
| 3 | Professional Teaching Experience II (February - 10 days) | ||||
| 1 | EDUC24104 Curriculum Studies-Teaching English II | EDUC14105 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Mathematics I | EDUC22104 Managing the Primary Classroom Environment | EDUC22103 Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies Primary-Teaching and Researching for Effective Learning | |
| Professional Teaching Experience III (July - 15 days) | |||||
| 2 | EDUC24106 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Mathematics II | EDUC24107 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Science & Technology | EDUC34109 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Health & Physical Education | EDUC20100 Exploring a Christian Worldview | |
| 4 | 1 | EDUC20104 Indigenous Education | EDUC34110 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Humanities & Social Sciences | EDUC34111 Curriculum Studies-Teaching Biblical Studies | EDUC30101 Professional Development: Preparation for the Workplace |
| Professional Experience V (June/July, 40 days) | |||||
| 2 | EDUC30102 Students with Special Education Needs | EDPX30001 Professional Experience | EDUC30108 Educational Research & Diversity | EDUC30105 Exploring a Philosophy of Christian Education | |
Students have regular opportunities to practice their developing teaching skills in the classroom through Professional Experience Placement. For those in an undergraduate degree this is a minimum of 80 days. This provides opportunities to develop essential mastery of the Graduate Teaching Standards, required by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) prior to graduation.
It is important that teacher education students:
Students must provide evidence of compliance on arrival at each school for their Professional Experience Placement. Evidence includes:
If students become ineligible to visit schools for Professional Experience Placement or are barred from attending at a school for any reason, they will not be able to complete this degree.
Students need to demonstrate their fitness for teaching to complete a Professional Experience Placement. This means being able to:
Teacher education students should seek Professional Experience Placements in schools where no relatives or friends are working or attending. This is to avoid a conflict of interest in mentoring and assessing teacher education students. If applying to such a school, relationships must be disclosed, with Avondale reserving the right to allow the Professional Experience Placement. Failure to disclose this information may mean that the grade for the Professional Experience Placement is subject to revision or annulment. Students cannot complete a placement at a school where they are present or past employees.
Students will need to obtain a New South Wales Working with Children Check, as well as the equivalent Working with Children Check in any state or territory in which they intend to complete a Professional Experience Placement. Students enrolled in an initial teacher education degree will need to have obtained an NSW WWCC no later than the end of their first year.
Students need to apply for a Working with Children Check online through the Office of the Children's Guardian. After the application is complete, the application number and the expiry date must be emailed to the Professional Experience Placement Officer.
E: [email protected]
Students are required to complete the Child Protection Awareness Training within the first two weeks of the semester, before the first Professional Experience Placement. The training is a self-paced online e-learning course available through the NSW Department of Education. Students should save their evidence of completion as a PDF file and email it to the Professional Experience Placement Officer. E: [email protected].
When a student has completed the Child Protection Awareness training, they must register for MyPL, and then complete Child Protection Updates annually.
The specific focus of the annual Child Protection Update varies each year, depending on current needs as identified by the NSW Department of Education. The aim of the course is to provide a general refresher on recognising and responding to suspected risk of harm across a range of categories. It reminds those working in an education context of the actions to take when identifying and responding to students at risk of harm.
The NSW Department of Education mandates that students receive anaphylaxis management training before commencing their first Professional Experience Placement. Students are required to complete ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training for Australian schools.
Once completed, please print, scan, and email the certificate(s) to the Professional Experience Placement Officer.
E: [email protected]
Government requirements stipulate that students must pass the Government Literacy and Numeracy Test (LANTITE) in order to commence their final Professional Experience Placement. It is advised that students sit this test in the first year of their course. The booking of and the payment for these tests is the responsibility of each student, being separate to tuition fees.
The Placement Officer is available to assist students with all post admission requirements and can be contacted at:
E: [email protected]
T: 02 4980 2180
At the completion of the course, students must register with the state professional teaching body before practising in the classroom. In New South Wales this accrediting body is the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA).
Avondale teaching graduates are highly sought after in the Australian education sector.
Successful completion of the BA/BTch (Primary) will allow the student to graduate with the qualifications to teach from Kindergarten to Year 6 and the potential to gain employment as a:
Graduates are qualified to teach in independent and state school systems in both Australia and overseas. In addition to education-related careers, teachers find careers in corporate and government roles where organisational and relationship skills are valued by employers.
