Handbook

Charles Sturt  University takes a holistic approach to understand each applicant’s potential for academic success. Each student is assessed on a range of factors including academic readiness, previous study, work and life experience, motivation to succeed, and awareness of the demands of tertiary study.

Primary school teachers are qualified to teach all of the primary curriculum areas (also referred to as the Key Learning Areas or KLAs), and are required to have extended knowledge of one of these curriculum areas (which is determined in the application process which is detailed below).

Applicants for the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) must meet the following admission requirements:
A completed Bachelor’s Degree

1. Successful completion of acceptable undergraduate and or/postgraduate study that is equivalent to one year of study (1.0 Equivalent Full Time Study Load - EFTSL), usually equating to eight subjects, that fall under one or more of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) primary curriculum KLAs.


2. To ensure applicants have an extended depth of knowledge in one curriculum KLA, a minimum of four of the eight subjects must be within one of the following seven primary curriculum KLAs:

• English*


• Mathematics *


• Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS/HSIE)


• Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE)


• Creative Arts (Music, Drama, Dance & Visual Arts)


• Science and Technology*


• Languages*

The program for which the applicant will be eligible for entry is therefore based on the applicant’s previous study in the respective primary curriculum KLA.
Applicants who do not fully meet these requirements may be offered a place in the Bachelor of Educational Studies course.  This will enable completion of the required KLA subjects to meet entry requirements and permit re-application to the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary).
Upon entry to the course, a standard credit package will be given based on the extent to which the student's undergraduate and/or postgraduate study meets the requirements of NESA for prior discipline and curriculum method study. Refer to the Credit and Pathways information for further details.

The credit packages which are awarded to the course are based on:

1. The extent to which the applicant's previous academic background meets the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) requirements for appropriate studies in a primary curriculum area.  These requirements can be viewed in full at the NESA website.


2. The Primary curriculum extended study program. All courses include an approved AITSL Primary Specialisation Pathway which is referred to as a Primary Curriculum Extended Study Program. Students in the Language course are required to complete an additional Language curriculum subject.


3. The NESA Extended Primary Curriculum Area Study Programs where students choose to complete the additional subject(s) required.

Students who elect to complete an approved NESA recognised Extended Primary curriculum Area Program in Mathematics or English will be required to complete an additional ‘Highly Effective Teaching’ subject. Students who elect to complete a NESA Extended Primary Curriculum Area Program in Science and Technology will be required to complete two additional subjects, a Technology Curriculum subject and a ‘Highly Effective Teaching’ subject. Students who elect to complete a NESA Extended Primary curriculum Area Program in Languages will be required to complete two additional subjects, a Language Curriculum subject and a ‘Highly Effective Teaching’ subject. 

Upon admission, all students who meet the entry requirements in full are awarded 64 points of entry-level credit in recognition of prior completed relevant undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies.  This is indicated as credit package EDU38C (64 points).

If one further subject is required to meet the NESA specifications, credit package EDU37C (56 points) is awarded, which permits an additional subject to be undertaken within the course.

If two further subjects are required to meet the NESA specifications, credit package EDU36C (48 points) is awarded, which permits two additional subjects to be undertaken within the course.

Proficiency Credit or Reduction in Placement Hours based on professional experience
Students are required to complete a total of 60 days of professional experience in the course to meet accreditation requirements. Three subjects in the course include embedded professional experience days: EPT455 includes 10 days; EPT447 includes 20 days and EPT461 includes 30 days.
Students must be teaching in a primary school and will have usually have taught full time for at least one term at 80% teaching load. A proficiency credit application and a Principal Report verifying the applicant’s teaching against the professional standards will need to be completed and assessed by the Course Director.

For any student who is conditionally employed within a primary school setting and is successful in gaining Professional Experience Credit, the credit will only apply to the placement component of EPT455 Primary English Curriculum: Understanding Language and Literacy and/or EPT447 Professional Experience: Positive Primary Classroom Environments. The subject EPT455 includes learning outcomes aligned to K-2 English curriculum and the subject EPT447 includes learning outcomes aligned to the priority area Classroom Management.

It is a NESA course requirement that students must complete professional experience in a minimum of two diverse settings, as such, the student must then complete the remaining placement days in EPT447 and/or EPT461 Final Professional Experience: Effective Teaching and Assessment in the Primary Years placement requirements at a different school setting than the setting in which credit was awarded for.

Any student who completed professional experience as part of another incomplete degree may apply to have that professional experience recognised as equivalent in the same manner that they would apply for credit for other subjects.

The first two placement subjects (EPT455 and EPT447) can be completed in an approved overseas school where the mode of instruction is in English, usually in an International School. The final placement must be completed in Australia.

English Language Proficiency Standard English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements
This will apply to both domestic and international applicants. Offer may be conditional on ELP but applicants will be required to provide evidence of meeting these requirements before the start of studies. Students must meet one of the following criteria:

• A minimum overall Academic IELTS score of 7.5 (with no score below 7 in reading and writing, and a score of no less than 8 in speaking and listening) or a qualification deemed equivalent. Testing results must be obtained within two years from the date of your application for admission.


• International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR) with a score of Level 4 in all four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, undertaken at approved testing sites where the assessment is teacher focused. Testing results must be within two years from the date of your application for admission.


• Completion of at least a three year bachelor degree; studied in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, USA or United Kingdom. This qualification must have been taught and assessed in English.