Bachelor of Education (Primary)

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) is a Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand approved three-year professional degree. This programme prepares graduates to meet the Code and Standards for the Teaching Profession. Such graduates have a robust understanding of curriculum, teaching and learning, reflection and research as a teacher. 

The degree integrates theory and practice and offers students over 22 weeks of school-based practice. Students think vocationally and critically about teaching and have opportunities to reflect theologically on their practice throughout the degree. 

The delivery of the degree is site-based with the following modes: face-to-face delivery, blended learning and school-based learning.


Zero Tuition Fees in 2027

We are delighted to offer Zero Tuition Fees* in 2027 for our Initial Teacher Education programmes!

The Zero Fees Tuition is applicable to the first year of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) and the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) programmes at our Auckland and Christchurch campuses in 2027. 

*Terms and Conditions apply.


Download Terms & Conditions Register your interest

Objectives

Laidlaw College seeks to prepare students for the teaching profession through a programme that centres on a theological foundation of hope that meaningfully integrates and orients with values, commitments and quality practice that are consistent with The Code and Standards of the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand in a supported environment. The qualification seeks to produce graduates who are relational, critically reflective practitioners who can design high-quality learning experiences from a place of curiosity about the learner, the world and a professional understanding of the goals, scope and nature of education. Graduating students will be qualified to register as teachers in New Zealand for primary,  intermediate and middle-school teaching in public, integrated and private schools.

Programme Summary

LEVEL 7 - 360 credits
DURATION Full-time for three years or part-time for six years
STARTS February
PLACES Open
CAMPUS Henderson, Christchurch

Career Opportunities

Graduating students of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) are outstanding and sought-after teachers. Graduates are eligible for registration with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand and can be found in primary, intermediate, middle and area schools and state, state-integrated and private schools throughout New Zealand and around the world. This programme will be suited to those who will be capable of professional teaching practice and developing collaborative relationships with learners and colleagues. 

Programme Overview

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) is a three-year full-time (or part-time equivalent) programme, comprising 360 credits.

The programme covers the following areas:

Teaching Identity and Vocation
Introduces student teachers to teaching as a formative and relational vocation - one that shapes learners, communities, and the teacher themselves. Grounded in a Christian understanding of persons as relational, valued, and capable of growth, the programme emphasises the development of teacher identity, professional responsibility, and foundational knowledge of learners, learning, and educational contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Engages with the stages of human development in order to understand how learning happens. Students will learn to develop curriculum, planning, pedagogy, and assessment for the needs of their specific learners.

Literacy and Numeracy
Students examine how oral language, reading, and writing develop and learn how teachers design literacy learning that supports early reading and writing success. Pedagogies and practices for the teaching of mathematics are introduced and developed.

Professional Practice
Prepares students to the practices of teaching, beginning with a professional immersion phase, in which they analyse learner needs, learning environments, and contextual factors, and moving towards assuming sustained responsibility for planning, teaching and assessment. Throughout, students integrate their knowledge with their practice and professional judgement.  

Biblical Theology for Teaching
Throughout the programme, students ground their understandings and practice of teaching in the Biblical narrative, connecting their vocations as teachers with God’s work of renewal in the world. 

Mātauranga Māori
Explores Mātauranga Māori and its application to education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ākonga are equipped to articulate biblical understandings in relation to a Māori worldview. The course will require a deep engagement with, and ability to explain beyond surface level, aspects of te ao Māori and the history of education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ākonga will be challenged to articulate a personal philosophical position of what it means to be a teacher in Aotearoa New Zealand and their own cultural identity.

*Subject to NZQA approval.


We believe in the unique and privileged role that kaiako have in opening the world of learning to tamariki and rangatahi, and the incredible positive influence that teachers have in schools, for whānau and for communities. Well trained, passionate teachers are what education in Aotearoa needs and deserves and we are committed to serving towards that vision through our Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary)



Rev Dr Pennie Togiatama
Head of Education






Key Dates

Applications for Semester 1, 2027, open 1 June, 2026. Please click here, to view all important dates.

Click here for information about admissions requirements for the BEd.

For any other information, please refer to the academic handbook (see e-book).

If you would like to discuss your study options or become a “Student for a Day” please contact our Admissions office: [email protected] or call 0800 999 777