Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary)

The Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) contains 135 days of professional experience; 75 days in a primary school setting and 60 days in an early childhood centre. These placements are Integrated into EDEC106, EDUC106, EDEC201, EDEC207, EDLT301, EDEC392, EDSP324, EDEC324, EDEC435, EDEC328 and EDSP411.

Before undertaking the final placement in a school, all teacher education students in this degree must complete and pass both components of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students.

Early Childcare Centres

All Early Childcare Professional Experience must be completed in ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS) approved centre-based settings. All professional experience placements in an early childhood centre must meet the following requirements to be counted for placement. The early childhood centre must:

  • Be a centre approved by ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS) that caters for children prior to school age;
  • Be using the Early Learning Years Framework (DEEWR, 2009).

Primary School Settings

All professional experience placements in a primary school setting must meet the following requirements to be counted for placement. The school must:

  • Assess teacher proficiency against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers;
  • Use NESA approved syllabuses or equivalent Australian syllabuses;
  • Be a NESA registered or a NSW Department of Education school (or equivalent interstate settings). For information regarding international schools, please read the OPL's Important Information.

All placements must be in a mainstream classroom unless otherwise specified.

Please select your unit:

EDEC106 (PrEx 5 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a five day placement in an ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS)  approved early childhood education and care setting with children aged birth to five years.

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum three year trained early childhood teacher.

EDEC106 Specific Requirements (PDF, 232.29 KB)

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • ACECQA approved early childhood setting that accommodates for children aged birth to five years.

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
EDUC106 (PrEx10 Days)

The unit EDUC106 is an innovative approach to the observation placement undertaken by teacher education students by introducing them to foundational theories, principals and skills for effective student and teacher learning. It meets the requirements of 10 days of professional experience by allowing students to observe structured lessons taught by classroom teachers. No school is organised for this placement. More information regarding this unit and its assessment and professional experience requirements can be found on the Course and Units Catalogue.

EDUC106 Teaching Development 1: Online PrEx 10 days

EDEC201 (PrEx 10 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a 10 day placement in an ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS)  approved early childhood education and care setting with children from birth to two years (up to 24 months).

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum three year trained early childhood teacher.

EDEC201 Specific Requirements (PDF, 237.88 KB)

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that accommodates for infants and toddlers.

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
EDEC207 (PrEx 10 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a 10 day placement in an ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS)  approved early childhood education and care setting with children under the age of three.

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum three year trained early childhood teacher.

EDEC207 Specific Requirements (PDF, 220.09 KB)

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that accommodates for children under the age of three.

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
EDLT301 (PrEx 15 Days)

This Placement and Planning for Effective Learning

This placement is integrated into the unit EDLT301 and may require unit work to be completed while on placement.

Specific Requirements

This is a 15 day block placement in a primary school setting where the teacher education students will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

EDLT301 Specific Requirements

Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream primary classrooms
  • Distance Education settings
  • Special Education settings*

Teacher education students may only complete one placement in distance education, or Special Education setting in EDLT301.

*For Special Education settings, the curriculum must align with the NSW/Australian Curriculum and the class must be in a primary school.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer or paraprofessional).
  • Release from Face-to-Face (RFF) placements
  • Library placements
EDEC392 (PrEx 15 days)

EDEC392 (PrEx 15 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a 15 day placement in an ACECQA  (meeting or exceeding NQS) approved early childhood education and care setting with children aged three to five years.

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum three year trained early childhood teacher.

EDEC392 Specific Requirements (PDF, 244.75 KB)

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that accommodates for children aged birth to five years.

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Work as an au pair
EDSP324 (PrEx 20 Days)

This Placement and Classroom Behaviour Management

This placement is integrated into the unit EDSP324. The placement component does not require a Special Education setting, as behaviour and classroom management are part of teaching as a whole as outlined in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a primary school setting where the teacher education student will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

EDSP324 Specific Requirements

Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream primary classrooms

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the teacher education student
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer or paraprofessional).
  • Distance Education settings
  • Special Education settings

Teacher education students may only complete one placement in an RFF, Distance Education, library and Special Education setting in EDLT301.

EDEC328 (PrEx 5 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a five day placement in an ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS)  approved early childhood education and care setting with children aged two to five years. If the currently employed in an early childhood centre, this placement must occur outside of one’s current or previous workplace, as well as in a different centre type of setting (e.g. long day care or preschool) and not in any 'sister centres' associated with the place of employment.

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum four year trained* early childhood teacher.

EDEC328 Specific Requirements (PDF, 238.14 KB)

*If you are unable to meet this requirement due to extenuating circumstances, for example, residing in remote or rural settings, please contact the Office for Professional Learning regarding the possibility of other arrangements.

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • An ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that accommodates for children aged two to five years.

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • The UNE student's current workplace
  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • In a ‘sister’ service to the centre of one’s current employment in an Early Childhood Centre.
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
  • Early intervention centres
EDEC324 (PrEx 5 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a five day adult-oriented placement in an ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS) approved early childhood education and care setting where whole setting early education management and leadership are investigated. If the student is currently employed in an early childhood setting/organisation, this placement must occur outside the student’s own current or previous workplace/s and not in a sister centre.

Specific Requirements

The supervising director must be a minimum four year degree trained early childhood teacher.

EDEC324 Specific Requirements (PDF, 318.26 KB)

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • An ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that is NOT the UNE student's workplace (this could be a child care centre, a family day care co-ordinating scheme, or a preschool if the director has significant non-teaching leadership roles).

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Any early childhood education and care setting in which the UNE student is working or has worked
  • Family day care educator’s home setting (a Family Day Care Co-ordinating Scheme office setting is acceptable)
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • In a ‘sister’ service to the centre of one’s current employment in an Early Childhood Centre.
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
EDEC435 (PrEx 10 days)*

Note: This unit is for students enrolled in a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) from 2018 - 2021. For those students that enrolled in 2022 please see PREX311.

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a 10 day placement in an ACECQA  (meeting or exceeding NQS) approved early childhood education and care setting with children aged three to five years.

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum four year trained* early childhood teacher.

EDEC435 Specific Requirements (PDF, 253.21 KB)

*If you are unable to meet this requirement due to extenuating circumstances, for example, residing in remote or rural settings, please contact the Office for Professional Learning regarding the possibility of other arrangements.

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • An ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that accommodates for children aged three to five years

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
PREX311 (PrEx 10 days)*

Note: This unit is for students enrolled in a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) from 2022 and onwards.

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a 10 day placement in an ACECQA (meeting or exceeding NQS)  approved early childhood education and care setting with children from birth to five years.

Specific Requirements

The supervising teacher must be minimum four year trained* early childhood teacher.

PREX311 Specific Requirements (PDF, 288.11 KB)

*If you are unable to meet this requirement due to extenuating circumstances, for example, residing in remote or rural settings, please contact the Office for Professional Learning regarding the possibility of other arrangements.

Acceptable Venues for this Placement

  • An ACECQA approved early childhood education and care setting that accommodates for children aged three to five years

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement

  • Family day care
  • Vacation Care
  • Before school care
  • After school care
  • Babysitting
  • Parental duties
  • Working as an au pair
EDSP410 (PrEx 30 Days)

This Placement and Classroom Behaviour Management

This placement is integrated into the unit EDSP410. The placement component does not have to be in a Special Education setting as behaviour and classroom management are part of teaching as a whole as outlined in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Specific Requirements

This placement must be completed in a 20 day block in a primary school setting where the teacher education student will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

EDSP410 Specific Requirements (PDF, 1028.1 KB)

Graduate Level Placements

This is the final placement where the teacher education student is assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Level as per the requirements of NESA. Teacher education students must also complete the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment.

During the final professional experience placement, Teacher Education Students are required by NESA to complete a Graduate Teaching Performance Assessment (GTPA). For more information please see the Final Placements and the GTPA page.

Teacher education students will be advised about the details of what is required to complete the GTPA in their final trimester of study. It will involve gathering evidence to demonstrate the impact on the learning of three students in the class with different ability levels.

Primary teaching courses include an AITSL primary teaching specialisation in English/Literacy. Some courses also include a NESA primary teaching specialisation in Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Language.

Depending on your course, your GTPA must focus on your teaching specialisation:

  • Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) - you MUST focus your GTPA on the primary English KLA

Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream primary classrooms

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Any placement type that varies from a mainstream classroom setting.

Teacher Education Students may only complete one placement in an RFF, Distance Education, library or Special Education setting in EDLT301.