Sophie Proper DITL photo

Day in the life of a Primary Education student

Find out what a typical day looks like for Sophie Bunyan, a primary education student on placement. 

“Gaining experience with children before starting the course, through volunteering, or a summer job, reading up on educational material, whether through academic articles or current news will also help you stay informed about any issues in the field"

 6 - 7AM:

After waking up and having breakfast, I got dressed and ready for the day, making sure my bag was ready for school. The key things in my bag are my laptop, planner and pencil case. I also prepare my lunch to take with me.

7:05AM:

I left the house to drive to placement. It took about 45 minutes today as the traffic wasn’t too bad. I have started listening to audiobooks on my drive which makes the time go more quickly.

8AM:

I arrived at school. I was earlier than I needed to be, so I sat in my car for a little bit on my phone and looking at my planner to check what I was doing for the day.

8:15AM:

I headed into school, went to the classroom to put my things away and spoke with the teacher about the day’s lessons to check if anything different was happening. If it’s a day that I’m teaching, then I will make sure that I have everything ready to go.

8:35AM:

The children arrived. The morning included an assembly, maths, playtime, English and phonics.

12PM:

Lunchtime. I ate my lunch in the staffroom. About 15 minutes before the end of lunch I went back to the classroom to get ready for the afternoon.

12:55PM:

The children came back from lunch. Their afternoon lessons today were PE and art. I also took my phonics intervention group out to do a mini lesson. Moving forwards in this placement I’ll be teaching a lot more, however, this week I’ve mainly been delivering the phonics lesson and supporting groups in all other lessons.

3:15 - 4PM:

End of the school day. The children were all picked up or went to an after-school club. I had a meeting with my class teacher to discuss my lesson observation, progress and targets for next week.

5 - 7PM:

I went for a quick walk and, since I had some more time to myself today as I didn’t go to the gym, I decided to make a roast dinner! I then did some work to make sure that I had everything ready for the next day. To unwind I watched some TV and had a chat with my housemates.

9PM:

I got ready for bed, went on my phone for a little while and read some of my book before going to sleep ready to do it all again the next day!

Clearing - give us a call card - clearing hotline

Clearing 2025

If you're considering your options for university this year, Clearing is a way for students to find the right course and university. Whether you aren't sure you'll meet your predicted grades, you've changed your mind about your firm choice, or you haven't applied yet, Clearing could be for you!

Find out more about Clearing

Related Content

Beating pre-uni nerves

Starting uni can be an anxious time, but rest assured everyone else is truly in the same boat. Birmingham City University vlogger Sam made this video that reflects on when he started uni.

Living in Birmingham

First year students Libby and Ethan discuss their experiences of living in Birmingham for the first time. 

The difference between school or college and uni

Birmingham City University vlogger Maro talks through some of the differences you will find between being at school or college to when you start at uni.

Stationery you need for uni 🖊📚

Getting your back-to-uni stationery sorted is seriously exciting. There's just something about a fresh pencil case that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together, right? But what do you actually need for university that you might not have needed at school or college?