Primary School Teacher CV Example in 2026 [Free Checklist]

The first question is rarely whether you like working with children. The school needs to know where you fit: EYFS, KS1, lower KS2, upper KS2, mixed-age classes, intervention work, supply teaching, ECT roles or experienced class teacher posts.

Open your CV with that context. A useful profile might say:

Primary School Teacher with five years' experience across KS1 and lower KS2, with strengths in phonics, guided reading, structured classroom routines and practical assessment. Confident planning inclusive lessons, working closely with teaching assistants and keeping parents informed through clear, supportive communication.

That profile works because it gives the reader the phase, core strengths and working style. It also avoids the common mistake of making the opening sound like a personal statement for any education role.

If you are an early career teacher, keep the wording honest:

Early Career Primary Teacher with school placement and supply experience across Year 2 and Year 4, with evidence in lesson planning, phonics support, behaviour routines and reflective practice. Confident building positive relationships with pupils, adapting resources and acting on mentor feedback to improve classroom delivery.

If you are moving from teaching assistant work into teaching, connect the route clearly:

Primary trainee teacher with strong classroom support experience, QTS in progress and practical evidence in small-group literacy intervention, SEND support, classroom routines and parent-facing communication.

The key is to make the reader understand your teaching context within seconds. You can add richer detail later.

Primary teaching is broad. A Year 1 role focused on early literacy has different evidence from a Year 6 role focused on transition, writing stamina and end-of-key-stage expectations. Your CV should not hide those differences.

For KS1 roles, show phonics, early reading, handwriting, practical maths, routines, carpet-time expectations, play-based or active learning where relevant, and how you help pupils settle into more formal learning. For lower KS2 roles, show reading fluency, writing development, maths reasoning, independence, pupil confidence and classroom organisation. For upper KS2 roles, show curriculum breadth, assessment, transition to secondary school, intervention planning and progress evidence.

You do not need to overload the CV with curriculum detail. Choose the evidence that matches the post.

Useful phrases include:

• Planned and delivered Year 2 lessons across English, maths, science and foundation subjects, using formative assessment to adapt next steps.
• Led guided reading groups for pupils needing extra fluency and confidence, using repeated reading and targeted questioning.
• Supported Year 5 writing development through modelled examples, structured feedback and short intervention tasks.
• Created clear routines for carpet input, independent tasks and group work, reducing repeated reminders during transitions.

If your experience spans several year groups, group it cleanly. A simple phrase such as Experience across Year 1, Year 3 and Year 4 is more useful than saying worked with different ages.

Many primary teacher CV profiles use safe but empty words: caring, creative, committed, organised, enthusiastic. Those qualities may be true, but they do not prove much on their own.

A better profile connects personal strengths to classroom outcomes. Instead of saying you are caring, show how you create a secure environment. Instead of saying you are creative, show how you adapt resources. Instead of saying you are organised, show how your routines help pupils learn.

Weak profile:

Caring and enthusiastic teacher with a passion for helping children achieve their best. Hard-working, organised and committed to delivering excellent lessons.

Stronger profile:

Primary School Teacher with KS1 experience in phonics, guided reading and structured classroom routines. Builds calm, encouraging learning environments by setting clear expectations, adapting resources and using assessment to plan targeted next steps.

The second version gives the recruiter something to shortlist. It tells them where you have taught, what you can do and how you work.

If you are applying to a school with a specific ethos, adapt the final line. You might mention inclusive practice, outdoor learning, faith school experience, restorative behaviour approaches, academy trust experience or mixed-age rural classes if it is genuinely relevant.

For extra help tightening this opening section, use the CV personal statement examples guide alongside this page.

The experience section should carry most of the evidence. For each role, include your job title, school, location if useful and dates. Then use bullet points that show what you taught, how you worked and what improved because of your teaching.

A primary school teacher bullet should usually include at least one of these:

• the year group or key stage;
• the subject, curriculum area or intervention;
• the pupil need or classroom challenge;
• the action you took;
• the result, impact or improvement;
• the people you worked with.

Task-only bullet:

• Planned lessons and supported pupils with reading.

Stronger bullet:

• Planned KS1 phonics and guided reading sessions for mixed-attainment groups, using short follow-up tasks to help hesitant readers build fluency and confidence.

Task-only bullet:

• Managed behaviour in the classroom.

Stronger bullet:

• Introduced clearer transition routines, visual prompts and table-group responsibilities, helping pupils move between carpet input and independent tasks with fewer repeated reminders.

Task-only bullet:

• Communicated with parents.

Stronger bullet:

• Shared concise reading progress updates with parents and carers, linking home practice to class phonics targets and reducing repeated uncertainty around next steps.

These bullets do not need inflated metrics. Schools understand that primary progress is often shown through observation, assessment, routines and pupil confidence, not only through percentages. Use numbers where they are natural, such as class size, intervention group size, year group, number of pupils supported or frequency of a responsibility. Do not invent attainment results.

Safeguarding matters in every school role, but your CV should handle it with restraint. You should show awareness of duties, reporting routes and professional conduct without writing confidential details or turning the section into a training certificate list.

The official Keeping children safe in education guidance is statutory for schools and colleges in England. Your CV does not need to quote it, but it should reassure the reader that safeguarding is part of your normal professional practice.

Good CV wording includes:

• Maintained safeguarding awareness through regular training, accurate record keeping and prompt escalation of concerns through school procedures.
• Worked within school safeguarding, behaviour and attendance procedures while supporting pupils with pastoral or confidence-related needs.
• Kept pupil information confidential and shared concerns appropriately with the DSL, SENDCo or senior staff.

Avoid wording that names pupils, describes sensitive incidents or suggests you handled issues beyond your role. If you supported a child with complex needs, keep the language broad and professional:

Supported pupils with additional needs through agreed classroom strategies, close communication with teaching assistants and appropriate escalation to the SENDCo.

That is enough. The aim is to show sound judgement, not reveal case details.

For most UK primary teacher roles, schools will expect to see QTS or a route to QTS. Include it clearly in your education or qualifications section. You may also include a PGCE, BA Primary Education, BEd, School Direct route, Teach First route, assessment-only route or international qualification with UK recognition where relevant.

The Teachers' standards set minimum requirements for teachers' practice and conduct in England and define the level trainees and teachers must meet to achieve qualified teacher status. The statutory primary national curriculum sets programmes of study and attainment targets for KS1 and KS2 in maintained primary schools in England.

Your CV does not need to explain those documents in detail. It needs to show that your experience fits the professional expectations of the role.

Examples:

• PGCE Primary Education with QTS, University of Leeds, 2021.
• BA Primary Education with QTS, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2019.
• Early Career Teacher, induction year 2, KS1 class teacher experience.
• Paediatric First Aid, 2025.
• Safeguarding Children Level 2, 2025.
• Phonics training, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, 2024.

Only include training you have completed or are currently undertaking. If a qualification is in progress, say so. If a school uses a particular phonics scheme and you have experience with it, name it. If you have not used that scheme, do not pretend you have; instead, show transferable phonics and early literacy evidence.

The Get Into Teaching service is a useful official source for understanding routes into teaching and QTS, especially if you are still training or explaining your route.

A skills section should support the evidence in your experience, not replace it. Avoid a long list of broad traits. Use practical skills a school can connect to classroom work.

Role-specific skills for a Primary School Teacher CV might include:

• Lesson planning
• KS1 teaching
• KS2 teaching
• Phonics
• Early reading
• Guided reading
• Writing development
• Maths reasoning
• Differentiation
• SEND support
• Formative assessment
• Behaviour routines
• Classroom management
• Safeguarding
• Parent communication
• Teaching assistant collaboration
• Curriculum planning
• Feedback and marking
• Intervention planning
• Pupil progress tracking

Working strengths might include:

• Calm classroom presence
• Clear communication
• Patience with boundaries
• Organisation
• Reflective practice
• Warmth and consistency
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Professional judgement
• Resilience

Choose the skills that fit your evidence. If the advert asks for phonics, include phonics near the top and show it in your experience. If it asks for assessment, show how you used observation, marking, questioning or data to plan next steps. If it asks for parent communication, give an example that feels practical rather than sentimental.

The skills on a CV guide can help you decide which skills deserve space and which are too generic.

Early career primary teachers often worry that their CV looks thin. The solution is not to add vague claims. It is to make training, placements and early teaching responsibilities specific.

If you are an ECT or newly qualified teacher, include:

• placement schools and year groups;
• subjects or curriculum areas taught;
• mentor feedback themes where appropriate;
• planning responsibilities;
• assessment and marking evidence;
• behaviour routines you implemented;
• small-group or intervention work;
• safeguarding and SEND awareness;
• training linked to phonics, maths, behaviour or inclusion.

Example placement bullet:

• Completed final KS1 placement in Year 2, planning sequences in English and maths, adapting resources for SEND pupils and using mentor feedback to improve questioning during whole-class input.

Example ECT bullet:

• Built consistent morning, transition and end-of-day routines for a Year 3 class, supporting pupils to settle quickly and take more responsibility for equipment and independent tasks.

If your strongest background is as a teaching assistant, use that evidence carefully. A TA background can be powerful because it shows classroom awareness, support for individual pupils and collaboration with teachers. The CV should still make clear that you are applying as a teacher and can plan, assess and lead learning.

Related examples can help you frame the difference. Compare this page with the Teaching Assistant CV example if your experience is support-heavy, and with the broader Teacher CV example if your applications span several education settings.

Primary teaching is collaborative. You may work with teaching assistants, SENDCos, phase leaders, subject leads, senior leaders, parents, carers, external professionals and lunchtime staff. Your CV should show that you can work with others while still owning your classroom responsibilities.

Good examples include:

• Worked with the teaching assistant to adapt guided reading tasks for pupils needing extra decoding support.
• Shared concise assessment notes with the phase leader to support moderation and next-step planning.
• Liaised with the SENDCo to apply agreed strategies for pupils with communication, attention or sensory needs.
• Communicated with parents and carers through reading records, short updates and agreed follow-up after behaviour incidents.

Avoid making collaboration sound passive. Worked with the SENDCo is a start, but it becomes stronger when you show what the collaboration changed:

Worked with the SENDCo to adapt task instructions and classroom visuals for two pupils with additional needs, helping them access independent work with fewer repeated prompts.

That bullet keeps the focus on classroom practice. It also shows professional judgement without using confidential detail.

A Primary School Teacher CV should usually be one or two pages. One page can work for an ECT or a teacher with limited experience. Two pages may be better if you have several teaching roles, school projects, subject leadership, relevant training and enough useful evidence to justify the space.

Use a simple order:

1. Contact details
2. Profile
3. Key skills
4. Teaching experience
5. Education and qualifications
6. Training and certifications
7. Projects, responsibilities or additional contribution
8. References available on request, if you want to include it

Do not include a photo for a standard UK teaching CV unless a specific employer asks for one. Do not include your date of birth, marital status or unnecessary personal details. Keep contact details professional and make sure your email address is suitable for school applications.

Use consistent dates. A format such as September 2022 to Present is clearer than switching between month/year, academic year and vague phrases. Keep bullet points concise and grouped around the strongest evidence.

The CV structure guide is useful if you need help deciding what to put first. The work experience on a CV guide can help you turn daily classroom work into stronger bullets.

A primary teacher CV should not be rewritten from scratch for every role, but it should be tuned. A small village primary, a large academy, a faith school, a SEN-focused role, a Year 6 maternity cover and a KS1 ECT post will not value exactly the same evidence.

Before you send the CV, highlight the advert's main themes. Look for:

• key stage or year group;
• phonics scheme or literacy priority;
• SEND or inclusion language;
• behaviour approach;
• curriculum responsibilities;
• assessment expectations;
• parent communication;
• subject leadership;
• school ethos;
• academy trust or local authority context.

Then make sure the first half of your CV reflects those themes. If the advert mentions phonics three times and your phonics evidence appears only at the bottom of page two, move it up. If the advert asks for KS2 assessment confidence, do not lead with early years evidence unless that is your only relevant experience.

Tailoring is not keyword stuffing. It is choosing the most relevant proof.

For broader teaching advice, use the Teaching CV guide. If you are still studying or building early experience, the Student CV guide can help with education and placement-heavy applications.