Education and training · Mid level · UK conventions

Primary school teacher (KS1/KS2): resume example, explained

This fictional example shows a Key Stage 2 class teacher applying for a class teacher and maths lead post at a fictional two-form-entry primary school: qualified teacher status and induction stated plainly, pupil progress given with class sizes and starting points, and safeguarding and SEND shown as practice rather than adjectives. Each decision is explained, three weak bullets are rewritten from their evidence, and the editable download lets you replace every detail with your own. Nothing here describes a real person, school or trust.

Illustrative example. An illustrative, invented Year 5 class teacher and acting maths lead at a fictional two-form-entry school, applying for a class teacher and substantive maths lead post at another fictional school nearby. Every school, date and figure is fictional.

Editable version of this example (.docx)

Hannah Mbeki-Lowe

Primary School Teacher (KS2) · QTS 2020 · Year 5 class teacher and acting maths lead

Nottingham · 07700 900 456 · hannah.mbeki-lowe@example.com

Profile

Primary teacher with qualified teacher status and six years in Key Stage 2, currently teaching a Year 5 class of 30 and acting as maths lead across 14 classes. Plans from termly pupil progress data, adapts teaching for pupils with EHCPs and EAL, and led the school's move to a mastery approach in maths. Seeking a class teacher post with a substantive subject lead.

Experience

Class Teacher (Year 5) and Acting Maths Lead — Fictional Riverside Primary School, a fictional two-form-entry community school

September 2022 – present · Class of 30 including four pupils with EHCPs and nine with English as an additional language.

Teach a Year 5 class of 30, adapting tasks for four pupils with EHCPs and nine pupils with English as an additional language; 26 of the 30 met or exceeded their end-of-year targets in reading and maths in 2025–26.
Lead maths across 14 classes as acting subject lead since January 2025: rewrote the calculation policy with the phase leaders, ran four staff meetings on the mastery approach and carried out termly book looks with the deputy headteacher.
Run termly pupil progress meetings with the teaching assistant and the SENDCo for the eight pupils below age-related expectations in writing; five of the eight reached the expected standard by July 2026.
Record safeguarding concerns on the school's online system the same day and follow them up with the designated safeguarding lead; mentor an early career teacher in Year 4 with weekly meetings and half-termly observations.

Class Teacher (Year 3, then Year 4) — Fictional Hillcroft Primary School, a fictional one-form-entry primary school

September 2020 – August 2022 · Statutory induction completed in the first year.

Completed statutory induction in 2021 with a Year 3 class of 28, leading a daily phonics catch-up session for six pupils still working through phase 5.
Prepared the Year 4 class for the multiplication tables check in 2022; 23 of the 29 pupils scored 20 or more out of 25.

Education

PGCE Primary Education with qualified teacher status (QTS) — Fictional University, 2020; statutory induction completed July 2021
BA (Hons) English Literature — Fictional University, 2019

Training

Mastery specialist programme with a fictional maths hub, 2024–25
Emergency first aid at work, 2025

Skills

QTS, induction complete · KS2 planning and assessment · Adaptive teaching for SEND and EAL · Pupil progress data and moderation · Safeguarding: KCSIE Part one, Prevent · Subject leadership: maths mastery, staff training, monitoring

Why it is written this way

QTS and induction sit in the headline, not in a footnote

Schools in England screen a primary teacher resume for qualified teacher status first: QTS is a legal requirement in maintained schools and many other schools ask for it anyway. The headline gives QTS and the year, education gives the induction date, and the teacher reference number waits for the application form, where the school uses it to check the Teaching Regulation Agency record.

Pupil progress is shown with class size and starting point

'Raised attainment' is not evidence a headteacher can weigh. Each progress claim names the class size, the group and the period: 26 of 30 pupils meeting targets says more than 'strong results', and five of eight reaching the expected standard shows an intervention that worked for most but not all, which is what real classrooms look like.

Subject leadership is described as actions, because the title is acting

The applicant wants a substantive maths lead post without having held one, so the resume lists the leadership she already does as acting lead (the rewritten calculation policy, the staff meetings, monitoring with the deputy headteacher), each with a count. The panel sees subject leadership rather than taking 'acting lead' on trust.

Safeguarding and SEND are practice, not adjectives

Every primary teacher resume says 'committed to safeguarding'. This one shows the routine: same-day recording and follow-up with the designated safeguarding lead. SEND is handled the same way, naming EHCPs and EAL and the adaptations made, because the person specification asks for exactly this and the panel scores evidence against it.

Bullet rewrites, and the evidence behind them

Each rewrite was produced by asking an evidence question and using only the (fictional) answer. No number appears in a rewrite that is not in its evidence.

Before
Responsible for teaching a Year 5 class and raising standards.
Evidence question
How many pupils, what did you adapt for, and what happened to their progress?
Evidence (fictional)
A Year 5 class of 30; four pupils with EHCPs and nine with EAL; 26 of the 30 met or exceeded their end-of-year targets in reading and maths in 2025–26.
After
Teach a Year 5 class of 30, adapting tasks for four pupils with EHCPs and nine pupils with English as an additional language; 26 of the 30 met or exceeded their end-of-year targets in reading and maths in 2025–26.
Before
Maths lead for the school.
Evidence question
Across how many classes, since when, and what did you change?
Evidence (fictional)
Acting lead since January 2025 across 14 classes; rewrote the calculation policy with the phase leaders; four staff meetings on mastery; termly book looks with the deputy headteacher.
After
Lead maths across 14 classes as acting subject lead since January 2025: rewrote the calculation policy with the phase leaders, ran four staff meetings on the mastery approach and carried out termly book looks with the deputy headteacher.
Before
Supported pupils who were behind.
Evidence question
Which pupils, with whom, and how many caught up?
Evidence (fictional)
Termly pupil progress meetings with the teaching assistant and the SENDCo; eight pupils below age-related expectations in writing; five of the eight reached the expected standard by July 2026.
After
Run termly pupil progress meetings with the teaching assistant and the SENDCo for the eight pupils below age-related expectations in writing; five of the eight reached the expected standard by July 2026.

Try it on your own bullets with the bullet workbench, which asks the same questions and never adds a figure you did not supply.

Transferable skills in this example

Planning from data and adjusting as you go
Evidence: Termly progress tracking for a class of 30, with interventions agreed and reviewed each term.
Where it helps: Learning and development, curriculum design for training providers, programme coordination.
Leading change without line authority
Evidence: Rewrote a whole-school calculation policy and trained staff across 14 classes as an acting lead.
Where it helps: Project and change roles, education consultancy, training management.
Explaining difficult ideas to mixed audiences
Evidence: Daily teaching across a wide range of starting points, parent consultations, staff meetings for colleagues from Reception to Year 6.
Where it helps: Corporate training, customer education, technical writing, public-facing roles in museums and libraries.
Safeguarding judgement and record-keeping
Evidence: Same-day recording of concerns and follow-up with the designated safeguarding lead.
Where it helps: Children's services, youth work, family support, compliance and HR roles.

Occupation notes

Hard requirements

Qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement in maintained schools and non-maintained special schools in England; academies, free schools and independent schools may employ teachers without it, but many still ask for it. State QTS and the year on the resume; give the teacher reference number (TRN) on the application form.
Employers in England must check a teacher's record with the Teaching Regulation Agency before the teacher starts work (QTS, induction, any prohibition or sanction). An enhanced DBS check with children's barred list information, references and right to work are conditions of appointment, not resume content.

Vocabulary that belongs on the page

QTS, TRN (teacher reference number), statutory induction, ECT (early career teacher)
EYFS, KS1 and KS2 (Reception, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 to 6)
Teachers' Standards (induction, appraisal and shortlisting)
SEND, SENDCo, EHCP and EAL
Pupil progress data, age-related expectations, moderation
Systematic synthetic phonics, phonics screening check, multiplication tables check
Designated safeguarding lead (DSL), KCSIE, Prevent; subject lead, phase leader, book look, learning walk

Pitfalls specific to this occupation

Listing every national curriculum subject as a skill: a primary teacher teaches them all. Name the phase, the year groups and what you led or changed.
Writing about pupils emotionally ('passionate about every child') instead of giving the class size, the group and the progress measure.
Including pupil-identifiable detail, safeguarding cases, or your TRN and DBS certificate number on a resume uploaded to job boards.
Letting the induction year dominate: once induction is complete, the current role carries the evidence and the first post gets two or three bullets.

UK and US differences

UK: Schools in England almost always require their own application form (often via the local authority, a trust or the Department for Education's Teaching Vacancies service); the resume's bullets become the evidence for the supporting statement, and shortlisted candidates usually teach an observed lesson.
UK: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own teaching councils and registration; this example is written for England.

US: US elementary teacher resumes state the state licence and the grade bands it covers; 'QTS', 'KS2' and 'Year 5' have no meaning, so write 'elementary (grades 3 to 5)' and describe the licence directly.

Common questions

Should I put my teacher reference number on my resume?

Give it on the application form, which asks for it and is handled under the school's safer recruitment process. On the resume, state QTS, the year awarded and that induction is complete.

How do I show subject leadership without a substantive lead title?

Describe the leadership work you do now with counts: the policy you rewrote, the staff meetings you ran, the monitoring you carried out and with whom. Panels assess readiness from evidence, not titles.

Sources

Qualified teacher status (QTS): qualify to teach in EnglandDepartment for Education · England · checked 3 November 2026
Check a teacher's recordDepartment for Education · England · checked 6 November 2026
Keeping children safe in educationDepartment for Education · England · checked 3 November 2026

Published 6 November 2026 · Every person, employer and figure in this example is fictional. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards.