Program Overview

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PGCE Secondary English with Qualified Teacher Status

Course summary

Combine practical teaching with academic study to begin your teaching career. Develop subject expertise through university and placement-based training. Apply theory, research and evidence to develop as a critically reflective practitioner. Study inclusive practices to promote positive outcomes for learners. Learn from expert colleagues and educational partnerships.

You’ll join our dynamic Sheffield Institute of Education and undertake work- related learning in the community. You'll learn about the key aspects of a teacher’s role – including theories of learning, pedagogy, assessment and behaviour management. As well as your Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in English, you’ll also gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and 60 Masters-level credits.

How you learn

We have been rated outstanding by Ofsted across all initial teacher education courses (March 2024). We offer sector leading initial teacher training in early years, primary, secondary and post-16 and we are rated outstanding in all four areas by Ofsted. Inspectors said that ‘Subject sessions are precise in their focus on the latest pedagogical research. This is connected expertly to classroom practice and the impact on pupils’ and that ‘the university’s work with partner schools is exceptional’.

The intention of our English subject course at Sheffield Hallam University is to develop critically reflective teachers who have strong subject knowledge and effective pedagogical approaches in all areas of the English curriculum. We will support you to develop the confidence to integrate a variety of teaching and learning activities into your lessons; developing your pupils as independent thinkers, with the capacity to read with understanding and write effectively for audience, purpose and context.
We will look to help you develop your own personal philosophy of English teaching; considering the contribution that you want to make to both the personal growth of your pupils and to the wider teaching profession. We will enable you to understand the diversity of needs and backgrounds that children bring to the classroom, and to appreciate the need for a broad cultural view in presenting the English curriculum.

Our course illustrates the ways that children learn outside the classroom and the impact that digital communication has an impact on reading, writing, speaking and listening, and how communication will develop over the coming years of your teaching career.

You learn through:

• Seminars
• Directed tasks
• School-based experiences
• Collaboration with expert colleagues
• Intensive training and practice opportunities
• Independent study
• Online learning and collaboration
• Subject-specific practical work
• Assessment tasks
• Critical reflection
• Classroom debates
• Research-informed practice

Key themes

You are introduced to English-specific skills through university sessions and school-based work. You’ll consolidate your development – both in university and in schools – by researching appropriate material and accessing wider resources.

The three modules on the course cover key aspects of professional and pedagogical development, as well as your school-based training. Your professional skills will be assessed by a range of strategies – from observation of your teaching to evaluations, reviews, target setting and action plans.

Your performance in schools will be monitored and reviewed by a trained school mentor and assessed in collaboration with an experienced university tutor. The other modules you study are assessed through formal academic assessment tasks.

Course support

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards Qualified Teacher Status through a number of key areas. These include:

• Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development
• Access to our Skills Centre with opportunities for one-to-one support, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
• Employability activities specific to early entry into the teaching profession

Applied learning

Placements

On school-based training you will use a range of methods and approaches to apply course theory to your teaching skills. These include observation, collaborative planning and actual practice in the classroom, including team and solo teaching.

Through our network of over 600 partner schools, colleges and other educational establishments you can train in a number of settings. This consists of a minimum of 120 days teaching over one year plus additional allocation of Intensive Training and Practice hours.

Networking

While training with us, you’ll access specialist expertise and gain professional connections to help you find employment.

Modules

Final year

Compulsory modules

• Exploring And Developing Pedagogical Practice In Secondary Education
  • Credits 30
  • Assessment Coursework 100%
• Professional Practice In Secondary Education (Qts)
  • Credits -
  • Assessment
• Reflecting On Professional Practice And Development In Secondary Education
  • Credits 30
  • Assessment Practical 100%

Future careers

The majority of Sheffield Hallam trainees graduate as qualified teachers.

You’ll also gain a number of key transferable skills for alternative progression or career routes, including:

• Academic careers as a researcher via Masters-level study and PhD
• Voluntary sector work or research
• Enrichment work with young people
• More general graduate careers

Equipment and facilities

The University-based sessions will be mainly based at City Campus and may include specialist rooms such as laboratories and workshops as appropriate.

There will also be opportunities to engage with online learning and collaboration. Much of your time will be spent applying and developing your professional knowledge in a school setting while on placement.

We have invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

Entry requirements

All students

• An honours degree in English or relevant subject (normally 2.2 or above) or equivalent.
• Normally GCSE grade C or Grade 4 in English Language and mathematics, or equivalent. Where applicants have achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English literature only, we will look for further evidence of a breadth of achievement in English. We will consider applicants who are in the process of obtaining the relevant GCSEs.
• If English is not your first language you must have an IELTS score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in all skills or equivalent. For equivalents see our English language entry requirements web page.
• You are encouraged to gain experience of schools through direct observation of teaching and learning and/or by working with young people in subject- related, or other related educational activities.

Candidates who are successful will demonstrate a sound understanding of teaching and how children learn, where possible within a school setting. We encourage all candidates to evidence their understanding by drawing on related examples or experiences, such as time spent in schools or other learning settings. Demonstrating an ability to make links between experience and knowledge, and their proposed career would be desirable.

Selection event

If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to a selection event and you should present a passport or photo driving license. You can present other forms of photo ID for the selection event, but if you do, you will still need to present valid identity documents required by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) prior to starting your course.

Additional information for EU/International students

If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.

For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.

Fees and funding

Home students

Tuition fees for 2026/27 are not yet confirmed. Our tuition fee for UK students studying full-time in 2025/26 is £9,535 for the course. These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2026/27 is £18,600 for the course.

Scholarships and bursaries

If you are starting a PGCE you may be entitled to financial support.

Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Education (PDF, 615.4KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.