Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
3 / 4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
X110
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Learn from expert colleagues in local and regional primary schools and early years settings.
- Develop subject expertise through both university and placement-based training.
- Study teaching and learning in both the early years and primary phases.
- Apply theory, research and evidence to meet the Teachers’ Standards and develop as a critically reflective practitioner.
- Explore an area of individual specialism to enhance your expertise and practice.
Join our dynamic community of students, researchers and academics at the Sheffield Institute of Education. On our BA Early Years and Primary course, you’ll learn about the key aspects of a teacher’s role – including theories of learning, pedagogy, assessment and behaviour management. You’ll also study inclusive practices that promote positive outcomes for all learners.
Employability
71% of our graduates are in highly skilled employment or further study fifteen months after graduating (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
Your lecturer’s view
Watch course leader Jemma Monkhouse talk about the BA Early Years and Primary Education (3-7) course at Sheffield Hallam University.
At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.
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 ‘trainees access training that is highly ambitious in its vision’ and that ‘trainees feel very well prepared to become future teachers. They show a passion to improve life chances for pupils they teach.’
Our Sheffield Institute of Education is one of the UK’s largest providers of teacher training, supporting 1,000 new teachers every year.
Because we partner with more than 600 schools and colleges in the region, you’ll have every opportunity to gain experience and network with leading educational providers. We’ll help you grow your profile, develop professional skills and build your confidence as a work-ready graduate and teacher.
You learn through:
- On-campus lectures and seminars
- Workshops and teaching simulations
- Guest speakers
- Individual reflection and goal-setting
- Peer engagement
- Class debates
- Group tutorials
- Research-informed practice
- Collaborative projects
- Real-world projects and placements
- Opportunities to study abroad
- Essays and presentations
- Lesson plans, teaching and evaluation
- Independent research projects
Key themes
We’ll help you champion equality, diversity and inclusivity – you’ll gain a range of skills to support positive learning behaviours and positive outcomes. You’ll study the curriculum and teaching strategies you’ll need to teach the subject you want to teach – as well as understanding how children learn and the stages of child development.
The teaching and learning on this course fully integrates university-based and school-based learning with placements in all three years – amounting to at least 24 weeks in schools. You’ll also develop skills in planning and assessment while engaging in current debates about education.
As the course progresses, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in your own area of classroom enquiry, enabling you to develop your expertise and classroom practice in an area of individual specialism or interest.
Course support
You’ll be taught by a close-knit community of qualified and highly experienced teaching staff who take the time to get to know you. Throughout your time, you’ll receive personalised support, such as:
- Specialist Hallam tutors and school-based mentors.
- Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development.
- Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars and online resources.
- Career support for up to five years after you graduate.
Course leaders and tutors
Jemma Monkhouse
Senior Lecturer in Primary and Early Years EducationMy main duties are teaching on the undergraduate and post graduate English modules. I also teach on some professional practice modules and computing sessions
Applied learning
Placements
You’ll complete placements in all three years of the course, with the opportunity to undertake at least 120 days in school – across both Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. This will enable you to apply and further develop your growing knowledge and skills as you progress through the course.
Your placements will vary in purpose. Some will have a particular area of focus over several days or weeks – others will support you in taking on the role of a class teacher and teaching the breadth of the curriculum within a particular class.
You’ll also have the opportunity to undertake a year-long work placement (25 weeks minimum) or multiple placements between your second and final years. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
Future careers
The majority of students completing the course go directly into employment as qualified teachers.
However, you will also develop a range of professional skills you can use to progress your career in other areas, such as:
- Local authorities
- Alternative educational settings
- Charity sector
- Non-government organisation (NGO)
- Administrative and research posts
- Enrichment work with children and young people
- Other graduate careers, such as retail management and the civil service
You could also continue to Masters-level study – such as Hallam’s MA in Education or MA in Autism – or a PhD.
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.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries, modern cafes and study spaces designed by our students.
Most of our teaching is conducted in person at our City Campus, right in the heart of Sheffield.
You’ll have access to industry-standard teaching facilities and equipment, such as:
- Teaching resources found in early years and primary settings.
- Specialist spaces that reflect placement settings.
- Virtual learning environments where you will access materials and resources.
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 120-128
This must include at least two A levels including at least 40 points in each, one of which would normally be a primary national curriculum subject though this is not essential, or DDM from equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- BBB-ABB at A Level.
- DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Distinction overall from a T Level Qualification.
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS Levels, EPQ and general studies.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4, or equivalent.
- Mathematics at grade C or 4, or equivalent.
- Science at grade C or 4, 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.
• Access - QAA recognised diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3, including 20 credits at merit or above. Ideally, but not essentially, at least 18 credits at level 3 should be in a primary national curriculum subject, or sociology, or psychology. You can take GCSE equivalents for English, mathematics and science on Access courses (12 level two credits in each).
• Grade B from CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education.
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.
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.
We welcome applications from people seeking a career change into primary teaching. We actively encourage applications from those groups under-represented in teacher education to ensure the teaching profession represents the diverse nature of present-day UK society.
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'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
An Introduction To Teaching And Learning
How Children Learn: 3-7
Introduction To Curriculum And Pedagogy: 3-7
Subject Focus: Early Reading And Early Maths
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Designing Learning Sequences: 3-7
Developing A Specialism
Inclusive Environments For Behaviour And Learning: 3-7
Placement 2
The Teaching, Learning And Assessment Cycle: 3-7
Year 3
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Adaptive Teaching Across The Curriculum: 3-7
Debates In Education: 3-7
Educational Enquiry
Placement 3
Reflecting On Professional Practice And Development
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
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 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
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, 255.8KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
