Sheffield Hallam University has trained teachers for well over 100 years. We began back in 1905 as the Sheffield City Training College at our Collegiate Campus site under the guidance of Reverend Valentine Ward Pearson, the founding Principal. Our intake was approximately 150 students. We were already at the forefront of teacher training college development in that we were situated in only the second local authority nationally to take up the mantle. We were also one of only a few colleges that welcomed both male and female trainees albeit taught in separate rooms, residing at opposite ends of the campus and with social interaction kept to an absolute minimum!
We have come a long way since those days. Today over 3400 new teachers enter the profession each year having begun their journeys with us here at Sheffield Hallam. Approximately 1000 per year graduate from Sheffield Hallam’s core undergraduate or PGCE programmes; others come via a range of routes, from local delivery partners, local and national School Centred Initial Teacher Training programmes and other collaborative partnerships. Hallam teachers are everywhere and are proud to be recognised as such. Being a Hallam teacher means something: in a world where teaching is in danger of becoming stultifyingly formulaic, we put people, principles and values at the heart of what we do.
In March this year we were inspected across all our initial teacher training provision. The pressures of Ofsted are well documented, and the pressure to uphold the long-standing reputation of Sheffield Hallam Teacher Training Partnership was immense. We did well – an unprecedented ‘Outstanding’ across all our provision from Early Years to Post-16, and our future teachers were at the heart of that success:
“The Hallam Teacher identity is recognised and understood […] The sense of pride that is felt in being part of this institution and sharing this identity came across in all aspects of the inspection.” (Ofsted March 2024)
Whilst the inspection outcomes matter in many ways, to me what mattered most is that our mission to impact the lives of children and young people positively was seen and picked up on throughout the report. We were commended for our exemplary practice, our vision and ambition, and what came through again and again was the ‘strong moral purpose’ shared by my colleagues, our partners, and our trainees:
“They [trainees] gain deep understanding about the impact that getting education right in the early years will have, not just on individual children’s lives, but also on positive societal development. They [trainees] show a passion to improve life chances for pupils they teach.” (Ofsted, March 2024).
Here at Hallam, we understand that the biggest driver for people entering the teaching profession is the desire to do good, to give something. The 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey showed that almost all teachers in OECD member countries, including England, said that they were motivated to teach to ‘influence the development of children’ and ‘provide a contribution to society’. We see this in our trainees, and we take that passion and build on it, because that’s what drives us too.
Our Hallam teacher curriculum was praised as highly ambitious. Feedback stated that: ‘Trainees across all phases experience an exemplary quality of education and training’. But this quality wasn’t provided simply during the inspection period – this is what we do day in day out. To continue our almost 120-year legacy, we should offer nothing less. It’s far too important. If as a society we want to improve outcomes and opportunities for people, then we have to do that through the quality of our teacher workforce: parents, pupils and wider society should expect nothing less from us. Our mission at Hallam goes much deeper than providing a qualification for new teachers; it prepares new teachers to do good, to be knowledgeable, reflective, compassionate and informed professionals, to positively impact on the life chances of the children and young people they teach. In short, to transform lives.
So, on World Teacher’s Day I want to celebrate all teachers, but especially our own Hallam teachers. You transform lives through your dedication, compassion, knowledge and drive to make a difference. We’re proud of each and every one of you.
Sue O’Brien leads the Sheffield Institute of Education.
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