Train with Us

Working with young people as a teacher is an incredibly rewarding experience. Mercia Learning Alliance is proud to be part of training future educators to help young people in Sheffield and beyond to realise their ambitions and to develop into well-rounded citizens.

Based in the vibrant city of Sheffield with its amazing facilities, transport links and access to the Peak District, Mercia Learning Alliance is a world class choice for graduates looking for a successful career in teaching. You will have the opportunity to carry out your training in some of the best schools in the country, learning from inspirational teaching staff who are leaders in their field.

We work in close partnership with the University of Sheffield to deliver the Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE with QTS and 120 Masters' credits). We are proud of this association with the University of Sheffield because of the high quality professional learning the University offers for initial teacher training. As a Mercia trainee, you will be a student of the University of Sheffield, have a University tutor and follow the same course as other University trainees, including the same seminars, assignments and numbers of days in school and university. However, you will also benefit from a close relationship with an outstanding School and its partner schools and have access to world class additional training delivered by superb classroom practitioners from within your chosen specialism and beyond.

Working with our partner schools across Sheffield we provide training placements in a variety of contexts, preparing graduates for a successful future in teaching. We support trainees in the professional recruitment process and may fast-track you to the interview stage should a suitable vacancy arise at one of our network of schools.

Our offer: 

• A partnership of outstanding schools with high quality providers (PGDE with The University of Sheffield).
• A high quality training programme for English, Maths, the Sciences, Modern Foreign Languages, Geography and History.
• The University of Sheffield is the HEI provider for the secondary course, and they have a strong tradition of successfully delivering ITT, recognised as 4th in the country in the Good Teacher Training Guide 2014 with world-leading international research and number 1 in the UK for research impact.
• A course led by a highly skilled team of mentors and lead teachers.
• A wide variety of opportunities to collaborate with other schools across Sheffield and gain experience in a broad range of school environments.
• You will be part of Mercia Learning Alliance from day one, which means we take a real interest in your development as a teacher, from training through to leadership.
• You will be a fully-fledged member of staff of whichever schools you are based in and in that way benefit from all the CPD opportunities available – including those linked to us as a Teaching School.
• A PGDE with 120 Masters’ credits and QTS. You may be able to continue to study for your full Masters’ qualification with the university through distance learning in your first or second year of teaching, needing only to complete an additional 60 credits for this.