PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION
MA Leadership (Teach First)
Awarding Institution: University College London
Teaching Institutions: University College London, Institute of Education
Accreditation
Name of final award
MA Leadership (Teach First)
Postgraduate Certificate
Programme title
Leadership
UKPass code: PO45424
Language of study
UCL teaches and assesses participants through the medium of the English
language. Competence in English language is required of all applicants.
Participants
Participants on the MA Leadership (Teach First) are newly qualified teachers from
the Teach First programme.
Educational Aims of the Programme
The MA Leadership supports participants in:
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acquiring knowledge that will improve their understanding of educational
management and leadership in educational systems and institutions;
reflecting critically on key areas of theory, empirical research and values
underpinning educational management and leadership;
applying key theory and research to their own work;
analysing and reflecting critically on the policy context as it impacts on
educational leadership and management;
exploring ways in which educational management and leadership can
contribute to the improvement of educational systems and institutions and to
the quality of teaching and learning;
engaging with participating leaders from London, the UK and around the world
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this programme, participants will:
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understand relevant disciplines, literature, research, issues and theories about
educational leadership and management;
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be able to analyse critically the above and be able to develop and sustain a
line of argument using relevant research and scholarship;
possess a knowledge and understanding of your leadership and management
skills and strategies for the effective management of organisations;
apply and refine the skills of research literacy: critically reading and using
research in education in its different forms and contexts;
recognise the value of and use both professional and academic forms of oral
and written communication;
develop both socially and more independently the skills of academic study
and enquiry.
Criteria for admission
Participants are required to have completed a good first degree (or equivalent) and
we suggest that participants have at least two years’ leadership experience. Teach
First participants without this experience will need to convey in their UKPass
application - Personal Supporting Statement - information about their professional
experiences which demonstrate leadership and management.
Those with a PGCE will be able to transfer 60 credits from the PGCE gained at the
end of their first year. From 2010-11, those applicants not in possession of a PGCE
will be required to submit a Bridging Assignment prior to enrolment.
Applicants whose first language is a language other than English may be required to
provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
UCL is committed to admitting and supporting participants with disabilities and
welcomes applications from them. Participants do not need to be “registered
disabled” to draw on these services, though in order to provide services in the longterm we will need to ask for medical or other evidence, as appropriate.
Disabilities Support can also support people who have a temporary mobility /
dexterity impairment / other difficulty as a result of an accident, injury, illness or
surgery.
We aim to treat every person as an individual, with needs which may differ from
those of other people with a superficially similar disability. We do not therefore have
standard procedures for participants with dyslexia, nor standard procedures for
visually impaired participants: each person's needs are considered individually.
Mode of study
MA Leadership (Teach First) participants will study on a part-time basis.
For cohort 1 only the first year of study will be comprised of the Bridging Assignment,
an independent study module and the core module, Leading and Managing Change
and Improvement. Participants will complete a Bridging Assignment at the start of
their programme of study. In the second year of study, participants will complete the
second core module, Doing and Using Educational Leadership and Management
Research and their Report.
Cohort 2 and subsequent Teach First cohorts will be able to transfer 60 credits from
their PGCE gained at the end of their first year. Those participants not in possession
of a PGCE will be required to successfully complete a Bridging Assignment prior to
enrolment. The first year of study for cohort 2 will be comprised of the independent
study module and the core module, Leading and Managing Change and
Improvement. In the second year of study, participants will complete the second core
module, Doing and Using Educational Leadership and Management Research and
their Report.
For Cohort 4 and subsequent Teach First cohorts the second year of study will
comprise of a 60 credit dissertation.
Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards
The MA Leadership (Teach First) closely follows the structure of our MA Leadership
programme and is a 180-credit master level programme. For all participants, the first
component of the programme will build on their previous Teach First work and
qualifications. Participants must successfully complete the following to be awarded the
Master’s degree:
Year
1
1
2
Modules
Transfer of
credits from
PGCE or
completion of
bridging
assignment
Independent
study module
(based on TF
Leadership
Development
Units)
Leading &
Managing
Change &
Improvement
Dissertation
IOE role
NA
Credit
60
Site
N/A
Mode
N/A
IS module
30
N/A
Face-to-face
sessions at UCL
and online selfdirected learning.
Module delivery
30
IOE
Face to face
sessions at UCL
Individual/group
supervision by
theme
60
IOE
Face to face at
UCL, self-directed
study and
supervision
support.
Participants who for academic or personal reasons are unable to successfully
complete the 180 credits required for the masters award may exit with the completion
of 60 credits and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in the subject area. The 60
credits from the Bridging Assignment or transferred from the PGCE cannot be counted
towards this qualification.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to he
achieved and demonstrated
The MA Leadership team is committed to providing participants with an acadmically
challenging and interactive instructional experience. Within face-to-face sessions,
participants will engage in lectures, case studies, group activities, presentations and
debates. In class, participants will spend time working with guest tutors as well as
their colleagues from Teach First. Between sessions, participants are responsible for
completing assigned readings and tasks in preparation for class and the final
assignment. At this time, all MA Leadership modules are assessed by a final 5000word written assignment. Participants are encouraged to submit outlines of their
assignments to receive feedback prior to submitting their final work to ensure they
take advantage of all available support.
Information about assessment regulations
Information about assessment is found within the MA Leadership Programme
Handbook and participants are directed to also consult the regulations. Information
on assessment is also discussed within each module.
Support for learning
Participants are supported via traditional in class, learner-centred teaching methods
and support during the assignment writing process. We also offer at UCL-IOE
annual, and/or termly, writing support sessions for new participants and for those at
the Dissertation stage.
Methods for evaluating and improving the course
The MA Leadership team uses a variety of different methods to gather and analyse
data to support our on-going development of the course. The methods that will be
employed for the MA Leadership (Teach First) will include:
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module evaluation by participants
termly meetings of the Programme Team
annual programme review prepared by Programme Team periodic
programme review and revalidation involving external panel members
staff review and development
peer observation of teaching
external examiner reports
We gather participant feedback on the overall quality of teaching and learning
experiences across the programme via the following methods:
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on-going dialogue within modules
student module evaluation within modules and the end of the programme
student representation on Programme Committees.
Date of completion/amendment of specification
July 2015