We offer the following range of opportunities for professional study.

Professional master’s programme: a flexible MSc programme with a wide-range of options to accommodate your interests and needs. These can be carried out on a full or part-time basis. More detail is available on our Master’s programmes webpage.

Doctoral research degrees: offering opportunities for supervised, original research leading to PhD or EdD degrees. These degrees can be carried out full or part time, with the EdD programme in particular designed to allow for flexible study alongside a full time job.

More detail is available on our doctoral programmes webpage. 

In May 2018 the government produced a document that set out their ideas for career progression in the teaching profession and how to improve professional development. The report gave strong commitments to improving access for all teachers to high-quality CPD and introducing a framework for CPD provision. We are keen to work with and support schools in providing high-quality CPD.

We have a number of existing models for how we work with schools, but we are flexible and can run innovative, bespoke training to meet your needs. Training can take place in your school or at the School of Education. Current models include:

Non-accredited, collaborative school-led courses

These courses might focus on areas such as leadership or assessment, and we could contribute sessions on what current academic research says about these issues and provide guidance for teachers on carrying out action research projects as part of the course. We can also provide access to educational resources in the School of Education. In the last year we have contributed in to CPD courses in organisations such as Bristol City Council and the Cotswold Edge Teaching Alliance. We can also contribute to teacher CPD in a range of curriculum subjects and have been involved in running subject knowledge development courses with teaching schools. E.g. French - Avon Teaching School Alliance, Physics - North Somerset Teaching Alliance. We can provide certification and badging for such courses.

Accredited school-based programmes

We can accredit school courses at master’s level providing their aims and means of assessment align with those of one of our own master’s units. The latter provide the flexibility to do this relatively easily, e.g. the unit “Professional Development through Collaborative Working on Issues in Education” involves participants identifying an issue in education to investigate through action research and then producing a portfolio of reflective writings. Participants would be enrolled at an individual level for accreditation, but there would be a reduction in costs for a group taking an accredited unit. 

Consultancy

Our highly knowledgeable staff, many of whom have substantial experience in schools, can offer a range of services to schools. These include supporting schools with curriculum development, implementation and evaluation of school improvement initiatives, and developing leadership. We have helped schools to think about how they can bring a more research-oriented approach to their daily work and critically adopt evidence-based practice. A particular area of expertise is in supporting individual teachers with action research projects. More information is available here on action research (action_research (Office document, 15kB)

The positive impact on children’s well-being and early learning is self-evident in schools and early years settings that prioritise reflective (researchful) practice as part of a culture of informed self-improvement. This toolkit will be an invaluable asset to any teacher/early years practitioner who wants to further develop their research interests and skills in an accessible, structured and supportive approach.

Get started with the toolkit