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This MA is an online programme that combines a range of taught modules. It culminates in the awarding of a Master’s degree following the successful completion of a dissertation. The essence of the course is the development of broad understanding of the context of school sport and physical activity, current sector issues and the role of the leader in determining a positive sports culture and programme success.

All of these modules can be completed through distance learning. This makes the qualification accessible to potential students in British or international schools across the world. Topics are all designed to reflect contemporary priorities in school sport, across a range of environments. They will encourage practitioners to discover and act upon the latest research to reflect the changes in attitudes to sport and exercise across the educational landscape. It is a programme that takes account of shared sector challenges, considers the latest research and applies this to practice in schools today.

This online MA is devised for those current and aspirational leaders of sport who seek to continually develop their own practice and understanding. It will encourage them to reflect on provision for physical activity within their own, and other, schools, with a view to leading programmes that closely match the requirements of modern pupils and align to wider educational values. It is open to teachers from all educational contexts. Assessment will consider and enhance the student’s ability to develop their own arguments, evaluate and analyse the material they cover and reflect upon these concepts in relation to their own context. The focus of the programme will be a research dissertation based in the student’s own environment: this should allow the application of both underlying theory and research findings.

Students undertake four taught modules, varying between 25 and 40 credits. These are delivered through pre-reading, recorded lectures and live seminars, consideration of case studies and assessed through essay writing. Study of the research process is integrated throughout the four modules to prepare students to conduct in-school research. This then leads to a final sixty- credit module that is an independent small-scale research project and final dissertation.

The backbone of the course is the development of the practitioner as researcher through the development in research methodology. The focus of the course will be a research dissertation based in their own context and bringing together the theory with application, organization, analysis of data and exploration of the implications for their own educational context. This MA will bring together the academic rigour of Level 7 writing with the relevant application to their own leadership journey.


Module One: The Historical Context of Sport and Physical Activity in Schools (25 Credits)
This module will guide students to acquire and demonstrate knowledge of the complex social, historical and political forces which shaped the development of sport in schools from the nineteenth century until the present day. They will develop understanding of the significant impact which games and physical activities have exerted on educational philosophy and evaluate the consequences of developments in school sport for the wider society. Students will gain a better understanding of the landscape and context of school sport and identify how this has influenced their own environment. They will apply this knowledge to inform their own vision for the future, and the rationale for the programme they will lead.

Module Two: Contemporary Issues in School Sport and Exercise (25 credits)
This module will enable students to understand the current landscape of school sport within the sector and how it impacts upon their own context. It will consider how programmes have been shaped by recent developments and shifting priorities. This will involve an analysis of relevant research and educational initiatives. Students will consider trends such as facility development, changing workforce, programme variety and the democratisation of opportunity. This will include the role of the leader in identifying the need for change, and planning for the future. The tension between performance and participation, and the balance between team games and physical wellbeing will be examined within the context of the students’ own schools. The module will conclude with a critical analysis and evaluation of current provision, including an assessment of programme effectiveness and appropriateness. There will be an introduction to critical reflection, to enable students to establish a research position, and make judgements in relation to literature and data collection.

Module Three: Leadership and Management in School Sport (30 Credits)
This module will enable students to better understand leadership and management, the difference between them and the impact of both on their context. It will introduce theories of leadership, the place of the Director of Sport as a school leader and consider the strategic functions of the position. Students will be encouraged to formulate, and communicate, a clear vision for the success criteria of physical activity in schools, and the management structures necessary to deliver these. This will include mechanisms for raising standards and dealing with underperformance. There will be a focus on communicating vision, engaging colleagues and achieving quality control. Students will analyse the systems and processes used in their own, and other, schools and evaluate their effectiveness in achieving consistent high-quality experiences for pupils. Students will gain understanding of how to construct their research framework.

Module Four: Building a Positive Culture of Sport and Physical Activity (40 credits)
This module will help students understand different types of organisational culture, and the impact of these on the way pupils, teachers and parents behave in the context of sport and physical activity. Students will examine case studies of successful cultures, and evaluate their own schools within these contexts. The course will consider the role of the Director of Sport as a cultural architect and leader: it will then examine the process of cultural change necessary to achieve a positive sport and exercise environment within schools. Case studies of successful leadership initiatives and cultural developments will be considered. The module will present a framework of research paradigms and link to different methodologies. It will enable students to apply knowledge and understanding from previous modules to conclude with a work-based development project. They will then present this to their peers and tutors.

Module Five: Education Research Dissertation (60 credits)
This is a compulsory module for the MA in Education (Leading Sport in Schools). The final dissertation will be 12,000 – 15,000 words. Students will be guided to be able to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of a particular area of interest in the context of educational research. Students will apply knowledge of the research process itself and the ability to evaluate other projects in a specific field. They will then be guided to devise and conduct their own research project of appropriate scale. The topic of this enquiry will be relevant to issues in the student’s own environment, and will enable them to critically evaluate existing practice, and to present plans for specific programme improvements. Each module will be assessed by a written assignment of between 5,000 and 7,000 words with the final dissertation being 12,000-15,000 words.
Materials will be made available for each of the modules so that students can access recorded lectures, online discussion seminars, reading lists and guided study materials from wherever they are in the world. The course will also encourage students to examine current and historical practices within their own, and other, schools, and to research examples of good practice elsewhere. A range of case studies will be presented for analysis. Various practical projects will provide students with the opportunity to apply newly discovered research materials to their own school-based context.

This course is designed to develop the leadership role of practitioners in order that they better comprehend their impact on the sporting culture and exercise behaviours within their environment. Practical experience and understanding will be incorporated into rigorous intellectual study through the application of historical context, critical analysis, reflection and research. Participants will develop enhanced awareness of programme impacts and will consider the ways in which these may be developed to achieve more positive, relevant and consistent outcomes. Sports leaders can then grow in confidence that their school practice is based on an academically secure foundation and reflects the results of their research.

The aims of the programme are:
• To critically analyse, engage in and reflect on the changing influences on sport and physical activity
• To examine and evaluate current initiatives and their outcomes
• To become independent learners, capable of academically rigorous contributions to sector development
• To develop skills in searching for, synthesising and critically analysing relevant literature
• To select and critically evaluate relevant theoretical perspectives relating to a chosen area of educational research
• To generate new, informed approaches, policies and practices to enhance sport and exercise provision within schools

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications

Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each course unit/module can be found in the departmental or programme handbook. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed annually by the University of ³Ô¹ÏÍø and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency.