MA Education (Inclusive Educational Leadership) (SEND)

Next start date

Sept 2026

Location

Online, part-time

Course duration

21 Months

Fees

To be announced

Our MA Education (Inclusive Educational Leadership) is for leaders in inclusive education with a specialist expertise in SEND practice.

Join one of our upcoming webinars to find out more about our courses.

Find Out More

Course Overview

Developed in collaboration with leadership experts and SEND specialists, this course is delivered in partnership with industry specialist, the SENsible SENCO, Abigail Hawkins. By taking this course you have the opportunity to learn from the most experienced and advanced inclusion trainers in the world.

This Master’s aim is to enable teachers to develop their leadership competency and SEND knowledge through critical evaluation of research and scholarship, and to integrate this with their own practice.

Each student will be able to analyse, engage in and reflect on key issues and on the implications for their own educational setting. Students will learn how to integrate theory and practice to support the development of their own and others' SEND-related roles and, in turn, learn how to improve positive outcomes for pupils with SEND.

Successful graduates will be able to:

  • Support better understanding of the needs of vulnerable pupils and increase the skills of school staff to ensure needs are met.
  • Facilitate sustainable and positive change for the most vulnerable pupils with highly complex needs.
  • Communicate best practice to fellow specialists and non-specialists.
  • Develop their career prospects through leadership in SEND.

This course will consist of three modules as well as a number of writing tasks. Students will need to complete a Professional SEND Development Portfolio (Moodle), where the focus is on the student to reflect on their own practice within their education institution in order to have met the SEND learning outcomes. Students will also write a dissertation (12,000-15,000 words), which enables them to specialise in a particular area of policy and/or practice.

This course requires a certain number of applicants to run. To register your interest for this course, please get in touch with our admissions team.

Course Content

Course Content

Module 1: The role of the SENCo in Schools (60 credits)

This module is split into three units:

1. Developing the Context for Inclusive Education

2. The SENCo as an Inclusive Leader

3. The Critical Professional SENCo

This Module enables the leader for Special Education Needs to understand their responsibilities, the knowledge needed and the theoretical context to be an effective SENCo.

Module 2: Inclusive Educational Leadership (60 credits)

This Module is designed to build upon the material covered as part of the NASENCO qualification, in particular, to further develop the role as a key educational leader. This would be covered in two ways through the delivery of two units. Each unit would be assessed separately.

1. Developing Leadership expertise

This unit would provide further delivery on the role of SENCO as an educational leader. There would be practical input relating to key aspects such as resource planning and financial management, coping with conflict, working with parents, training and monitoring staff development. There would also be work on implementing change within your department.

2. Improving the Practice of the SEND Department

This would look at ways of increasing knowledge of needs and appropriate teaching strategies that can be used throughout the department. It would also look at ways in which inclusion can be increased across the educational setting and the contribution that can be made to improving outcomes. These aspects would also be linked to practical examples of implementing change.

Module 3 – Education Research Dissertation (60 credits)

This is a compulsory module in order to achieve the MA in Inclusive Education. This module allows for this to be completed in two stages, firstly through studying research methodology. This includes an exploration of the role of the literature review, then an understanding of the research position and the implications of this for the chosen methodology and the ethical implications of conducting research.

Course Delivery

Course Delivery

This course is delivered online and is designed to be taken part-time, alongside a role in a school or educational organisation. 

All aspects of the course will be delivered online so that students can access them from wherever they are in the world. 

You will be guided through each stage of the course:

  • An induction session will introduce you to how the course will run.
  • Every Master's student is allocated a supervisor to support their learning. 
  • You will have access to regular online study sessions throughout the course.
  • Our online learning platform, MOODLE, will provide easy access to all resources needed for successful completion of the course.
  • You will be given a week-by-week guide, which will indicate what work is expected that week. This will either be:
    • a recorded film to watch
    • a reading
    • a podcast with accompanying literature
    • independent study towards a module
    • a Twilight session which will be live, but recorded and shared on Moodle. 

It is important to understand that you, as a Master’s student, will be expected to work independently and you are expected to fully engage with the guidance provided to complete the required modules.

 

Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements

All applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree and to be currently working at a school.

You will also need to have IELTS 6.5 (with 6.0 or above in each component) or equivalent English level qualification. To see what is accepted by the University, visit our FAQ page on Language Requirements.

 

Fees

Fees

Registration Fee: £300 (non-refundable)

Tuition Fee: To be announced

Fees are invoiced for in September, at the beginning of the course, and can be paid in termly installments or in one lump sum. Termly installments can be arranged directly with the Finance department upon receipt of the invoice.

All fees are charged directly by the University of Buckingham, BISE will not add any additional charges for our services.

 

How To Apply

How To Apply

This course requires a certain number of applicants to run. To register your interest for this course, please get in touch with our admissions team.

Our admissions team members are based in Mainland China and Hong Kong and will endeavour to reply to your enquiry within 24 hours.

Our hours of business are 10am to 7pm (GMT+8), Mon-Fri.

Admissions for September 2026 intake will close on 31 July 2026.

 

FAQ's

What is the difference between the PGCert, PGDip and MA?

A Postgraduate Certificate is the first step into postgraduate education and provides focused, Master's-level training in a specific area. Every student that earns a PGCert is awarded 60 Level 7 credits to put towards a PG Diploma or Master’s should they choose to continue their studies. A Postgraduate Diploma follows on from a Postgraduate Certificate. Upon completion of both at Level 7, a student would have 120 credits and may go on to gain a full Master's by completing a dissertation module.

What supporting documentation do I need to provide to apply?

You will be required to provide supporting documentation to prove that you meet the entry requirements. Entry requirements for each course are listed on the individual course pages.

Here are some examples of what you might be asked to provide:

  • A copy of your Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree certificate.
  • For any degrees completed outside of the UK, you will need a 'Statement of Comparability' from ENIC.
  • If you are not from an English-speaking country or your academic degree was not delivered in English, you will be required to provide evidence of English Language proficiency. Doctorate applicants may be waived of this requirement at the discretion of the university.

For any questions, get in touch with our admissions team.

Do I have to work in a school to apply?

It varies from course to course. For the teaching qualifications, such as PGCE and iQTS, you do need to be working in a school for the duration of the course to be able to meet the requirements in terms of teaching hours and lesson observations. While we cannot provide teaching placements, applicants are welcome to apply for the course while they search for a teaching post. Schools are often happy to support new teacher's CPD. For degree courses, you do need to be working in a school or other education-related setting to be eligible to apply. This is because you will need to complete research for your thesis in your educational setting.