11 October 2023
The Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) and Highlands College, in partnership with the Institute of Education of the University of Plymouth, have launched a new on-Island MA Education.
13 teachers have joined the first cohort from a range of subjects including English, Maths, Science, Computing, Music, Arts and Technology – in settings from early years through to Further Education.
The MA Education is a part-time programme for qualified teachers and lecturers and will be delivered through six on-Island study days in each of the first two years (providing 12 study days in total). In the third year, students will write a dissertation, which will be supervised online. The independent study time required to complete the programme will form part of teachers' annual CPD hours.
The programme is designed to give teachers and lecturers the additional knowledge, skills and experience to meet pupils' needs both now and in the future. It reflects Jersey's educational context and is tailored to the needs of the Island's teachers and lecturers.
The modules mirror those taught at the University of Plymouth and teachers and lecturers will have access to the same resources as those learning in the UK. They will also be able to collaborate with teachers in England, who are studying at Plymouth.
Places on the programme have been fully funded through the Education Reform Programme and are awarded through a three-stage application process:
- Prospective students seek approval from their line manager or head teacher
- They then submit an application to a CYPES selection committee
- Applications are reviewed by the University of Plymouth
The Minister for Children and Education, Deputy Inna Gardiner, said: "I am delighted that CYPES and Highlands College have partnered with the University of Plymouth to provide this additional qualification for teachers and lecturers in Jersey.
"We want to ensure that teaching in Jersey is rewarding, throughout the careers of our teachers. Part of this is ensuring that teachers and lecturers have the opportunities – and the funding available – for continuous professional development at a range of levels.
"We are already offering other MA-level qualifications for teachers and headteachers, but this is the first time we have offered a full MA in Education, fully-funded, on-Island. Delivering the MA on-Island means that teachers and lecturers who want to complete an MA will no longer have to juggle travelling to the UK alongside their workloads."