Primary Education
Full time Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Part time Master in Education (MEd)
At a time when the primary phase of education has begun to allow practitioners more freedoms and responsibilities for determining how schools can engage and enhance children’s learning, this route offers support to those wishing to improve the quality of education for primary aged children in a rigorous, systematic and practical way. In the two videos below, you can hear what some of our current and recent students have to say about their experiences of the Primary Masters route:
PRIMARY MEd INTERVIEWS - Year 1 Students
PRIMARY MEd INTERVIEWS - Year 2 Students
The Primary Masters route aims to achieve this by:
- offering participants the practical opportunity to engage in individual and collaborative critical enquiry into important educational issues and practice
- introducing participants to the best quality national and international educational research that is relevant to the primary phase
- supporting the exploration of ways to improve the curriculum, pedagogy and learning through school or classroom based research. Previous topics here have included, for example, a focus on 'personalisation' 'leadership' or 'assessment for learning'.
In this way, the course helps to develop the skills and abilities of course members so that they can more effectively contribute to and inform both policy and practice within the primary phase.
The co-ordinators of the Primary Masters route were Associate Directors of the Faculty-based Cambridge Primary Review (directed by Professor Robin Alexander (www.primaryreview.org.uk). Some of the content of this route will relate to themes that were examined by the Cambridge Primary Review which published two volumes of its findings and the research surveyed for the report in 2010.
There are four elements within the route which alternate from year to year.
1. Critical perspectives on Primary Education
This element includes an analysis of the current policy context of educational practice and the implications for leadership and practice throughout the school. It explores the competing values and aims for primary education, the relationship between pedagogy and curriculum, and the implications for re-thinking and re-designing the primary curriculum. There is opportunity to discuss alternative and innovative forms of learning across the curriculum, including the place of the arts, imagination and creativity.
2. Themes and challenges throughout primary education
This element focuses on certain broad themes and challenges which highlight and exemplify the complex policy-practice links in primary education and the implications for decision-making. These include issues of transition and continuity, place-based learning, diversity and inclusion, multi-professional teamwork and teachers' professional learning. Course members' own research interests will be incorporated into discussion about responding to particular professional concerns and dilemmas in complex systems like primary education.
3. The School as a community
This element will focus on the ways in which schools can develop as communities in themselves, and relate to the wider community(ies) beyond the school. The main areas for discussion relate to: the nature of school culture, leadership, collegiate collaboration, mentoring and professional development, partnership with parents and other professionals. One of the underlying themes relates to the communication and knowledge links within and between school, home and community.
4. Teaching and learning within the primary school
In this element the quality of teaching and learning is examined with reference to what is known about young children's development, theories of learning, motivation, emotion and social relationships. Different models and views about educating the 'whole child' will be considered, and the nature of teacher-pupil dialogue, collaborative groupwork, learner preferences and assessment will be of particular interest.
Research Methods Strand
All Masters students on this route are required to attend a generic research methods strand, taught across thematic routes. Methods sessions are essential for a research-based Masters degree and constitute about one-third of the whole programme. Through this strand students will develop their understanding of different research strategies, foster skills in appraising and synthesising published research studies and acquire the understanding and skills necessary for designing, conducting, analysing, interpreting and reporting a small-scale research study for thesis presentation.
The research strand covers a broad range of social science research methods and is essential for Masters level understanding and critical engagement with the research literature in many specialist areas and in education more generally. It offers opportunities and encouragement to apply the knowledge gained to your thematic area, and vice versa. Details of the MPhil and MEd Research Methods courses are provided in separate handbooks.
Course attendance
Course sessions take place on Wednesday afternoons (4.30 – 7.00 pm and some 2-7pm Research Methods sessions, in University term time). Additionally, attendance is required at three Friday-Saturday morning conferences over the year, in October, January and April.
Application process and Fees
For more information on the application process, fees and entry requirements please see the
pages if you are interested in full-time study or the
pages if you are interested in part-time study.
Route Co-ordinators
Christine Doddington, Linda Hargreaves and Ruth Kershner