IT’S never too late to get new qualifications - and this High School Principal is reaping the rewards of studying for a Master’s degree in his 40s.
Will Pemberton was born in Reading, Berkshire, but moved to Missouri, USA, four years ago.
The 43-year-old is Principal of Our Saviour Christian Academy, a semi-rural middle high school located a 30 minute drive from Kansas City.
And Will, who oversees the American equivalent of Year 7 to Year 13, has chosen to study towards a Master’s in via remote, online lessons at Liverpool Hope University.
Will has amassed a wealth of professional experience, being a former Deputy Head at three different UK schools before arriving in Missouri.
He’s also completed all of the National College for Teaching and Leadership courses, including ‘Leadership Pathways’, ‘Aspiring Headteachers’ and the ‘National Professional Qualification for Headship’ (NPQH).
But that hasn’t prevented him from trying to grow and develop as a school leader.
He says: “I’ve earned my stripes in the UK. But out here in the States they don’t recognise the NPQH. And while that doesn’t hold me back, necessarily, it did give me fresh impetus to start looking at a Master’s qualification.
“When Hope came up in my research, I realised that because I’ve got an NPQH I can put that accreditation towards a Master’s as an advanced student placement.
“Overall, this is something I’ve always wanted to do and getting back into the research has been really refreshing. The more I researched, the more I realised I still have this passion for learning. I’m already now looking at PhD options.
“If you want to do it, I’d really encourage others to do it, too.”
Will’s dissertation will focus on the role of parents within their child’s education.
He says he’s noticed a difference in the levels of participation by parents between the US and UK, and it’s a topic that has also been thrown into stark relief by the global pandemic, which saw more and more mums and dads forced to take a hands-on role in their child’s learning.
He reveals: “Here in Missouri, parents seem to be so much more motivated to support their child’s education. And if we could just get that level of buy-in in the UK, life would be so much easier for secondary schools in England.
“Why are parents more invested here? I work in a private school, so perhaps the fact that parents are paying for their child’s education makes them more likely to take an active role in it. Or is there more to it than that? This is what I want to examine in my research.
Will’s experience of being a Hope student has also been extremely positive.
He says: “The professionalism, the support, and the openness in answering questions are among the main reasons why I chose Hope over any other university.
“Getting back into studying some 20 years after first getting my degree felt quite daunting and bewildering, especially as other people in my classes have just finished their first degree so there is an age gap!
“But it has also been really rewarding.”
And what’s life like living close to historic Kansas City in the so-called ‘Show Me State’, a location famed for its jazz, barbecue and picturesque parks?
Will, dad to three daughters aged between 13 and 17 years old, says: “The best way to describe it is ‘an adventure’!
“The first year we were out here, our house nearly got hit by a tornado. One thing you have to get used to living close to Kansas City is that every week, during tornado season, around 10am, the tornado sirens are tested - which sounds like World War II during the blitz.
“One day in May 2018, the sirens went off for real. We could see the funnel of the tornado hitting the ground. It missed us by about 40ft and it took out a couple of houses, as if a bulldozer had gone through.“
Will says that because his wife is originally from California, USA, making the move across The Pond was always going to be a temptation.
He adds: “It’s not that we weren’t enjoying life in the UK, because we were, but there was always a sense of the possibility of a new adventure out there for us.
“My children have adapted to life in America brilliantly and, for us, it was the right time to make the transition.”