Postgraduate certificates

All credits from Postgraduate Certificates can also be used towards a full Masters.

Postgraduate Certificate Education Leadership & Management - ONLINE

The ability of a skilled leader in maximising the aspirations and achievements of students, and in creating a forward-thinking and fulfilling work environment for teachers and other staff cannot be overemphasized. At Liverpool Hope University, we have been a centre of excellence for the study of Education for decades, and our strong relationship with a wide variety of educational provision across the UK enables us to draw on the very best practices in order to develop your own skills in this area.

• Develop a critical understanding of theoretical approaches to leadership, relevant to educational practice.
• Enhance knowledge and critical understanding of applied leadership and management in an education context.
• Provide knowledge and critical understanding of key theories and concepts within the field of change management, and of the role of leadership in providing strategic direction and in leading change.
• Develop a critical understanding of those factors which influence individual and collective behaviour/s within organisations.
• Enable students to make informed decisions by creatively and systematically applying the knowledge and understanding of key concepts and best practice.
• Support students’ continuing personal and professional development so as to enable them to work as reflective practitioners with self-direction and originality, willing to take on a leadership role and contributing to the success of their own teams, organisations and their students.

Watch Chris Mugan, previous participant from Cansfield High School, Wigan, talk about his experience on the course.

Read an Education Leadership & Management case study to see how this course can help you in your career.

Postgraduate Certificate in Research Informed Leadership

This course responds to the need to have evidence based, research informed solutions to problems faced in practical contexts by leaders at all levels across the education system. This course is designed to provide expertise to support leaders to develop their own research literacies so they are critically engaged with research and promoting a culture within their schools that values research and evidence-based approaches.

• Contemporary research methods used to analyse problems in the context of educational improvement.
• How to use a range of research methodologies in order to investigate complex educational issues for educational improvement.
• The limitations (strengths and weaknesses) of a variety of research methods including ethical considerations.
• A systematic understanding and knowledge of how to create a research plan for professional inquiry in an improvement cycle.
• A critical understanding of the way that research can influence thinking or practice in the defined area at a local level, either school specific or perhaps more broadly.

30 credit masters level courses

All 30 credit courses can also be taken in combination with a further 30 credits to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate or used towards a full Masters.

Research Informed: Leadership

This module offers students the opportunity to gain systematic understanding of common research methods used in professional inquiry for the purposes of educational system improvement.

Students will develop their skills as critical consumers of educational research methods, exploring the strengths and limitations of different methodologies.

Throughout the module, there will be an emphasis on creating opportunities for personal reflection as educational leaders and professional dialogue to inform questions about the practicalities and value in using particular methods as a professional practitioner and leader in relation to educational improvement.

As a result of undertaking the module, students will be well positioned to make their own plan for leading professional inquiry, and justify their own selection of research method choices including ethical considerations.

Research Informed: Practice in Action

This course provides an opportunity to undertake a professional development project within a school or other setting. It is intended to support practising professionals in understanding the impact of research on practice, including how theory relates to practice, designing effective projects and evaluating impact. This will necessarily include the development of understanding of both sector specific and/or setting specific issues at local and wider levels. It promotes the development of reflective professional practice, linking relevant theory to educational practice. It is intended that participants will consolidate their professional confidence and autonomy through critical reflection and focused research.

This module examines three dimensions of educational leadership, taking cognisance of the experience of leaders in schools and their interpretation of education policy and how this impacts on leadership practice.

Participants will explore the possibilities and limitations of acting upon policy, individually and collectively. For example, analysing and deconstructing the metrics used to judge school performance and how this is translated into organisational policy and practice?

Education Leadership & Management I Perspectives on Leadership

Recognising the challenges faced by those in leadership roles and the need to support the development of leadership competencies at all levels, this module explores leadership, with a specific focus on leadership within different education organisations. In particular, the module explores the nature of leadership and management through a number of different thematic ‘lenses’ and considers the role leaders play within improvement and change programmes.

Education Leadership & Management II Working Effectively With Others

This module takes as its focus the need for all those working within schools and other education institutions to develop positive and productive relationships with others. Leadership and management do not occur in a vacuum, and this module has been designed to develop both functional knowledge and critical understanding of a number of key perspectives on human behaviour within organisations and on the nature and processes of organising human activity. As such, it is designed not only to encourage the development of solutions to specific leadership and management problems, but also to provide participants with insights into the complex nature of organisations and of organisational life.

PLD Course fees 2023/24

Postgraduate certificates

All credits from Postgraduate Certificates can also be used towards a full Masters.

PG Cert National Award for SEN Coordination

This Postgraduate Certificate aims to enable SENCos and aspiring SENCos to gain the confidence needed to strategically lead SEND provision in their settings. Through critical reflection, participants on the programme will consider the ways the SENCo can work with senior colleagues, governors and the wider learning community to reduce barriers to participation and learning for pupils.

• Mandatory qualification that all newly qualified SENCos must achieve within three years of appointment, when working in maintained mainstream, academy and free schools.
• Meets the requirements of the SEN Code of Practice (2015 Section 6.86).
• Provides up-to-date knowledge support for experienced SENCos and aspiring SENCos, showing a commitment to Continuing Professional Development.
• The two modules that make up the award each carry 30 Masters-level credits, which can be used towards a Masters in Education.
• Study from home with our flexible online learning, which enables you to schedule your study pattern around other obligations, providing a high quality specialist SEND education tailored to your lifestyle.

Read a NASENCo course case study to see how this course can help you in your career.

Postgraduate Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia)

This Postgraduate Certificate aims to support teachers and professionals working in education to gain the confidence, knowledge and skills to identify, assess, plan, teach and support students with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia). Through critical reflection, participants on the programme will develop their understanding of the barriers to participation and learning that pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) can encounter.

• Develop the specialist knowledge, skills and confidence to be a specialist teacher and/or assessor for dyslexia.
• Be part of a specialist programme for professionals.
• Investigate research and literature relevant to SpLD dyslexia and relate this to specialist teaching and assessment.
• The two modules that make up the award each carry 30 Masters level credits, which can be used towards a Masters programme.
• Successful completion of the course will enable students to apply to the British Dyslexia Association for Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) and for an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC). Professionals with AMBDA / APC are able to be Exam Access Arrangements Assessors
• The Post Graduate Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) is accredited by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA).

PG Cert Understanding Autism & Inclusive Learning

The aim of this Postgraduate Certificate is to enable practitioners to develop the knowledge and understanding of inclusive practice and Autism so they can successfully reflect upon practice in their settings and reduce barriers to participation and learning for children and young people with autism. This course reflects on a range of theories and relates them to the lived experiences of autistic children and young people. A valuable qualification for those interested in the autism field, this is a part-time course specifically designed for professionals working with children and young people in mainstream settings under the age of 19.

• Develop a knowledge and understanding of autism and current theoretical perspectives and critically engage with literature and research.
• Develop a critical appreciation of how children/young people with autism experience the world and reflect on ways in which to support them.
• Explore barriers to communication and socialisation and develop understanding of how to support teaching and learning for children/ young people with autism
• Develop a knowledge and understanding of current statutory legislation on autism and reflect on its role in supporting children/young people and their families/carers and the importance of collaborative partnerships and multidisciplinary agencies.
• Understanding of how to apply pedagogical models to practitioners’ teaching and learning practice to support students with autism.
• Knowledge and understanding of how the learning environment and whole educational community impact on the learning and behaviours of children and young people with autism and application of this to practitioner’s own context

PG Cert Management and Leadership of SEN - ONLINE

This Postgraduate Certificate aims to enable managers and leaders of Special Educational Needs (SEN) to gain the confidence needed to strategically lead SEN provision in their settings. Through critical reflection, participants on the programme will consider the ways managers and leaders of SEN can aim to reduce barriers to participation and learning for pupils.

• The content reflects upon national perspectives* that provide a framework to address key aspects of the role of Special Educational Needs managers and leaders.
• Develop effective SEND management and leadership skills.
• Provides up-to-date knowledge support for professionals working within SEND, showing a commitment to Continuing Professional Development.

*Note: the Postgraduate Certificate in Management and Leadership of SEN will primarily reflect upon the Code of Practice (2015) which provides statutory guidance in England on duties, policies and procedures relating to Part 3 of the Children and Families Act (2014) and associated regulations.

30 credit courses - Level 7 (Masters)

All Masters Level 30 credit courses can also be taken in combination with a further 30 credits to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate or used towards a full Masters.

Professional Knowledge and Understanding of the SENCo Role

This module will begin to explore the professional knowledge and understanding that SENCOs need of the legislative context for SEN and theoretical concepts that underpin effective leadership and practice. It provides participants with an understanding of, and an engagement with, the complexity of current policy, legal and professional contexts. It also provides participants with the professional capacity to identify, assess and provide for children with special educational needs within their setting.

This module will also aid those about to enter a SENCO role and those newly/currently appointed who wish to achieve the full National Award in SEN Co-ordination in the near future.

Identification Intervention and Teaching

Together we will explore the knowledge, understanding and practical experience required to be specialist SpLD teacher of dyslexic learners (up to the age of 18). Through investigation of research and literature you will develop a critical understanding of issues that may affect dyslexic learners and their families. Developing your understanding of the nature and definition of dyslexia will enable you to reflect on your understanding and construct structured, multisensory teaching programmes. By the end of the module you will have grown in your own practice enabling you to identify a profile of learner’s strengths and areas to be developed and plan subsequent teaching programmes and interventions.

Successful completion of module 1 will enable participants with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) to apply to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) for Approved Teacher Status (ATS). Participants who do not hold QTS or QTLS status who successfully complete module 1 will be able to apply to the BDA for Approved Practitioner Status (APS).

Understanding the barriers to learning for children & young people with Autism

This module supports practitioners to develop their specialist knowledge and understanding of the autistic spectrum which will enable them to support autistic pupils within mainstream educational settings. The module will encourage reflection on how children/ young people with ASD live in, and experience, the wider world, focusing on how barriers to learning, communication and socialisation can impact on their lives. It will also consider how statutory legislation supports children/young people with ASD and provides guidance for professionals and carers responsible for their development and well-being. Learning will be rooted in current and seminal theory/ policy and linked to teaching and learning practice.

30 credit courses - Level 4 

Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) for Support Assistants

This module supports practitioners to achieve the understanding and practical experience required to be a specialist Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) (Dyslexia) support assistant. Upon successful completion of module 1, students can apply to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) for Accredited Learning Support Assistant (ALSA) status in line with BDA guidance.

This module will begin to explore an understanding of key issues related to dyslexia and information, research and theory associated with barriers to learning and participation encountered by pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). It will consider the use of different approaches to teaching pupils with SpLD (Dyslexia) in the classroom.

PLD Course fees 2023/24

Postgraduate certificates

All credits from postgraduate certificates can also be used towards a full Masters.

Postgraduate Certificate in Expert Teaching

This course aims to provide practitioners with a critical and practical understanding of contemporary research and scholarship linked to educational improvement. This will include an understanding of the effectiveness of a range of research methodologies in investigating complex educational issues and the role of professional values and experience in shaping views about these complex issues. It will provide a critical and practical understanding of how to create learning environments and offer teaching which takes account of children’s contexts and their emotional and social needs. The course also focuses on the importance of practice that is underpinned by values and informed through a critical and ethical engagement with evidence. In particular the course will explore values and evidence in relation to the social and emotional aspects of learning and teaching

30 credit masters level courses

All 30 credit courses can also be taken in combination with a further 30 credits to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate or used towards a full Masters.

Social and Emotional Learning Dimensions: Practitioner

This module examines social and emotional aspects of learning. In particular, it explores how children’s familial contexts, early developmental experiences and consequent attachment patterns, impact on their attitudes to learning, to relationships and to their ability to reach their educational potential.

Participants on this module will be working in schools in socially disadvantaged contexts. By increasing teachers’ understanding of the impact of social and familial disadvantage, this module enables participants to better attune to children’s behaviours understanding them as communication of emotional states. With increased critical awareness of learning as an emotional experience and of the application of attachment theory to classroom contexts, participants will have an increased ability to respond to children’s social and emotional needs as integral to their primary task and not as separate from it.

Values and Evidence Informed: Practitioner

This module offers students the opportunity to engage in an in-depth, critical consideration of contemporary research linked to educational improvement. Students’ exploration of this knowledge-base will be informed by a critical reflection on the role of values in shaping their views about the aims and ends of education while also considering how professional experience informs their preferred “ways of teaching”.

Students will develop their skills as critical consumers of research, exploring the strengths and limitations of different methodologies and considering the extent to which there can be strong and direct links between research and practice. Throughout the module, there will be an emphasis on creating opportunities for personal reflection and professional dialogue to inform questions about the purposes of education and ways to enhance educational effectiveness in a self-improving system.

PLD Course fees 2023/24

Postgraduate certificates

All credits from postgraduate certificates can also be used towards a full Masters.

Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Mentoring & Coaching

This course responds to the need for those who mentor to have appropriate professional development that is evidence based and research informed, to support their practices in educational contexts. The course delivers a critical understanding of mentoring and coaching models, practices and skills required within educational contexts. There is also a focus on current research and policies and consideration of best practice. Students will be encouraged to critically consider the skills and qualities required for effective mentoring and coaching and explore the role of reflection.

• A critical understanding of the contemporary research associated with mentoring and coaching in an educational context.
• A critical knowledge and understanding of the procedures, protocols and ethics of mentoring and coaching in an educational setting.
• The professional knowledge and critical understanding of the contemporary issues and debates associated with coaching and mentoring in an educational context including the current National Mentor Standards for school based initial teacher training.
• The personal and professional qualities and skills required by mentors and coaches to support and develop a colleague such as a trainee, NQT or more experienced colleague.
• An ability to critically reflect on mentoring and coaching practices in an educational setting.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of mentees needs in relation to their professional development

Read a PG Cert Advanced Mentoring & Coaching Case Study to see how this course can help you in your career.

30 credit masters level courses

All 30 credit courses can also be taken in combination with a further 30 credits to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate or used towards a full Masters.

Principles and Practice of Effective Mentoring Coaching

This module focuses on contemporary theory and research in the field of mentoring and coaching relevant to an educational setting. This will include an overview and evaluation of different theoretical models of mentoring and coaching. It will also include an examination of the relevance and implications of the recent research and policy direction for professional practice. The module will provide support in the development of critical, reflective practices in mentoring and coaching.

Theory and Research in Effective Mentoring Coaching

This module focuses on contemporary issues, debates and developing practice in the field of mentoring and coaching relevant to an educational setting. This will include a critical consideration of the National standards for school based initial teacher training (ITT) mentors provided by the DfE. The module will provide support in the development of critical, reflective practices in mentoring and coaching. The module will introduce the skills, principles and practice of effective mentoring and coaching. It will focus on the skills and qualities required for effective mentoring and coaching and investigate the role of the mentor/coach.

PLD Course fees 2023/24

Postgraduate certificates

All credits from postgraduate certificates can also be used towards a full Masters.

Postgraduate Certificate Early Career Teacher

The programme draws significantly on a professional learning model that encourages students to make clear connections between relevant research, theory and their emerging professional practice.

Students will draw on their professional capabilities and extend their practice through their engagement with the assessments, which are designed to promote high levels of critical reflection on their Early Career practice and extend their understanding of the link between research evidence and practice. The two modules are designed to develop the Early Career Teacher as a reflective practitioner able to analyse their emerging practice and consider how it is informed by a critical engagement with evidence and research.

30 credit masters level courses

All 30 credit courses can also be taken in combination with a further 30 credits to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate or used towards a full Masters.

Developing Evidence Based Practice

This course supports the development of professional practice for those teachers in the early stages of their careers. It is intended to help participants to acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding essential to becoming effective, informed and reflective professional practitioners.

The course will provide a context for participants to engage critically with their professional experiences within their NQT induction year and beyond. Participants will continue to develop the practical skills in teaching and learning gained in their QTS award, drawing on key research developments and readings, and with reference to current government priorities and directives.

Developing Practice for Early Career Teachers

This course provides an opportunity to critically engage the Early Career Teacher with practice that is informed by evidence such as that included in the Early Career Framework. It is intended to support developing professionals in understanding the link between research evidence and practice. It will require the Early Career Teacher to reflect on their emerging practices in relation to teaching and learning and how it relates critically to the current available evidence base. It is intended that participants will consolidate their professional confidence and autonomy through critical reflection and focused research.

PLD Course fees 2023/24