September 2023

Education MA (Safeguarding)

Master's Degree, Postgraduate, September 2023

Key Details

  • 1-1.5 years Years
group of students

Newman’s masters-level provision is specifically for educational professionals, teachers, lecturers and others working in educational settings in support roles in recognition of the importance of sustained professional development.

Our Masters provision will be run online, with some face to face tutorials where required. The on-campus elements will vary depending on each tutor and will be discussed with students beforehand. 

We offer the generic MA Education and also specialist routes:
Education MA Early Childhood Education and Care
Education MA Higher Education
Education MA Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disability
Education MA Leadership and Management
Education MA Learning and Teaching
Education MA Mentoring and Coaching
Education MA Research in Education
Education MA Catholic School Leadership
MA Education Safeguarding

All the above have a separate stand alone PG Cert course:-
PG Cert Early Childhood Education and Care
PG Cert Higher Education
PG Cert Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disability
PG Cert National Award for SEN Coordination
PG Cert Leadership and Management in Education
PG Cert Learning and Teaching in Education
PG Cert Mentoring and Coaching in Education
PG Cert Research in Education
PG Cert Catholic School Leadership
PG Cert Safeguarding

The generic PGCert for the MA Education is titled:
PG Cert Professional and Academic Learning in Education

Email ma-education@newman.ac.uk for more information.

The course is undergoing academic revalidation during this academic year.

Contemporary issues in safeguarding and vulnerability

This module aims to:
• Explore how children, young people or families can become constructed as ‘risky’ or as ‘at risk’
• Critically evaluate how policy and practice in the UK and elsewhere have responded to changing constructions of vulnerability and risk
• Identify how individuals and agencies with Safeguarding responsibilities both manage and discharge these responsibilities
• Critically reflect on their own role as practitioners/ potential practitioners

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES:
Students will, by the end of the module, have the opportunity to:
• Critically analyse, the legal, policy and practice framework for safeguarding in the UK.
• Relate this to changing discourses around safeguarding, protection and (de)professionalization
• Critically reflect on factors which might enhance or inhibit effective responses in particular contexts

Voices, rights and representations
This module aims to:
• Analyse dominant theories of childhoods and vulnerability and the ways in which these link to current social, legal, and political constructions of childhood and vulnerability in policy and practice.
• Critically evaluate key conventions such as; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Children’s Charter and accompanying legislation, identifying strengths and shortcomings.
• Recognise specific legislation, case law and policies that seek to challenge discriminatory practices against vulnerable adults, young people and children in the context of evolving safeguarding agendas.
• Explore the notion of listening to vulnerable adults, young people and children with reference to ethics, values and practices.
• Develop an understanding of the concept of advocacy in respect of vulnerable adults, young people and children; analysing principles, policy and practice issues.
• Critically investigate how charities, both in the UK and internationally, defend and support human rights as regards Safeguarding.
• Examine research that has sought to highlight issues in respect of voices, rights and representations.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES :
Students will, by the end of the module, have the opportunity to:
• Critically analyse, the legal, policy and practice frameworks for vulnerable adults, young people and children’s voices, rights and representations.
• Relate this to changing discourses around safeguarding, protection and the rights of vulnerable adults, young people and children.
• Critically reflect on factors which might enhance or inhibit effective responses in particular contexts

You will experience a range of assessments in the form of reflective accounts, presentations and essays related to practice in the field of early years.

You will have access to all facilities at Newman including the library, which stocks a wide range of books, journals and e-books. Previous level 7 masters credits may be transferred (free-of-charge) through the accreditation of prior certificated learning (RPCL). Also, you can gain credits for other sustained CPD programmes you have undertaken, such as National College Programmes, by writing up your reflections against the assessment criteria for a comparable module via the accreditation of prior experiential learning (RPEL).

For further information regarding a Postgraduate Loan (PGL) for Master’s study click here.

Newman University is located in Britain’s second city – Birmingham. With one of the youngest city populations in Europe, it is a vibrant and dynamic place to study.

Studying at Newman University, you have the advantage of being near to the city, but living in, or commuting to peaceful and comfortable surroundings on campus.

Dining out

Birmingham has lots of wonderful places to dine out with a range of different cuisines. Places where you can dine out include; Brindley Place, Mailbox and Hagley Road (just 10 minutes’ from Newman).

Entertainment

Whether you like to go to; the theatre, gigs or clubs, or enjoy: sports, shopping visiting art galleries or exhibitions – Birmingham will not disappoint and you will be spoilt for choice!

Location

Getting around Birmingham is easy via train, bus or by car. Birmingham has excellent transport links to the rest of Britain, making it easy for those weekend getaways!

Why not explore the city for yourself by visiting one of our Open Days?

Want to find out more about Birmingham? Then take a look at some Birmingham City Secrets.

Entry Requirements

An Honours degree in a relevant subject area from a UK university or an overseas university agreed by NARIC as equivalent and subject to IELTS and EU requirements. Consideration will be given to students with lower level qualifications who have a relevant range of professional experience. Professional experience that equates to degree level will be considered by the Course Co-ordinator. If some non-graduates are to be considered pre entry tasks will be considered and used at the co-ordinator’s discretion.

Students may also enter with up to 90 level 7 credits via the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The MA Education is open to graduates who are professionally engaged in an educational setting and/or graduates who have an interest in educational issues.

Please note, from September all MA courses will be run online with an element of face to face contact where necessary.

International Students
The University is not licensed by the UK Government to sponsor migrant students under the Student route and is therefore unable to accept applications from international students at present.

If you have any questions regarding entry onto this course please contact our friendly and helpful admissions team via our Admissions Enquiry Form

Course Fees

The full-time and part-time course fee for 2022 is £6,000 or £1,000 per module. All part-time masters courses are payable in the first two years of study, unless otherwise stated.

Alumni discounts are available to students who have completed a full UG or PGCE with Newman. For non-Newman graduates, a 10% discount is offered to those enrolling onto a full masters degree programme and who are currently employed by a Newman University partnership school.

Postgraduate Loans

You can apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £11,222, when enrolling on a full Master’s degree (180 credits), to use as a contribution to the cost of studying and living expenses.

For further information visit the postgraduate loans website.

 

Additional Information

General Academic Regulations: Terms and Conditions for students attending our courses

Modules

Please be aware that, as with any course, there may be changes to the modules delivered, for information view our Changes to Programmes of Module Changes page.

Timetables: find out when information is available to students

Please refer to the shortest iteration of the programme for full module details.
Optional Modules: find out how the University deals with changes that may occur in some eventualities.

Many modules will continue to be rooted in enhancing professional practice within work-based learning. All assessment will be carried out through the medium of English and there will be no exceptions. However, students will also be able to undertake non-empirical research – see * in the PDF table above for modules which will facilitate non-empirical research.

  1. This module seeks to develop students understanding of the context in which safeguarding takes place and links this to debates around the appropriateness and effectiveness of policy and practice. In doing this, students will explore concepts of vulnerability and risk and how they affect working practices as well as critically evaluating the current policy context.
  2. This module seeks to develop student understandings of the historical, philosophical, sociological, legal and political perspectives surrounding vulnerable adults, youth and children. It will include an overview and critique of dominant perspectives both domestically and internationally, around Voices, Rights and Representations and use this as a basis for the evaluation of policy and practice issues.