issues they are currently facing in their organisations and invited discussion. It was this collaboration of different cultures and perspectives that helped develop my leadership knowledge in a more holistic way. Overall, MA Educational Leadership (In-service) is an excellent programme. Now, I would like to say to prospective students: this is a family, and when you have learning or emotional problems, there is lots of help available. I wish you all the best for your year of study. Reference Godfrey, D. (2017). Exploring Cultures of Research Engagement at Eight English Secondary Schools. Doctoral dissertation. UCL (University College London).
Ferdinand Doepel, MA Educational Leadership (in-service)
I completed my MA Educational Leadership at UCL in 2021, having been a part-time student while working as Head of Economics and Business at an independent school in South London. I had long considered doing an MA and had purposefully not pursued one at an earlier stage, as I wanted to ensure I had enough practical experience of leadership in an education setting before proceeding to deepen my understanding of the theory behind my daily practice. My rationale for pursuing an MA in Educational Leadership was threefold. Firstly, I really wanted to gain a more thorough grasp of the research that underpins teaching in a secondary school. I wanted to try and bridge the McIntyre Gap, i.e. the gap between research and practice. While one can do this without pursuing a postgraduate degree, I felt that the programme would offer me the perfect opportunity to ensure I dedicate the necessary time and effort to an area that unfortunately often gets left on the backburner, even though it of course should play a far more central role in a career within the education sector. The second reason was that I wanted to meet others on the programme, both to help me broaden my understanding of different educational settings, an area in which this programme offers unparalleled potential, and also build my network within the sector. Getting to know others on the programme was without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my time studying at UCL. As so much else at the time, much of this interaction unfortunately moved online in March 2020 due to the global pandemic. The final rationale for my pursuit of this degree was that I hoped it would help