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Alumna story: Ammal Gillani, transitioning from the education to higher education sector

Ammal Gillani

Alumna of the MA Education, Policy & Society, School of Education, Communication & Society

20 June 2023

Student

For former teacher Ammal Gillani, 2021 alumna of the MA Education, Policy & Society, the Master’s programme at King’s College London played a key role in her decision to explore new ways of working in the education sector. She explains what she liked most in the MA, how supportive her tutors were, and how instrumental her new educational policy knowledge is in her job today.

Why did you decide to do the MA Education, Policy & Society?

After I finished my PGCE back in 2010, I always told myself that I would love to go back to higher education and complete a MA. I finally decided to take a break from primary education and applied to King’s as the MA Education, Policy & Society was the exact course that I knew would enhance and build upon my current knowledge and pedagogy in teaching.

The information given on the programme website was very informative and there was such an interesting and diverse range of modules to choose from. The staff within the School of Education, Communication & Society were helpful and friendly in answering any questions I had at the time. I even received a personal email from Tania de St Croix, who is the MA programme lead, welcoming me onto the course – which I know is not commonly done.

I have to say, regardless of the international recognition King’s has in terms of league tables and university rankings, all the communication I had with the King’s staff prior to even starting the course reinforced to me that I had made the best choice.

What did you learn and what did you enjoy the most as part of the MA?

Studying this MA course was one of the best things I ever decided to do; it opened up new avenues and opportunities for me.

There were many optional modules to pick from that were of interest to me, the lectures were engaging, and we were given the opportunity to have in-depth discussions and ask questions at any point during the sessions. I liked that some of the assessments were real-life activities/tasks that one may encounter in a professional capacity, eg presentations, writing a blog, discussions around academic journals and readings.

During the course, I was able to truly widen my knowledge and understanding of education at a global level, and how politics and economics are intertwined within the policy and implementation of education. Personally, I found it so insightful to dissect the social context of education and gain further knowledge of intersectionality, and the core module enabled me to become aware of how policy is enacted and contested.– Ammal Gillani, Alumna of the MA Education, Policy & Society, School of Education, Communication & Society

The 1:1 tutorials and meetings I had with my personal tutor and dissertation supervisor were a great opportunity for me to learn and develop my skills as a researcher. I really enjoyed the Research Methods module, as well as using my passion and experience in education to find a gap in the scholarship to focus on for the dissertation.

How was the student community in the School and at King’s?

Despite studying during the pandemic, when the lectures were held online and the campus was very quiet due to social distancing, I did study with a group of lovely people and we were able to support one another virtually instead.

How useful has it been to do the MA, in your current job?

Since graduating from King’s in 2021, I have transitioned into working within higher education and I am now a lecturer on the Primary PGCE programme at Brunel University. Here, I have applied a great deal of the knowledge and skills I developed at King’s. I was even able to discuss my dissertation findings with my students on the course, as it was relevant to a lecture on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Education that I delivered.

My tutors in the School of Education, Communication & Society were so supportive and encouraging when I was applying for roles in higher education; they gave up their time to help and guide me with the best way to transition and where to look for such roles.
Having a MA from King’s has led me to where I am today in my career in education. I highly recommend this course to anyone, whether or not they have experience of working in the UK education system.