Buckingham International School of Education

📣 Deadline Extended: Buckingham International Master’s Scholarship

Great news for educators in Hong Kong — the deadline for the Buckingham International Master’s Scholarship has now been extended to 20 July.

This scholarship offers a 50% tuition fee award for one educator to study a Master’s degree with the Faculty of Education at the University of Buckingham.

🎓 Why consider a Master’s in Education?

A postgraduate degree can be a powerful catalyst for career progression, helping you to:
✔️ Develop leadership skills in research, data evaluation, and decision-making
✔️ Specialise in your area of interest - stand out from the crowd
✔️ Build the confidence to take the next step in your career.

"One of the biggest, long-term benefits of postgraduate academic study is that it develops disciplined reflection."
— David Mansfield, former Exec. Headmaster at YK Pao School, Shanghai

⏳ New deadline: 20 July

👉 Check eligibility and apply: https://www.topschoolsadmissions.com/scholarship
📚 Explore Master’s programmes: https://www.bise.org/masters-degrees-education

🌏 Wherever you are in the world, gain a globally-recognised, professional teaching qualification or education degree from an elite, British university.

Is there a great teacher in your life? Here’s something to share with them…

Barnaby Lenon, Dean of Education at the University of Buckingham, recently told us about the "secret life" of teachers—in his view, great teachers have:
🍏 The ability to perform - they can command a room
🍏 Ambition for the pupil - they see the potential in everyone
🍏 Deep subject expertise - they make it come alive.

At Top Schools, we know that the "fit" of a school is only as good as the teachers within it.

That’s why we’re working with the to offer the Buckingham International Master’s Scholarship to educators in Hong Kong - it’s a life-changing opportunity for an educator to further their career and deepen their impact on the lives of others.

Know a great teacher? Don't wait for International Teachers Day. Share this with them today.

👇 Find out more here:
www.topschoolsadmissions.com/scholarship



Buckingham International School of Education Ruth Benny

Teaching under primary setting and secondary setting is different. We recently hosted a webinar to distinguish what makes a great teacher under both settings. If you are interested, find it here: https://www.bise.org/en/news-article/primary-vs-secondary-teaching

At our recent webinar Career Pathways in Teaching, teachers from across Asia asked our panel their most pressing career questions.
───
❓Question: I already have an MA in Education. Does it make sense to add an iQTS and PGCE, or should I go straight to an Ed.D.?
🔷 Answers from our panel:
1️⃣ Stephen Cook (International Director, University of Buckingham): It depends on whether you need the foundational initial teacher training qualification that iQTS provides. If you're already teaching with full recognition, the path forward may look different.
2️⃣ David Mansfield (Former Executive Headmaster): For leadership roles like Athletic Director or Head of Department, a proven track record matters far more than additional qualifications. Interviewers want someone who can coach teams, deliver outcomes and manage staff — that evidence comes from your classroom, not your certificate.
───
The best qualification is the one that serves your specific career goals — not simply the most impressive on paper.
Where are you in your professional journey? Share below. 👇
───

Explore Professor Barnaby Lenon's view on secondary education in the UK. Professor Lenon is the Dean of Education at the University of Buckingham.

What's stopping you from taking the next step in your teaching career?

For many educators in Hong Kong, it's the cost of postgraduate study. The Buckingham International Master's Scholarship exists to change that — with a 50% tuition fee award for a Master's degree with the University of Buckingham.

✔️ 100% online
✔️ Flexible study
✔️ University of Buckingham degree

Applications close 30 June 2026.

🔗https://www.topschoolsadmissions.com/scholarship

Prof. Barnaby Lenon doesn't hold back!

In this podcast, the University of Buckingham's Dean of Education shares his unfiltered views on why knowledge must come before skills, why mandatory maths until 18 is "crazy", and what truly separates state and independent schools.

Whether you agree or not — it's worth hearing.

"GCSEs are far easier. So we've really dumbed down in this country."

Barnaby Lenon, CBE, former Headmaster of Harrow and Dean of Education at the University of Buckingham, is not holding back on the current state of the British curriculum.

In this powerful episode, he argues that the shift to GCSEs has led to compromised academic rigor. Furthermore, Barnaby Lenon staunchly defends the system of terminal written exams, calling them the "fairest system", and reveals why alternatives like coursework were abandoned: they led to "widespread cheating" by both parents and teachers.

If you are an educator, parent, or policymaker, you need to hear his unfiltered perspective on:
1. Why "knowledge has to come first" before skills in secondary education.
2. Why the proposal for mandatory math until 18 is "crazy".
3. The essential differences between the state and independent school sectors.

Listen to the full episode now:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/x2GsW-KSKow?si=Rq2-LAQGI9bUG42K
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2CDHI3gEJ7hzHguVqu8Ibg?si=1f42142e41d4453a
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/destination-education-uk/id1820594988?l=en-GB&i=1000758098383.

Top Schools Ruth Benny Buckingham International School of Education

"GCSEs are far easier. So we've really dumbed down in this country."

Barnaby Lenon, CBE, former Headmaster of Harrow and Dean of Education at the University of Buckingham, is not holding back on the current state of the British curriculum.

In this powerful episode, he argues that the shift to GCSEs has led to compromised academic rigor. Furthermore, Barnaby Lenon staunchly defends the system of terminal written exams, calling them the "fairest system", and reveals why alternatives like coursework were abandoned: they led to "widespread cheating" by both parents and teachers.

If you are an educator, parent, or policymaker, you need to hear his unfiltered perspective on:
1. Why "knowledge has to come first" before skills in secondary education.
2. Why the proposal for mandatory math until 18 is "crazy".
3. The essential differences between the state and independent school sectors.

Listen to the full episode now:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/x2GsW-KSKow?si=Rq2-LAQGI9bUG42K
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2CDHI3gEJ7hzHguVqu8Ibg?si=1f42142e41d4453a
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/destination-education-uk/id1820594988?l=en-GB&i=1000758098383.

Top Schools Ruth Benny Buckingham International School of Education

🎓 Want to advance your career without stepping out of the classroom?
Join us for two free online sessions led by University of Buckingham Faculty of Education, focusing on internationally recognised postgraduate routes for teachers across Asia.

🌟 International Teacher Training & CPD
📅 10 December, 11am UK time
Discover teacher training opportunities and ways to build your CPD through programmes taught by academics who are leaders in their field.

🌟 Career progression after a PGCE -- Exploring our MAs
📅 10 December, 4pm UK time
Learn how a PGCE can support career progression and explore MA pathways for aspiring school leaders.

Here you can study flexibly online while staying in your school, supported by experienced tutors.

⏯️ Busy at that time?
Register anyway to get the full recording.
👉https://www.bise.org/en/news-and-events

Send a message to learn more