School Business Leadership (Top-Up) BA (Hons)

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The School Business Leadership (Top-Up) degree is designed to take holders of an HND, Foundation Degree or equivalent in the business area to a new level. Combining essential knowledge with academic skills development will give you the best chance of success at honours degree level and within the graduate employment market.

This course is designed specifically to support the transition between your HND, Foundation Degree or equivalent studies to a final year honours level. You will receive extensive academic skills development and have access to specialist tutor support to give you the best opportunity to gain a great result for your degree award.

Chester School of Education has an excellent reputation for teaching and learning. This course is specifically designed for individuals who want to work in a business-related function within education. The course is taught by both academics and practitioners, ensuring you receive a good balance of theory and application.

Why You'll Love it

Learn from experienced school business professionals

Staff teaching on the course have significant experience working within schools and on education policy at regional and national levels. This ensures that you are learning from experienced practitioners.

Group of professionals and students working together

Close collaboration with the professional body

We work closely with the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) the professional body for school business leaders. They contribute to the development of the course to ensure that it is relevant to the changing and dynamic role of school business leadership.

Group of students walking down the stairs at Queen's Park

Real-world assessments

Your assessments are designed to reflect real world activities. They focus on applying your knowledge in a real setting in order to have an impact on the functioning of the school.

A tutor and student chatting at table with notebook open.

What You'll Study

Core Modules

The modules enable students to work autonomously on developing and implementing a project derived from a workplace setting. Students will review a particular area of need and provide guidance and support to enable the successful implementation of the project, documenting each stage of the project, from planning to evaluation.

Topics could include Marketing, Project Management, Finance, Procurement, Change Management, People Management, and Leadership.

This module focuses on key aspects of leading and managing organisations. It includes areas such as organisational structures , supervision and management of staff and volunteers; staff development; time management; support networks; management committees (accountability, minutes/reports); inter-agency working (Education, Health, and Social Care); as well as leading SEND and Safeguarding provision, and, any current policy relevant at the time of delivery. 

  • Political ideologies and their importance in the development of education policy.
  • The development of education policy. Particular analysis of Conservative administrations of the 1980s and 1990s, and the Labour administration of the 1997-2010, and the present Coalition administration.
  • Analysis of policy development in different sectors of education.
  • Consideration of international and global influences on education.
  • Comparative analysis of the education policy and practice from the local, national, and global perspective.

  • The concept of inclusion and how it is defined.
  • The historical context of Special Educational Need and the relevance to attainment and achievement.
  • Gender, social class, and race and ethnicity as factors affecting attainment and achievement.
  • Theoretical and conceptual frameworks for understanding the impact of risk factors in relation to educational attainment and engagement.
  • Recent and developing policy for inclusion and initiatives affecting practice in various educational settings.
  • The value and use of case studies to consider the impact of policy and practice in Inclusion.
  • Reasonable adjustment and the debate over mainstreaming.

  • Psychological theories of adolescence and development;
  • The influence of social and cultural capital on adolescent development;
  • Social evolution and the creation of the ‘teenager';
  • Sociological theories relating to youth and youth culture;
  • Perceptions of adolescence and the role of the media;
  • Social and moral issues associated with young people – sex, drugs, crime;
  • Agencies involved in the welfare and education of young adults;
  • Policy responses to youth issues.
  • Factors influencing attitudes to learning – especially related to those not in education employment or training (NEET).

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How You'll Learn

This course is designed around in-person study

There may be some online learning activities

You will be assessed in a variety of ways

Curriculum developed to match workforce priorities

An aerial photograph of Exton Park with the text 'How we teach at the University of Chester'

How we teach at the University of Chester

This course is designed around in-person study and assesed via a range of assesments such as written assignment, practical tasks and presentations.

You will receive approximately 20 hours of teaching per 20-credit module. In addition, you are expected to spend at least 180 hours studying independently outside of taught lessons for each 20-credit module.

On occasions, you may be required to participate in online lessons or activities. However, this course is taught face-to-face at the University’s Exton Park campus.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Your Future Career

Job prospects

Those successfully completing the course will be able to seek employment as a school business manager (or similar role) within school setting. 

Progression options

Students can progress onto the Educational Leadership MA.

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Entry Requirements

Extra Requirements

Students must have completed 240 credits of university study, which may include an HND or Foundation Degree in Business (or a closely related discipline).

Students may also have a Diploma or Advanced Diploma in School Business Management or an ILM level 5 in School Business Management, plus at least 3 years of full-time experience working as a School Business Manager in school.

International students should have qualifications equivalent to a level 5.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please select your country/region of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

English Language Requirements

IELTS

6.0

Fees and Funding

£9,790 per year for a full-time course (2026/27)

The full-time tuition fees for Home students entering in 2026/27 are £9,790 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,950 per year for a full-time course* (2026/27)

The tuition fees for international students studying courses in 2026/27 are £14,950 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £11,250 and £14,950 for Years 2-4 in 2026/27.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes. 

Who You’ll Learn From

Dr Steve Lambert

Associate Professor
Dr Steve Lambert

Dr Mark Whalley

Senior Lecturer
Mark Whalley

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