Skip Navigation

Creating Active Schools: Pennine Lancashire (CAS:PL) MRes Studentship

All postgraduate researchers (PGRs) are registered in the University’s Graduate School and housed in the faculty or department that is most appropriate for the project on which they are working. 

Researchers working on sport related projects are normally housed in the Department of Sport and Physical Activity. The project and studentship will be supervised by Professor Stuart Fairclough, Dr Mhairi MacDonald, and Dr Richard Tyler.

In collaboration with Together an Active Future (TaAF), a Sport England Local Delivery Pilot in Pennine Lancashire, and Active Lancashire we are pleased to offer a fee-waivered MRes studentship.

The CAS:PL project involves a collaborative network of professionals and practitioners that is being developed in Rossendale to embed child health and wellbeing through physical activity into all aspects of school life. The aim is for Pennine Lancashire schools in Rossendale to use the Creating Active Schools Framework (Daly-Smith et al., 2020) to develop whole-school physical activity approaches.

The MRes studentship will align to the CAS:PL project and will complement a separate project based in West Lancashire (CAS:WL). The MRes student will work closely with participating Rossendale schools and will develop their project on specific aspects of CAS:PL. The research will provide empirical evidence to inform the CAS:PL project through the 2022 – 23 academic year and beyond.

The research project

The CAS:PL project aims to apply the Creating Active Schools Framework (Daly-Smith et al., 2020) in clusters of Rossendale schools to develop whole-school physical activity approaches. The specific focus of each MRes project will be developed in partnership with the student, supervisors, schools, and CAS:PL steering group.

Benefits and opportunities

The successful applicant will be registered in the University’s Graduate School and hosted in the Department of Sport and Physical Activity.

In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF2021), 73% of our research submitted to the Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism unit was rated ‘world leading or internationally excellent’, and all our research impact activity (including sport, mental health and welfare) was judged to be of ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ quality. We are also in the top 15 in the UK for research power (THES, 2022).

The MRes postgraduate researcher (PGR) will have the opportunity to work with a range of partners representing physical education and school sport delivery (Rossendale Sport Partnership), Sport England Local Delivery Pilot (TaAF), and health and physical activity development (Active Lancashire).

Based on an award-winning campus in West Lancashire, Edge Hill University offers a stimulating and empowering environment for ambitious and high performing professionals.

This collaborative MRes studentship offers opportunities to a committed and enthusiastic graduate with a passion for children’s physical activity and wellbeing, to develop their academic and research training with applied practice-based research in Rossendale schools.

Studentship information

There is 1 MRes studentships available to start in October 2022. The successful applicant must be able to study full-time.

The studentship is open to appropriately qualified graduates. The tuition fees of £4400 are included in the studentship. In addition, a contribution towards travel expenses to/from East Lancashire is included. The MRes studentship is to be undertaken on a full-time basis to applicants with UK resident status or EU students with EU Settlement Scheme settled status.

Eligibility

This studentship is open to both Home and EU applications under the EU Settlement Scheme settled status.

Applicants should have at least as 2:1 degree in a relevant discipline. It is expected that applicants provide evidence regarding English language at the point of application.

To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements),Have settled status,Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements)Have indefinite leave to remain in or enter

Applicant information

Closing date

10 July 2022 at 23:59pm

Applications received after this date cannot be considered

Fixed interview date

27 July 2022, on campus

The successful applicant must be able to start in October 2022

How to submit your application

To submit your application

Please complete the application form online and download a copy when prompted to do so.

Once you have done this, please send the following items in one email to [email protected] quoting the studentship reference CASPL/OCT22/003 and the project title, in the subject of the email:

  • a download of your application form
  • a research proposal outlining and justifying the methods you might use to evaluate how schools would apply any part/parts of the Creating Active Schools Framework (Daly-Smith et al., 2020) to promote child health and wellbeing through physical activity (not more than 1500 words excluding references)
  • a full academic CV
  • a copy of your qualification certificates and passport
  • completed budget sheet (see application guidance for further support)
  • EU applications must provide a copy of a one of the accepted English language tests at the point of application. Accepted tests, and exemptions, can be found here.
Applications that have not included the above information will be classed as incomplete and, therefore, ineligible for shortlisting.

Edge Hill University is keen to encourage a wide range of applicants from different backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from students currently underrepresented in postgraduate student cohorts.

An open book on a table with a pair of glasses placed on top

Get in touch

If you are interested in applying, you are welcome to contact the following for an informal discussion about this opportunity: