National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership

• Assistant Headteacher / Associate Assistant Headteacher
• Deputy Headteacher / Vice Principal
• Head of Faculty / Department / Subject
• Head of Year
• Head of Key Stage / Early Years
• SENCO
• Head of ITT

The NPQ in Senior Leadership course follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Senior Leadership.
You will learn how to:

• Set clear goals and communicate shared values that improve the culture in your classrooms and school
• Establish a safe and positive environment for pupils
• Support colleagues to meet individual needs and make sure all pupils have access to a rich curriculum
• Lead school-wide professional development for staff
• Make and act on evidence-informed decisions
• Work well with parents, carers, other schools and the wider community
• Lead by example, be accountable for decisions and make sure colleagues know their responsibilities

Our NPQSL is designed so you can engage in live, facilitated sessions alongside modules you can complete at any time.

Over 18 months, our NPQSL includes:

• Two full day conferences (6hrs each)
• Nine courses (each course lasts six weeks and is loosely aligned to a school half term)
• Each course includes six modules
• Six two-hour clinics (facilitated sessions)
• One two-hour assessment clinic
• Five communities (1hr15mins group sessions)

The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes in-person delivery, a mix of real-time, interactive online sessions and self-guided modules you complete in your own time.

The programme includes facilitator-led sessions with your peer group that focus on decision making. The programme starts with a one-day live conference.
Note: programme content is subject to change.

• Build your confidence – Learn how to excel as a leader and get the support you need to take the next step in your career
• Access the latest research – Benefit from the latest evidence-based learning and approaches to great teaching and leadership. See how it can improve schools and change lives.
• Enact positive change – Translate what you’ve learned on this programme to your own school context. We’ll help you do this by providing models and examples that seek to make the link between theory and practice concrete.
• Build your network – You’ll connect with other senior leaders, sharing your experiences and building a strong support network that lasts long after you finish the course

• Create a common knowledge base – NPQ qualifications are aligned, so you can have confidence that all your educators will share a common language and framework to develop your school or trust
• Support your leaders – Senior leaders will be given the tools to drill down into specific areas of leadership to improve their knowledge, make evidence-informed decisions and action positive change
• Learn from evidence – Senior Leaders will be introduced to evidence-informed practices straightaway. This will help them develop strategies to improve teaching and pupil performance at your school
• Make a leadership pipeline – The programme will help to identify future leaders and create a positive culture where teachers can develop and thrive.
• Boost attainment – Studies show that high-quality continuous professional development can improve pupil outcomes almost as effectively as having a teacher with 10 years’ experience in the classroom

Our NPQ courses no longer include a large project at the end. Instead, you’ll sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which you respond to a short case study.
The assessment window starts at the end of the 18-month programme; during this time, you’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
There are two assessment windows every year, and participants have up to two opportunities to sit the assessment, if they need to.
You need to complete the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.
We will offer a webinar and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.

New for autumn 2024! DfE-funded scholarships for this NPQ will target those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities.
For the NPQ for Senior Leadership, funded scholarships will be available for those who meet the following criteria:

• Are, or are aspiring to be, a senior leader with cross-school responsibilities

• Work in the 50% of schools with the highest proportion of students who attract pupil premium funding and 16 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage in England.

We expect more eligibility information and including which schools and settings will be able to access this funding, to be provided by the Department for Education in the summer term.
If you don’t work in an eligible school, the NPQ in Senior Leadership costs £1,139 plus VAT