National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL)
For school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, an executive headteacher with responsibility for leading several schools, academies or LA Virtual Schools and have a minimum of three years as a headteacher or head of school.
A limited number of NPQEL scholarships are still available, and have been reserved for applicants from across our delivery partner network.
Apply now
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At a glance
Course duration
18 Months
Face-to-face Events
6 (including 1 x 2 day conference)
Online learning
38 hours
Coaching
6 hours
Total Learning Hours
116 hours
NPQEL
The NPQEL is a DfE-accredited qualification for current and aspiring executive school leaders.
The programme's content and processes undergo rigorous external quality assurance, ensuring that schools and participants can trust that the areas studied are directly relevant to their current needs.
But don't just take our word for it—listen to our NPQEL participants who are currently completing the qualification. They share how the programme has helped them lead effectively and even secure promotions.
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Benefits for participants
- Enhanced knowledge and understanding of what effective executive leaders need to know (learn that) and be able to do (learn how) to successfully lead the strategic direction of a trust and its constituent schools
- Opportunities to network with other leaders, both nationally and internationally, to reflect on the latest research into effective trust leadership and explore practices in diverse settings
- Tailor your studies. Our regular needs analyses help participants focus on the leadership domains they most wish to develop
- Individual coaching provided by our experienced performance coaches, focused on current personal professional needs
- Flexible delivery arrangements tailored to individual needs and circumstances
- The NPQEL qualification is aligned with Masters credits and can serve as a stepping stone to Liverpool Hope University’s MA in Leading in Education or the MBA in Educational Leadership
Benefits for Schools - develop leaders who
- Are capable of setting and delivering an ambitious vision for the trust
- Equipped with essential knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the different domains an executive leader must oversee
- Able to lead and establish a culture of professional, evidence-based enquiry throughout the trust and support other leaders in its implementation
- Skilled in evaluating the benefits of establishing common systems and practices across a trust providing constituent schools the autonomy to develop their own practices
- Possesses a deep understanding of the complexities involved in implementing sustainable change across multiple organisations
- Shares common understandings and a shared professional language with other leaders within and beyond their trust, creating a ‘golden thread’ of professional development
Who is it for?
NPQEL is suitable for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, an executive headteacher with responsibility for leading several schools and have a minimum of three years as a headteacher or head of school.
How is NPQEL delivered?
NPQEL makes use of a blended delivery model consisting of face-to-face events, online study, webinars and coaching.
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Face-to-Face
NPQEL participants will attend 6 face-to-face events (including 1 x 2 day conference) via the blended delivery model. Our nationwide delivery partnership network allows us to bring face-to-face training to a regional conference centre near you, facilitated by experienced school leaders and facilitators.
Online Learning
Participants access online learning and support via our virtual learning environment (VLE) Canvas. Through Canvas, participants are able to engage with their learning communities of peers and access multimedia content. They can also access research and expert school-led practice aligned to the curriculum content for the qualification and receive high-quality feedback from experienced performance coaches.
NPQEL Qualification Structure
Applicants must have full support from their school/organisation. A Chair of Governors, School Improvement Officer (or similar authoritative role) must confirm their support and that all information submitted is true and correct. This is a Department for Education mandatory requirement.
To apply for NPQEL, applicants must have the following:
- Teacher Reference Number - see TRN Support Guide
- Leadership aspiration/experience
- 3 years experience as a headteacher
If you are unsure if you meet the above requirements or have other relevant experience then please contact our team who will be able to support your application.
The National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL) costs £4,095 plus VAT if applicable.
- VAT will not be applied to DfE funded candidates or state-funded schools
- Candidates from international schools should visit our NPQEL international page for international prices
Scholarships
NPQEL scholarships for the Autumn 2024 Cohort have all been filled.
You can still complete an Apprenticeship Levy-funded NPQEL through the Executive Leader Programme (Level 7 Apprenticeship with NPQEL).
Find out more
The leadership performance coach is a participant’s main point of contact for the duration of the NPQEL. Their role is to support a participant’s progress and development through the programme. They will respond to practice task activities completed for each online course and provide challenge and feedback on each of the Formative Assessment Tasks.
Each participant will receive small group and individual coaching sessions from their leadership performance coach to develop their thinking and support their progress.
The in-school sponsor is someone who the leadership route participant can check in with across the duration of the programme and who can provide relevant professional guidance, support and challenge.
The sponsor is not a formalised programme role but a go-to person to talk about their learning and development from the qualification and its application in practice. The sponsor may be a leader from another school/organisation.
The NPQ frameworks are based on a robust method of design and development, building on the evidence base and expert guidance already established in the ECF and the ITT Core Content Framework. The NPQ frameworks reflect the Teachers’ Standards and Headteachers' Standards to ensure coherency with the requirements already used by the teaching profession.
Please see the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership Framework below. If your computer or device does not support the Adobe plugin you can download the framework pdf here.
Fancy an extra challenge? Join the Apprenticeship Levy-funded Executive Leader Programme to extend your leadership training and earn a full Level 7 qualification as well as the NPQEL!
How to apply
We are now accepting applications for the Autumn 2024 NPQEL Cohort. Please note, all scholarships have now been allocated. Click below to self or school fund the NPQEL.
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