National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)
For school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
A limited number of NPQH 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
5
Online learning
38 hours
Coaching
6 hours
Total Learning Hours
104 hours
What are the benefits?
The NPQH is a DfE accredited qualification.
The content and processes within the programme undergo rigorous external quality assurance to ensure that schools and participants can trust the relevance of the areas studied to their current needs.
The NPQH qualification is linked to 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.
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Benefits for participants
- Enhanced ability to establish an ambitious vision for a school
- Increased knowledge and understanding of the essential skills and actions required for headteachers to effectively lead both the strategic direction and operational management of a school
- Opportunities to connect with other leaders to reflect on the latest research in effective school leadership and explore practices in various settings
- Assessment tasks that involve professional inquiry into pertinent aspects of your school’s current practices
- Flexible delivery options tailored to individual needs and circumstances, including provision for part-time staff
Benefits for Schools - develop leaders who
- Posses a thorough understanding of the complexities involved in leading a school across all its domains and is able to confidently guide the strategic direction of the school
- Recognises that achieving the school’s strategic goals often requires collaborative efforts with others
- Capable of leading and fostering a culture of professional, evidence-based inquiry at all levels within the organisation, and guiding teachers and other leaders in understanding the science of learning
- Has the necessary skills to orchestrate school improvement strategies, providing guidance to other leaders on effective methods for implementing sustainable change
Who is it for?
NPQH is suitable for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
Although some headteachers and principals still teach, the role is primarily a strategic and operational one and relies on working with and through their colleagues (in particular, through the leadership team) to ensure every pupil gets an excellent education.
How is NPQH delivered?
NPQH makes use of a blended delivery model consisting of face-to-face events, online study, webinars and coaching
Face-to-Face
NPQH participants will attend 5 face-to-face events via the blended delivery model. Our nationwide delivery partnership network allows us to bring face-to-face training to a training centre in your region, 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-led school practice aligned to the curriculum content for the qualification and receive high-quality feedback from experienced performance coaches.
NPQH Qualification Structure
Applicants must have full support from their school/organisation. A head teacher, member of the SLT, line manager or Chair of Governors (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 NPQH, applicants must have the following:
- Teacher Reference Number - see TRN Support Guide
- 2 years teaching experience
- Leadership aspiration/experience
- Be 18-36 months from applying for a headship role (if not already 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 Headship (NPQH) costs £1,980 plus VAT if applicable.
- VAT will not be applied to DfE funded candidates or state-funded schools
- Candidates from international schools should visit our NPQH international page
Scholarships
NPQH scholarships for the Autumn 2024 Cohort have all been filled.
You can still complete an Apprenticeship Levy-funded NPQH through the Headteacher Programme (Level 7 Apprenticeship with NPQH)
Find out more
The leadership mentor is a participant’s main point of contact for the duration of the NPQH. Our leadership mentors are experienced teachers and leaders who are experts in our programme curriculum. They understand first-hand the challenges teachers experience in work life. Their role is to support a participant's progress and development through the programme. They support you by:
- Providing advice and feedback throughout the programme
- Marking and responding to all of your practice task activities completed for each online course
- Providing you with feedback on each of the Formative Assessment Tasks following their completion
Our Leadership Mentors apply flexibility and are accountable to ensure success on your programme. With the above responsibilities, their main role and purpose is to help you manage your workload and ensure work life balance as much as possible whilst studying with us.
At the end of the programme, in conjunction with their mentor and in-school performance coach, participants will evaluate the impact of the programme on their leadership development and the benefits to their school.
The in-school sponsor is someone who the NPQH 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 Headship 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 Lev-funded Headteacher Programme to extend your leadership training and earn a full Level 7 qualification as well as the NPQH!
How to apply
We are now accepting applications for the Autumn 2024 NPQH Cohort. Please note, all scholarships have now been allocated. Click below to self or school fund the NPQH.
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