National Professional Qualification
for Middle Leadership

Candidates from schools that sit within a Category 5 or Category 6 area are eligible for fully funded DfE scholarships. Candidates from schools within MATs or dioceses where at least one school sits within a Category 5 or Category 6 area are also eligible. Contact us with the name and address of your school and we will be glad to look up the Category of your school.

The DfE has put no limit on how many scholarships can be claimed per school. However, we encourage schools to ensure they have sufficient capacity to provide each colleague with a school-based mentor, a suitable school improvement project they could individually lead on, and ensure they have the capacity to support colleagues being out of school for the face-to-face events.

If you are eligible for a scholarship simply enter "Fully funded by scholarship/government funding"in the invoicing section of the application portal (as per the below image). Our back-office team will then apply to the DfE for your scholarship. In this instance, the rest of this section can be left blank.

No. If you work in a school which is in a Category 5 or Category 6 area neither you nor your school will be invoiced. Once your application has been accepted we will immediately apply to the DfE for the scholarship.

DfE funding for the National Professional Qualifications is available to leaders or aspiring leaders in schools located in Category 5 and Category 6 areas. These are areas with persistent underperformance, where not enough children have access to a high-quality school place and where there is insufficient capacity to drive improvement.

This is part of an ongoing initiative by the DfE to strive for excellence in deprived areas of England. You can find out more information about how these areas were determined in this DfE publication.

We will always endeavour to let you know of your group arrangements and course schedule no longer than 2 weeks after the recruitment window has closed. However, if recruitment demands are high and/or the application window is extended (which you’d be made aware of), the date of this course arrangements’ announcement is subject to change.

Candidates who feel their group allocations are not sufficiently convenient are free to change group or withdraw from the course at no expense to themselves. We also have a distance learning model that allows candidates to complete the qualifications by attending webinars and taking part in online discussions instead of the face-to-face events (see Distance Learning Model below).

The Distance Learning Groups engage with additional online activities and briefings in lieu of attending face-to-face events. Overseas candidates are grouped according to time zones to meet each learner’s scheduling needs. The online replication of each training event involves:

• 1 hour online briefing covering the key learning and introducing the supporting activities
• 2 weeks of online activity - Completing a selection of activities covering key themes and ideas of the face-to-face events

The web conferences and online discussion activities will typically fall 1 or 2 weeks after each training event has been held. As such, you will virtually be on the same schedule to complete the course.
Your time-frames for final assessment would remain unchanged at 18 months and you would still be expected to engage with, and complete, the three essential online courses alongside other candidates.

NPQML & NPQSL: You will need support from, and access to, a school setting, as a key requirement to be offered a place in the qualification. Furthermore, as part of your NPQML/SL qualification, you are required to work closely with an in-school mentor. Your mentor will be critical in providing support, advice and feedback as you work on your school improvement project. All candidate applications must be supported through the completion of a Headteacher Declaration, this declaration must be signed by your Headteacher and confirms that they support your place on the training and will provide the necessary time and support needed to successfully complete the qualification.

NPQH & NPQEL: You will need to be supported by a sponsor who will be closely involved in supporting your application to join the qualification, your subsequent development and in the final assessment process. This should be someone with a detailed and thorough professional knowledge of your work and professional characteristics as well as the demands of headship, the associated leadership behaviours and the requirements of the content areas. For example, your existing Headteacher (NPQH), Executive Head, School Improvement Partner, or the Chair of your accounting body.

We at the Outstanding Leaders Partnership pride ourselves on the support we offer our candidates. For the entirety of your leadership journey you will be supported by the following members of the team:

Our NPQs are delivered through a blended learning model consisting of a combination of face-to-face events, online courses & briefings and, for NPQH and NPQEL candidates, individual performance coaching. A detailed breakdown of the guided learning hours candidates can expect can be found in our soon to be published qualification specifications, but overall candidates will receive the following:

An NPQ certificate branded by the DfE*

*if you do not have a valid TRN you will still receive an NPQ certificate but not branded by the DfE.

As part of our Early Years initiative, learners who wish to become early years professionals, or those already working in this area of education, can take part in our programmes and advance onto other qualifications related to early years and child care. This initiative supports you in achieving your own ambitions and allows you to gain the skills required to support the next generation in being able to reach theirs.

Our Early Years Career Pathway has been developed to support your career development, take into account the variety of roles within the early years sector, and help you develop your career.

This pathway includes the following programmes: Early Years Practitioner (EYP) Apprenticeship Level 2, Early Years Educator (EYE) Apprenticeship Level 3, Early Years Lead Practitioner (EYLP) Level 5 and Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) (eligible with a degree top-up).

As part of our Early Years initiative, learners who wish to become early years professionals, or those already working in this area of education, can take part in our programmes and advance onto other qualifications related to early years and child care. This initiative supports you in achieving your own ambitions and allows you to gain the skills required to support the next generation in being able to reach theirs.

Our Early Years Career Pathway has been developed to support your career development, take into account the variety of roles within the early years sector, and help you develop your career.

This pathway includes the following programmes: Early Years Practitioner (EYP) Apprenticeship Level 2, Early Years Educator (EYE) Apprenticeship Level 3, Early Years Lead Practitioner (EYLP) Level 5 and Early Years Initial Teacher Status (EYIIT) (eligible with a degree top-up).

How do I move forward in my Early Years Career?