NPQ for Leading Teaching
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National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching
DRET Teaching School Hub work in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) as an Associate College to deliver NPQ Programmes.
Our NPQLT is designed for teachers and leaders who are seeking to develop their expertise in leading the teaching of others, through leading a subject, year group or phase.
The role of a middle leader is pivotal in any school, and one of the most important aspects of your work is how you develop the individuals who stand in front of your young people every day. Through developing your ability to guide and improve the practice of those you work with, you will help the children in your school achieve their potential.
The NPQLT will develop your knowledge of what makes great teaching. You will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge through deliberate practice with peers and expert facilitators, helping you to secure the leadership behaviours that will help you to lead others well in teaching. By working to secure the excellent practice of your colleagues, you will impact the outcomes and experiences of a broader range of pupils in your setting.
Benefits
- Essential knowledge: There is no fluff – every minute spent working towards an NPQLT will enable you to make a greater impact in your job.
- Research-informed practice: You’ll have access to the latest and best evidence of what works in education, and will be able to apply this to sequencing your curriculum and planning for assessment in your own subject and context.
- Learn to lead: You’ll build the expertise necessary to manage a team of teachers and to determine the culture of the team.
- Personalised learning: You’ll develop the skills to meet individual pupils’ needs – and support colleagues to do the same – so that all pupils will have an opportunity to thrive.
- Community of educators: You’ll be part of a diverse community of educators, all learning from one another during the course – and potentially afterwards, too.
- Fulfilment: The better and more knowledgeable you are at your job, the more enjoyable and exciting you will find it – and that enthusiasm will be passed on to your pupils
Curriculum
What you’ll learn:
- How to contribute to creating a culture of high expectations for young people as well as a culture that is conducive to colleagues’ professional development in your setting
- How to develop colleagues’ planning and delivery of evidence-informed practice
- How to design and develop a well-sequenced, coherent curriculum
- How to help colleagues adapt their planning and teaching to meet the needs of all pupils
- How to design assessments that lead to valid and reliable data and increased pupil learning, and which do not overly burden teachers.
Local seminars: extend your learning with an expert, school leader facilitator, build your network and apply your learning to your own context.
Virtual school visits: visit some of the country’s leading schools, learning about how they have developed and improved their practice over time to deliver exceptional outcomes and experiences for young people.
Online masterclasses: hear school-based sector experts sharing best practice from their context and experience.
Online self-studies: learn cutting-edge research and how it is being applied successfully in schools.
Implementation advisor: structured conversations with an identified in-school advisor to support implementation of learning in context.
Time commitment:
There are two or three scheduled events every half term, some online and some in-person and around six to eight hours of self study.
Assessment
In order to receive NPQLT accreditation, participants will need to complete the programme and achieve a pass mark in a written, ‘open book’ style, structured assessment of up to 1,500 words.
Assessment support clinics will be provided to participants before they embark on gaining their accreditation.
The assessment itself takes place over an eight-day window. There are two assessment windows per year and participants have two opportunities to take part.
Funding
You may be able to get your NPQ course fees paid for by the Department for Education (DfE). This is called scholarship funding. You do not need to apply for it.
When you register for an NPQ, the DfE will tell you if you are eligible for funding. You can find further information here.
Apply
To apply, you must be a teacher who has, or is aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.
Application information for academic year 2026/2027 will be published in summer 2026.
You can register your interest here and we will be in touch once the application window opens.