NPQ for Headship

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National Professional Qualification for Headship

DRET Teaching School Hub work in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) as an Associate College to deliver NPQ Programmes. Our NPQH is designed for ambitious school leaders who want to be – or already are – a headteacher. NPQs at the National Institute of Teaching are school-led: our organisation was founded by four leading multi-academy trusts, and our programmes are designed and delivered with a focus on the realities of schools. Because teachers’ time is precious, our programmes are respectful of your time, and designed to have immediate impact on the pupils and colleagues in your school, as well as the colleagues and children you will work with in the future.

Running a school is the closest educators can get to seeing their vision for a great education brought to life. Great Headteachers bring themselves and their vision to their particular context, and create the conditions for teachers to give pupils a potentially life-changing education.

Our NPQ in Headship is designed by the Headteachers of some of the country’s top performing schools, and through the course of the programme you will meet many of them, learning from them as they facilitate your sessions, hearing their inspirational stories through masterclasses, and visiting their schools through virtual visits. You will gain the crucial knowledge needed to succeed in this complex and challenging role, as well as the opportunity to apply your knowledge to your own context.

To undertake the NPQH, you should either be an aspiring headteacher, likely to be in a headship role within the next 12–18 months, or a headteacher who has been in post for less than two years. While not essential, it is recommended that applicants have some experience in senior leadership within a school.

Benefits

• Realise your vision: You will learn the skills necessary to set an ambitious vision for your school, creating an environment where staff and pupils can thrive.
• Research-informed practice: You’ll have access to the latest and best evidence of what works in education, but will also be supported in turning it into real, hands-on practice.
• Essential knowledge: There is no fluff – every minute spent working towards an NPQH enables you to make a greater impact in your job.
• 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.
• Personalised learning: You’ll be able to focus on specific areas of leadership where you want to improve your knowledge and subsequently transform that knowledge into action.
• 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 establish and drive your school’s strategic direction
• How to set whole-school culture, creating a safe and secure environment for pupils and adults to learn, work and develop
• How to ensure curriculum and lesson planning is effective across all areas of your school
• How to develop and maintain the quality of teaching in your school
• How to design and implement assessment practices which produce valid and reliable data, and how to drive actions based on this data through others
• How to ensure all pupils experience success and enjoy a positive school experience, including those for whom school is more challenging
• All aspects of statutory compliance you need to know as a headteacher, including safeguarding, exclusions, risk management, HR and finance
• How to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders
• All aspects of governance and external organisations you will need to manage as a headteacher

How you'll learn

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.

Cost

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, DfE will tell you if you are eligible for funding. Further funding information is available here.

Apply

To apply, you must be, or aspire to be a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school. 

 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.