NPQ for Senior Headship

National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL)

DRET Teaching School Hub work in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) as an Associate College to deliver NPQ Programmes.

Our NPQ for Senior Leadership is designed for teachers and leaders who hold, or aspire to hold, whole-school leadership responsibilities.

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.

Senior leaders support teachers to give pupils the best possible experience in schools. Through their strategic and operational leadership, they create the conditions for colleagues and pupils to flourish.

Through our NPQSL, you will develop your domain knowledge of all aspects of schools and school leadership, as well as spending time applying that knowledge to your context as well as common leadership challenges, so you will be better prepared to meet the demands of your future career pathway, and to create the conditions for pupils to thrive.

Benefits

Essential knowledge: There is no fluff – every minute spent working towards an NPQSL enables 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, but will also be supported in turning it into real, hands-on practice.
Flexible training: The course has been designed with teachers’ schedules in mind. So training is delivered in bite-sized chunks, and you can learn at a time and pace that suits you.
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

How to contribute to creating and sustaining your school’s strategic direction
How to establish and sustain a positive school culture for pupils and adults
How to implement effective curriculum and lesson planning at whole-school level
How to design and implement whole-school assessment practices that produce reliable and valid data without creating a workload burden for teachers
How to establish and maintain quality teaching across a school so all pupils can experience success in learning
How to lead pupil behaviour and culture at whole-school level
How to develop colleagues and manage them well
How to work effectively with all stakeholders in the school community
All aspects of statutory compliance associated with senior leadership, including safeguarding, exclusions, HR and finance
Relevant aspects of governance and external organisations for senior leaders

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.

Time commitment

There are two to three scheduled events every half term, some online and some in-person. There are also between four to eight hours of self study.

Assessment

In order to receive NPQSL accreditation, participants will need to complete the programme and achieve a pass mark in a written, ‘open book’ style, structured assessment of up to 2,000 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.

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 can be found here.

Apply

To apply, you must be, or are aspiring to be, a senior leader with cross-school responsibilities. For example, you might be an assistant or deputy headteacher, or a head of department or faculty.

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.