National Professional Qualifications

STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub is proud to offer eight National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) in partnership with Ambition Institute. These include five specialist NPQs and three leadership NPQs.

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These NPQs build on the Early Career Framework, supporting the ‘golden thread’ of learning which runs through the whole professional development system.

Express Interest for NPQs

Specialist NPQs

The Specialist NPQs provide teachers and leaders with more options to keep getting better.

At STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub, we offer
  • NPQ in Leading Teaching (NPQLT)
  • NPQ in Leading Behaviour and Culture (NPQLBC)
  • NPQ in Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)
  • NPQ in Leading Literacy (NPQLL)
  • NPQ in Leading Primary Mathematics (NPQLPM) *NEW for January 2024*

 

Leadership NPQs

The leadership NPQs are designed to look at what best practice means for school leadership. They attend to the knowledge and skills school leaders need to help them tackle the persistent problems of their daily roles.

At STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub, we offer:
  • NPQ in Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
  • NPQ in Headship (NPQH)
  • NPQ in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL
  • Programme duration: 12 months
  • One face-to-face conference
  • Six 6-week courses
  • Programme duration: 18 months
  • Two face-to-face conferences
  • Nine 6-week courses

All NPQs are comprised of 6-week courses (approximately one course per half term); in weeks 1, 3 and 5, participants engage with 1-hour of independent study, and in weeks 2, 4 and 6, participants engage in 1-hour deliberate practice online. As part of each 6-week course, there will also be a 2-hour clinic facilitated by a Visiting Fellow (the vast majority of these sessions will be delivered online).

At the end of the 12 months (specialist NPQs) or 18 months (leadership NPQs), there is an assessment. During this time, participants will be given an 8-day window to sit an ‘open book’ style assessment where they will read a 2,000 word case study and respond to it in a maximum of 1,500 words. k

Take a look at the DfE’s NPQ promotional video below:

Leadership NPQ Information

Specialist NPQ Information

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