National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)
For school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
Register your interest to secure a self-funded place for April.
Early Bird Deadline: March 1
At a glance
Course duration
18 Months
Face-to-face Events
5
Online learning
38 hours
Coaching
6 hours
Total Learning Hours
104 hours
Which NPQH pathway is right for me?
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What is the NPQ for Headship (NPQH)?
The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is a DfE-accredited qualification.
The NPQH is designed to equip school leaders and headteachers with the knowledge and skills needed for expert leadership, enabling them to excel as outstanding headteachers.
Although some headteachers and principals still teach, the role is primarily a strategic and operational one and relies on working with and through their colleagues (in particular, through the leadership team) to ensure every pupil gets an excellent education.
The content and processes used within the programme are subject to robust external quality assurance so that schools and participants may have confidence that the areas studied have direct relevance to their current needs.
What will you learn on the NPQ for Headship?
The NPQH is designed to equip teachers with the essential skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to lead across a school. There are four cycles and an introduction cycle, focusing on:
- School Improvement and Implementation
- Ethical Principles and Leadership Behaviours
- Leading Culture and Ethos
- Leading Teaching
- Leading Organisational Effectiveness
Who should apply for the NPQH?
NPQH is suitable for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
For current headteachers, the NPQH will bridge any knowledge gaps, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of effective school leadership. For aspiring headteachers, the NPQH will equip you with the skills and insights needed to excel in a new leadership role.
How is the NPQH delivered?
The NPQH is delivered through a mixture of Face-to-Face events, online study, webinars and coaching.
- Induction Cycle: School Improvement and Implementation
- Cycle One: Ethical Principles and Leadership Behaviours
- Cycle Two: Leading Culture and Ethos
- Cycle Three: Leading Teaching
- Cycle Four: Leading Organisational Effectiveness
- Each cycle includes a mixture of coaching, online study activities and webinars
- 5 all-day Face-to-Face events facilitated by experienced school leaders and facilitators
- Leadership performance coaching
What are the benefits of completing the NPQ for Headship (NPQH)?
The fully blended learning approach combined with performance coaching and enrichment activities make this an exciting and valuable opportunity for those who are ready for headship.
Benefits for participants
Excel as a headteacher
Increased knowledge and understanding of what effective headteachers need to know and do to successfully lead both the strategic direction of a school and its operational management.
Choose what to study
Our regular needs analysis support participants to focus their energies on those aspects of their leadership they most wish to develop.
Personalised feedback and coaching
Receive high-quality feedback and continuous support from a Leadership Performance Coach, Face-to-Face day facilitators and coaches.
Online learning environment
Access online learning and support via our virtual learning environment Canvas. Through Canvas, participants are able to engage with their learning communities of peers and access multimedia content.
Benefits for schools
Confident leader
Have a leader with sound understanding of the complexities of leading a school and is able to confidently lead the strategic direction of a school and its operational management and has the ability to develop these skills in others.
Leadership development
A leader who can lead and establish a culture of professional evidence-based enquiry at all levels in the organisation and guide teachers and other leaders in the development of their understanding of the science of learning. Understands that in order to acheive the school's goals, much of their work involves working with others.
School improvement
Have a leader with the skills necessary to orchestrate a school’s improvement strategies by providing guidance to other leaders on effective strategies for the implementation of sustainable change.
Why choose the NPQH with Best Practice Network?
- Coaching: Receive personalised coaching sessions tailored to your specific needs and goals
- Local delivery: Our nationwide delivery partnership network allows us to bring Face-to-Face training to a school near you, facilitated by local school leaders
- Ongoing support and feedback: Personalised feedback on your tasks and support to pass your final assessment
- Proven excellence: Choose an Ofsted rated 'outstanding' provider with over 20 years of experience delivering teacher training
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Applicants must have full support from their school/organisation. A head teacher, member of the SLT, line manager or Chair of Governors (or similar authoritative role) must confirm their support and that all information submitted is true and correct. This is a Department for Education mandatory requirement.
To apply for NPQH, applicants must have the following:
- Teacher Reference Number - see TRN Support Guide
- Leadership aspiration/experience
- Be 18-36 months from applying for a headship role (if not already a headteacher)
If you are unsure if you meet the above requirements or have other relevant experience then please contact our team who will be able to support your application.
The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) costs £1,980 plus VAT if applicable.
- Candidates from international schools should visit our NPQH international page
The leadership performance coach is a participant’s main point of contact for the duration of the NPQH. Our leadership performance coaches are experienced teachers and leaders who are experts in our programme curriculum. They understand first-hand the challenges teachers experience in work life. Their role is to support a participant's progress and development through the programme. They support you by:
- Providing advice and feedback throughout the programme
- Marking and responding to all of your practice task activities completed for each online course
- Providing you with feedback on each of the Formative Assessment Tasks following their completion
Our leadership performance coaches apply flexibility and are accountable to ensure success on your programme. With the above responsibilities, their main role and purpose is to help you manage your workload and ensure work life balance as much as possible whilst studying with us.
At the end of the programme, in conjunction with their mentor and in-school performance coach, participants will evaluate the impact of the programme on their leadership development and the benefits to their school.
The NPQ frameworks are based on a robust method of design and development, building on the evidence base and expert guidance already established in the ECF and the ITT Core Content Framework. The NPQ frameworks reflect the Teachers’ Standards and Headteachers' Standards to ensure coherency with the requirements already used by the teaching profession.
Please see the National Professional Qualification for Headship Framework below. If your computer or device does not support the Adobe plugin you can download the framework pdf here.
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