National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL)
For school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, an executive headteacher with responsibility for leading several schools, academies or LA Virtual Schools and have a minimum of three years as a headteacher or head of school.
Applications are now closed for Spring. You can register your interest in our next cohort below.
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At a glance
Course duration
18 Months
Face-to-face Events
6 (including 1 x 2 day conference)
Online learning
38 hours
Coaching
6 hours
Total Learning Hours
116 hours
What is the NPQ for Executive Leadership (NPQEL)?
The National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL) is a DfE-accredited qualification for current and aspiring executive school leaders.
The NPQEL helps school leaders develop the expertise needed to be an outstanding leader, leading improvements across a group of schools or a multi-academy trust.
The NPQEL develops exceptional leaders, capable of leading improvements across a group of schools or a multi-academy trust.
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 Executive Leadership (NPQEL)?
The NPQEL is designed to equip teachers with the essential skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to lead across multiple schools. 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 NPQEL?
The NPQEL is suitable for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, an executive headteacher with responsibility for leading several schools and have a minimum of three years as a headteacher or head of school.
For current executive headteachers, the NPQEL will bridge any knowledge gaps, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of effective leadership. For aspiring executive headteachers, the NPQEL will equip you with the skills and insights needed to excel in a new leadership role.
How is the NPQEL delivered?
The NPQEL 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
- 6 Face-to-Face events, including a 2 day conference with a hotel stay included, facilitated by experienced school leaders and facilitators
- Leadership performance coaching
What are the benefits of completing the NPQEL?
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 executive leadership.
Benefits for participants
Excel as an executive leader
Gain the clarity and confidence required to steer both a trust’s strategic vision and the individual success of its schools. You won’t just learn the theory; you’ll acquire the practical blueprint for high-impact executive leadership.
Choose what to study
Tailor your studies to your specific leadership gaps. Our regular needs analysis ensures your time is invested in developing the exact skills you need to solve your current professional challenges.
Personalised feedback and coaching
Receive high-quality feedback and continuous support from a Leadership Performance Coach, Face-to-Face day facilitators and coaches, helping you to overcome challenges and sharpen your performance.
Opportunities to work with other leaders
Connect with other school leaders, share your collective expertise and build a network with people who face similar challenges as you. Our nationwide delivery partnership network allows us to bring Face-to-Face training to you.
Benefits for schools and trusts
Strategic Stability
Gain a leader who can translate complex strategy into manageable, everyday success. By developing leadership talent within the existing staff, your school gains a self-sustaining cycle of improvement and a clear, confident path forward.
Evidence-based leadership
A leader who can lead and establish a culture of professional evidence-based enquiry at all levels in the organisation and guide other leaders in the development of their understanding of the science of learning. Understands that in order to achieve the trust's goals, much of their work involves working with others.
Expert Navigation of Multi-School Change
Achieve a high-performing, unified trust culture by expertly balancing centralised systems with local autonomy, ensuring that strategic changes are implemented deeply and sustainably across all your schools.
Why choose the NPQEL 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 Chair of Governors, School Improvement Officer (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 NPQEL, applicants must have the following:
- Teacher Reference Number - see TRN Support Guide
- Leadership aspiration/experience
- 3 years experience as 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 Executive Leadership (NPQEL) costs £4,095 plus VAT if applicable.
- Candidates from international schools should visit our NPQEL international page
The leadership performance coach is a participant’s main point of contact for the duration of the NPQEL. Their role is to support a participant’s progress and development through the programme. They will respond to practice task activities completed for each online course and provide challenge and feedback on each of the Formative Assessment Tasks.
Each participant will receive small group and individual coaching sessions from their leadership performance coach to develop their thinking and support their progress.
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 Executive Leadership Framework below. If your computer or device does not support the Adobe plugin you can download the framework pdf here.
How to apply
Applications are now closed for Spring. You can register your interest in our next cohort below.
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