For school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school.

Deliver meaningful change in your school

Get the tools to establish and, more importantly, sustain your school’s strategic direction. Learn how to create an effective school culture and align your staff in your school’s mission.

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Access free ongoing support for your first year of Headship

Get additional support tailored to the needs of new headteachers. Receive structured, unassessed, face-to-face support from an experienced former headteacher who will offer guidance and coaching to help you get the most out of your training.

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Join a network of like-minded leaders

Become part of a community of school heads who share a passion for addressing educational disadvantage. Build valuable connections with other headteachers and senior school leaders from across the country and learn how they faced and overcame similar challenges.

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Programme structure

This 21-month programme (18 months’ delivery and three months for assessment, with flexibility to extend by up to six months for teachers new to the role of headship) consists of a series of courses based on the DfE’s NPQ frameworks. Each course cycle features:

• Evidence-based online content to refresh and build knowledge, as well as exemplify what this looks like for your role and level of leadership
• A formative assessment task to support your learning
• A face-to-face seminar with a group of peers, facilitated by a serving school leader – you’ll analyse and reflect on the task and hear further examples of good practice
• The opportunity to record reflections and consolidate learning

This cycle repeats throughout the programme, with implementation a consideration in every course. Towards the end of the programme, you’ll also take a course focused specifically on effective implementation. This provides an opportunity to complete a significant but manageable change project as part of your role. There will be ongoing support through a seminar group and discussion forum.

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NPQH Additional Support for New Headteachers

This is a targeted package of additional support tailored to the needs of headteachers new to the role of headship. It provides structured, unassessed face-to-face support based on the best available evidence about what makes an effective headteacher. This package lasts for at least the duration of the new headteacher’s first academic year in role.

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What will I learn?

You’ll develop expertise in the knowledge, skills and concepts for areas of whole school responsibility related to your role as an aspiring or current headteacher. These include curriculum and assessment, professional development and governance and accountability.

Our content is informed by the best and most recent evidence, and is developed with input from school leaders and subject matter experts.

Our programmes have a practical focus. You’ll be supported to make small but important changes to your and others’ practice throughout the programme. This will conclude with the implementation of a significant but manageable change project as part of your role.

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Programme objectives

This programme will help you to:

• Develop as a leader with whole-school responsibility
• Access content across a breadth of areas such as school culture, curriculum and assessment, and organisational management
• Be supported to effectively implement change and improvement in an area you identify as a school priority

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Modules include:

• School culture
• Teaching
• Curriculum and assessment
• Behaviour
• Additional and special needs
• Professional development
• Organisational management
• Implementation
• Working in partnership
• Governance and accountability

Benefits for you

• Develop knowledge and understanding of how to apply the evidence on school improvement through people development, working with staff, pupils, governors and the wider community to create lasting change
• A blended learning experience which fits around your role where you learn and discuss key content online, delivered in a way that suits the busy working lives of teachers and school leaders
• Local virtual and face to face sessions that focus on real problem-solving, creating understanding, connecting with your peers and gaining depth of knowledge
• Ongoing preparation to give you confidence to pass the final assessment
• Facilitation and support from serving school leaders in excellent schools and delivery at local venues
• An additional programme of online support and group coaching aimed exclusively at new headteachers

Benefits for your school / organisation

• A skilful and research-informed organisational leader with the capability to lead school in conjunction with a motivated and coherent senior leadership team
• Practical capability to get on with the job of developing others with the skills to lead with people and teams, creating change and impact
• A professionally aware and informed leader who can make evidence-based decisions and approach headship in an effective and efficient manner
• The ability to review and evaluate practice in order to bring about change and get the best outcomes for young people and staff within the organisation

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At the end of the programme, you will complete a 1500-word case study assessment to demonstrate your understanding of real leadership and change.

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Our programmes are led by a team of expert facilitators from different settings and phases who will support you throughout the programme.

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Start your NPQ journey by completing the application form provided below.