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National Professional Qualifications

What are National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)?

NPQs are a suite of qualifications for teachers and leaders that are accredited by the Department for Education (DfE). NPQs are available for teachers and leaders who want to develop their knowledge and skills in specialist areas of teaching practice, enabling them to either improve their current role, or take the next step in their career

NPQs are part of a wider set of changes to teacher development reforms by the DfE that aim to create a ‘golden thread’ of support, training, and development through a teacher’s entire career.

Our NPQ offer

We’re working in partnership with LLSE (Leadership Learning South East – a lead provider for NPQs) and Capita to deliver the new NPQ framework.

We offer two of the NPQs, which have been designed with both classroom teachers and leaders in mind. They are:

  1. Leading teacher development – learn how to become a teacher educator and successfully support teachers in your school to expand their skills
  2. Leading teaching – learn how to lead the teaching and learning of a subject, year group or phase

What’s involved?

NPQs have been designed to be completed flexibly around existing commitments and take 12 months.

During the 12 months you will:

  • learn from an evidence-based curriculum, drawing on effective pedagogy, current research and international best practice
  • take part in a mixture of face-to-face sessions, webinars, and self-directed study
  • answer a short, assessed case study question (the summative assessment)

Each NPQ is underpinned by a new content framework. These frameworks form the basis of our NPQ course design as well as setting what you should know and be able to do after completing an NPQ.

Funding and eligibility

The DfE has confirmed that funding for fully funded NPQ training scholarships will be available in academic years 2022/23 and 2023/24.

  • The following organisations are eligible to access scholarships for their staff:
  • state-funded schools
  • state-funded 16 to 19 organisations
  • independent special schools
  • virtual schools (local authority run organisations that support the education of children in care)
  • hospital schools not already included in other categories of eligible organisations
  • young offender institutions

Local authority employed supply teachers will also be able to access scholarships.

How to apply for an NPQ

Applications are open for 2022 entry.

To apply, visit www.llse.org.uk.

You will need to register your NPQ via the DfE portal: https://register-national-professional-qualifications.education.gov.uk/

Please ensure that you select CAPITA when you are asked to identify your Lead Provider, as this is our delivery partner.

Any questions?

If you have any questions regarding the NPQ, please contact us with an expression of interest.