NPQ in Headship
Step up and spark change with our accredited headship course.
- Deliver meaningful change in your school.
- Free additional support if you're new to headship.
- Access training rated outstanding by Ofsted.
- Join a network of like-minded leaders.
- Opportunities for free 1:1 support and coaching.
- DfE funding will target teachers and leaders serving schools in more deprived communities.
For further details on our next cohort, register your interest.
Ignite your potential as a headteacher and transform your school.
Benefits
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.
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.
Access training rated outstanding by Ofsted
Equip yourself with the knowledge and expertise to make a real difference in your school.
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.
Free one-to-one support and coaching
If you work in a school serving disadvantaged communities, you can apply for our free one-to-one support which runs alongside the NPQ in Headship (NPQH).
You’ll be supported by an experienced former school leader who will coach and guide you throughout the programme.
Your delivery partner will confirm how you can be nominated for this support offer.
Interested in an NPQ?
Registrations for our 2024 autumn cohort are now closed. For further details, register your interest.
Need more information?
If you can’t find the information you need, please contact us.
I’ve chosen to do my NPQH with Teach First because I looked round at a great number of providers and I wanted to know that I was getting involved with an organisation that shared my ideals.
Programme
Is the NPQH programme for me?
This is for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
If you’re new to the role of headship, you’ll also be able to access a free additional targeted package of support – the NPQH additional support offer for, and tailored to the needs of, new headteachers.
How does the NPQH work?
This programme consists of a series of courses based on the DfE’s NPQ frameworks.
It’s delivered over 18 months, and you’ll then complete a summative assessment within a fixed eight-day window. This will be marked and moderated and your result confirmed within three months.
Teachers new to the role of headship have the flexibility to extend by up to six months.
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.
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 module and practical implementation cycle of the programme.
Find out more about the DfE’s NPQH content framework:
What are the training commitments?
The programme is designed to fit around your other school commitments. Over the course of the whole programme (spread over five terms), you’ll undertake 77 hours of learning. This includes a combination of seminars, learning modules, conferences and a practical learning cycle.
How will I be assessed?
At the end of the programme, you will complete your summative NPQ assessment during a fixed 8-day window. Your assessment submission is a written response to a case study related to the content covered in your NPQ, and is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the NPQ Framework. Detailed dates will be shared with you before the start of the programme.
In order to be eligible to complete the assessment, you will need to have engaged with at least 90% of the course content. Diagnostic tasks contribute 30%, reflective tasks 20%, and attendance at events 50% to this total.
The assessment process for all NPQs has been refreshed to reduce the workload burden on teachers while still providing an opportunity to apply their knowledge. To pass the programme, you’ll need to evidence at least 90% of the course and pass one summative assessment.
At the start of your training, we’ll also provide you with the dates of the summative assessment so you can plan for this with your school. The summative assessment will take the form of a case study. It will represent a likely situation that a leader might encounter at the relevant NPQ qualification level. The summative assessment is designed to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the relevant NPQ framework and how this can be applied to school improvement.
You will have an eight-day window to provide a written response of a maximum of 1500 words for the case study. It is an ‘open book’ approach so you can refer back to your course materials when completing your response.
Interested in an NPQ?
Registrations for our 2024 autumn cohort are now closed. For further details, register your interest.
Need more information?
If you can’t find the information you need, please contact us.
Inside the NPQH programme
Cost
DfE scholarship funding
A limited number of DfE scholarships will continue to be available to all teachers and leaders from state-funded schools and state-funded organisations that offer 16 to 19 places in England for the NPQ in Headship (NPQH).
For further information, guidance and to check if your setting is eligible for scholarship funding, please see the information on funding for NPQs on the GOV.UK website.
The cost for someone who is not accessing a funded place is £1,885.
Interested in an NPQ?
Registrations for our 2024 autumn cohort are now closed. For further details, register your interest.
Need more information?
If you can’t find the information you need, please contact us.
Apply
Am I eligible to apply for an NPQ?
To apply for an NPQ, applicants must have:
- full support from their school/organisation, as confirmed via a written agreement.
- Teacher Reference Number (TRN)
- relevant experience, as detailed under the 'Our Programmes' section of the website.
Is my school or organisation eligible for funding?
You may be able to get your NPQ course fees paid for by the Department for Education (DfE). This is called scholarship funding. You do not need to apply for it.
When you register for an NPQ, DfE will tell you if you are eligible for funding.
How can I apply?
Registrations for our 2024 autumn cohort are now closed. For further details, register your interest.
Need more information?
Teach First’s flexible approach to the timings of assessments, seminars and conferences supports participants in managing their time.
