Guidance

Executive leadership national professional qualification

A course to help school leaders develop the expertise needed to be an outstanding leader, leading improvements across a group of schools or multi-academy trust.

From:
Department for Education
Published
20 September 2023
Last updated
16 December 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Who this course is for

This course is for school leaders who are, or want to be:

  • an executive headteacher
  • in a school trust chief executive role with responsibility for leading several schools

Overview

This 18-month course will help you gain confidence and develop skills in:

  • running a multi-school organisation
  • developing processes and systems that enable and encourage collaboration between staff within and across schools
  • managing resources effectively and establishing sustainable policies

This course will:

  • take 18 months to complete
  • involve an average of 1 to 2 hours of study each week
  • be a mix of self-study and group sessions
  • involve a written assessment
  • start in autumn 2024

Funding

Teachers and school leaders in many state funded settings in England will be eligible for funding to cover their NPQ course fees, subject to eligibility criteria.

Eligibility for funding does not guarantee a place on a funded NPQ course.

Course content

This course covers developing and supporting:

  • a trust culture
  • effective teaching
  • curriculum and assessment development
  • good behaviour
  • additional and special educational needs
  • professional development
  • organisational management

You’ll also learn about:

  • implementation strategies
  • working in partnership with parents and carers
  • governance and accountability

Benefits for you and your school

Improved executive leadership

Start with an ambitious vision for your schools or trust and create the conditions and culture needed for staff and pupils to thrive.

Tailored expert advice and coaching

One-to-one coaching sessions give you expert advice and feedback on your performance.

Undisruptive to existing workload

This flexible learning programme is designed to be completed alongside your daily role. It is delivered in short, bite-sized chunks to fit around your existing commitments.

Focused on your specific needs

Instead of focusing on personal traits, such as the qualities of dynamic and charismatic leadership, this course pays more attention to tackling the persistent problems of your daily role.

Course structure

The course covers 10 topics, outlined in the course framework. Providers use this framework to design their course.

The course includes:

  • independent study
  • group coaching
  • face-to-face sessions with other participants

You’ll need to spend 1 to 2 hours a week working on this NPQ.

Providers

You can train with one of these providers:

They work with delivery partners, such as teaching school hubs, to provide training.

Assessment

To get your NPQ accreditation, you’ll need to complete the course and pass a written assessment (between 1,500 and 2,500 words).

Apply

Learn how to apply for an NPQ.

Updates to this page

Published 20 September 2023
Last updated 16 December 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated information about funding and removed one provider.

  2. Removed 'Education Development Trust' from the list of providers.

  3. Updated with details of the course due to start in autumn 2024.

  4. Updated NPQ start date to February 2024.

  5. First published.

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