Guidance

Leading behaviour and culture national professional qualification

A course to help teachers learn how to create a culture of good behaviour and high expectations in which staff and pupils thrive.

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 suitable for all teachers and leaders who are, or want to be, involved in developing and implementing behaviour and wellbeing strategies in their school.

This course is also suitable for other specialised roles including:

  • behaviour management lead
  • special educational needs co-ordinator
  • welfare management manager
  • pastoral team lead
  • key stage and phase leaders
  • social, emotional and mental health lead

Overview

This one-year course will help you develop skills and gain the confidence to enact changes in:

  • setting a culture of high expectations and learning in your school
  • enabling conditions for good behaviour for pupils and ensuring colleagues are supported in their classroom-level approaches
  • supporting pupil wellbeing and understanding the impact this has on behaviour

This course will:

  • take 12 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 

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 themes including:

  • creating a culture of high expectations, including the impact this has on school outcomes
  • enabling conditions for good behaviour, including through implementing effective behaviour management systems
  • dealing with complex behavioural needs, including how to prevent and respond to bullying
  • developing effective professional development linked to behaviour and culture
  • implementing evidence-based improvement plans

Benefits for you and your school

Gain expertise and drive meaningful change

You’ll develop knowledge and skills in leading behaviour and culture. You’ll then be able to apply these in practice across your school.

This will help to engage and motivate staff and pupils. It will also help reduce disruption in classrooms.

Create a positive school culture

You’ll learn to develop school-wide systems and processes which support the creation of an effective learning environment for all pupils. This will enable you to get the best out of pupils and colleagues in your school.

Support complex behavioural needs

You’ll understand how to adapt approaches to pupil’s individual needs, while maintaining high expectations for all pupils.

Improve pupil outcomes

You’ll be able to shape a positive and encouraging atmosphere where pupils are more likely to thrive.

Course structure

The course covers 6 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 the following 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 (1,500 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 the funding section and the course start date, to autumn 2024.

  4. Updated NPQ start date to February 2024.

  5. First published.

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