NPQ for Headship

Have you always had a vision for how you would lead a school? This programme gives you everything you need to bring it to life. 

Excel in this crucial role and give all children a life-changing education in a safe, positive environment where they can experience success. 

Develop your skills in leading as a head, including improving the quality of teaching, working effectively with stakeholders and ensuring supportive processes across the school. 

Plan for data-driven strategic direction and learn all you need to know about governance and compliance. 

Aspiring and early-career headteachers who want to lead schools effectively and build confidence. For those likely to be in a headship role in the next 12-18 months or in their first two years of a headship post. 

• How to establish and drive your school’s strategic direction
• How to set whole-school culture, creating a safe and secure environment for pupils and adults to learn, work and develop
• How to ensure curriculum and lesson planning is effective across all areas of your school
• How to develop and maintain the quality of teaching in your school
• How to design and implement assessment practices which produce valid and reliable data, and how to drive actions based on this data through others
• How to ensure all pupils experience success and enjoy a positive school experience, including those for whom school is more challenging
• All aspects of statutory compliance you need to know as a headteacher, including safeguarding, exclusions, risk management, HR and finance
• How to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders
• All aspects of governance and external organisations you will need to manage as a headteacher

The programme is made up of seven modules followed by an assessment over 18 months. 

Module 1: Self-study 1-3, 6 hours online and day 1, 6 hours in person including practice clinics and coaching 

Module 2: Self study 4-5, 4 hours online and virtual school visit 1, 90 minutes, online

Module 3: Self-study 6-9, 8 hours online and day 2, 6 hours, in-person, including practice clinics and coaching

Module 4: Self-study 10-11, 4 hours online plus masterclass 1, 1 hour online plus virtual school visit 2, 90 minutes

Module 5: Self-study 12-14, 6 hours online plus day 3, 6 hours, in-person, including practice clinics and coaching

Module 6: Self-study 15-17, 6 hours online plus masterclass 2, 1 hour online

Module 7: Self-study 18-20, 6 hours online plus day 4, 6 hours in-person including practice clinics and coaching

Alongside all modules are implementation advisor discussions and access to the masterclass library and virtual visit libraries. 

Local seminars: extend your learning with an expert school leader facilitator, build your network and apply your learning to your own context.

Virtual school visits: visit some of the country’s leading schools, learning about how they have developed and improved their practice over time to deliver exceptional outcomes and experiences for young people.

Online masterclasses: hear school-based sector experts sharing best practice from their context and experience.

Online self-studies: learn cutting-edge research and how it is being applied successfully in schools.

Implementation discussions: structured conversations with an identified in-school advisor to support implementation of learning in context.

There are typically two to three scheduled sessions each half term, combining online and in-person learning. You should also expect around 4-6 hours of self-study per half term.

NPQ conferences take place during the working week and during term time. Schools should plan for participant attendance as part of their professional development commitment.

The programme is designed to be manageable alongside your existing role.

We deliver NPQs in schools and settings across England.

Please contact your regional delivery team, who can let you know your nearest National Institute of Teaching delivery school or centre:

East, South and London: [email protected]

South and West: [email protected]

North and East: [email protected]

North and West: [email protected]

We can confirm that we will be delivering NPQs in schools near the following locations:

North and West: Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Leyland, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Skelmersdale.

South, East and London: Hertfordshire, North East London, Norwich, South East London, South Essex, Suffolk.

North and East: Doncaster, Gateshead, Grimsby, Halifax, Leicestershire, Newcastle, Peterlee, Redcar, Tyne and Wear, Washington.

South and West: Birmingham, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dudley, Gloucestershire, Sandwell, Somerset, South Staffordshire, Swindon, Walsall, Worcester.

New locations are added regularly.

• Find out all you need to know to excel in the role of headteacher
• Improve your practice and have a bigger impact on your school or college
• Gain a nationally recognised qualification
• Access the latest evidence from our in-house research team

• Improve outcomes for the children in your school or college
• Return with evidence-based strategies and ideas to share with colleagues
• Retain your staff and build an expertly trained internal leadership pipeline

To gain NPQH accreditation, you will need to complete the programme and achieve a pass mark in a written, ‘open book’ style, structured assessment of up to 2,000 words.

We will support participants with writing clinics, provide participants with live assessment support webinars and self-directed guidance materials before they gain their accreditation.

The assessment itself takes place over an eight-day window. You have two opportunities to take the assessment.

This programme is for:

• those likely to be in a headship role in the next 12-18 months
• those within their first two years of a headship post

Your school may be eligible for scholarship funding, please click here to find out more.

For the November 2026 cohort, all state schools were eligible to receive full funding. Find out more about funding and eligibility criteria here.

If your school is not eligible for funding, the NPQ for Headship costs £1,850.

For the November 2026 cohort, applications open on Tuesday 23 June. You can register your interest now.

To apply, you will need:

• full understanding of eligibility criteria
• agreement from school/employer to apply for this programme
• support from school to take part in the programme and implement learning
• your Teacher Reference Number (A TRN is a 7-digit number that uniquely identifies you in the education sector in England. This will be validated with the Department for Education, please ensure you enter the correct TRN. Not sure what your teacher reference number is? You can find out here)
• school/setting unique reference number (URN), address, contact number, number of pupils on roll, % of pupils eligible for free school meals
• a summary of your current leadership responsibilities and a 200-word statement about why you wish to complete this programme
• name, job title and email address of nominated implementation advisor, name, job title and email address of referee and invoicing contact name, address and email address.

The National Institute of Teaching is a higher education provider founded by schools, for schools.

• School-led – learn from experienced practitioners working in schools today
• Evidence-informed – grounded in the latest research on literacy and learning
• Designed for impact – apply your learning directly in your classroom and school
• Built around your role – manageable alongside your teaching commitments
• Collaborative – learn with peers and build a strong professional network

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• Early Headship Coaching
• School Trust CEO Programme
• NPQ for Executive Leadership