NPQ for Leading Behaviour and Culture

Leaders of behaviour drive the culture of their schools. Through their work, they support pupils in their character development, helping them to develop the attitudes and habits that will lead to their success in later life, as well as ensuring the safeguarding of pupils’ wellbeing and the creation of a school environment that supports learning.

The NPQLBC will ensure you develop your knowledge of all aspects of school behaviour and culture as well as the ability to apply this practically in your own setting. Through this course, you will develop your ability to lead pupils and colleagues to ensure your school’s culture is warm, positive, and leads to exceptional pupil learning.

The National Institute of Teaching was founded by four leading multi-academy trusts. Our programmes are underpinned by leading research and driven by what we have found works best in schools. Through our programmes, we aim to ensure participants develop their leadership to ensure their hard work and dedication has the maximum impact on pupils.

Our programmes are school-led: they are delivered by individuals who work in schools, right now. That means they have the in-depth, domain-specific knowledge to help you grapple with content at the right level, and to support you to problem-solve and apply learning to your own context.

Our programmes are centred on impact: our aim is for your practice to improve and develop in your current context, and for you to be ready and to take the next step in your career as a result of learning with us. We have designed our programmes carefully, and work closely with school leaders through our regional structures, as well as working with participants, to ensure our programmes are impactful in your context.

Our programmes are respectful of your time: we know you spend most of your time doing the most important job there is – serving the children in your community. That’s why our programmes are designed to be flexible, to deliver exactly what you need in the most time-efficient manner possible, and to have impact.

Our programmes are rooted in research: every aspect of what you learn is based on the best available research as well as what we have seen and experienced to work best in our founding multi-academy trusts and associate colleges.

Our programmes allow you to build a community: our in-person local seminars are focused on peer learning and problem solving together. As well as applying your learning to your own context, you will have the opportunity to build your network and support one another’s development beyond your time learning with the NIoT.

• How to contribute to creating an excellent school culture – both for pupils and colleagues
• How to create the conditions which enable great pupil behaviour, including creating a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils to thrive
• How to work with and support pupils with more complex behavioural needs
• How to contribute to professional development which aims to improve behaviour and culture across the school
• How to implement, embed and sustain practices related to securing excellent school culture and pupil behaviour

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 practice clinics: apply your learning to scenarios and to your own context, trouble-shooting with an expert school-based practice lead.

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

There are two or three scheduled events every half term, some online and some in-person and around six to eight hours of self study.

Please contact npq@niot.org.uk so that we can let you know your nearest National Institute of Teaching delivery school or centre.

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

North and West: Blackburn, Manchester, Leyland and Skelmersdale

South, East and London: Norwich, London and South Essex

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

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

More locations will be added regularly, please check back/apply and we’ll confirm if there’s delivery near you.

In order to receive NPQLBC accreditation, participants will need to complete the programme and achieve a pass mark in a written, ‘open book’ style, structured assessment of up to 1,500 words.

We will support participants with writing clinics before they embark on gaining their accreditation.

The assessment itself takes place over an eight-day window. There are two assessment windows per year and participants have two opportunities to take part.  

To join the next NIoT NPQLBC cohort, please complete our online application form.

Funding scholarships have not yet been confirmed by the DfE. We will update this page as soon as we have more information on eligibility criteria. Alternatively, you can check here for the latest updates.

For the Autumn 2024 cohort, funding was made available to schools with the highest 50% of pupil premium pupils as well as early years and 16 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage.

If your school is not eligible for funding, the NPQ for Leading Behaviour and Culture costs £850.