NPQ for Leading Primary Maths

Getting off to a strong start in numeracy is key to children achieving their potential both in later education and in the world of work.

The NPQ in Leading Primary Maths is designed to help you build on the knowledge you already have as an experienced Maths teacher and will enable you to lead your colleagues to deliver this subject effectively in your primary school setting.

You will enhance your knowledge of how to develop and embed a coherent Maths curriculum, and get to grips with the nuts and bolts of what makes great teaching and leadership using deliberate practice with peers as well as guidance from expert facilitators to consolidate this 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.

Expertise from the frontline

Teachers want to learn from other teachers. That’s why our programmes are school-led: they are delivered by individuals who work in schools, right now.  They speak your language; they understand the challenges you face. Benefit from their deep expertise, real-world insights and practical strategies that have been tried and tested in today’s classrooms.

We show as well as tell

Our strong exemplification helps you put what you’ve learned into practice. We give useful and practical advice on how to problem-solve and apply learning in your own context, via exemplars from some of the best teachers and school leaders in the country. You’ll also have the chance to practice what you’ve learned in a safe, supportive space.

Get a backstage pass to some of the best schools in the country – without leaving your office

See what really happens on a normal day in a great school with our virtual visits – through the eyes of a great leader, but with expert narration to unpack and explain how practices were decided on, developed, implemented and sustained. You can experience the energy and dynamism of live teaching in action without the need for travel or disrupting a lesson.

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.

Unlock the power of research

Our NPQs blend seamlessly with our in-house research and best practice function. Gain exclusive access to up-to-date research and invaluable insights, empowering you to implement evidence-based strategies in your practice.

Be part of something bigger

Join a movement of teachers creating lasting change.

✅ Be part of a network of passionate educators

✅ Be a catalyst for change

✅ Develop yourself, support others .

• How to develop colleagues’ Maths teaching and lesson design
• How to develop and implement a coherent Maths curriculum that supports pupils’ long term learning in Maths
• How to develop a school culture where staff and pupils have a positive attitude to Maths
• How to lead a culture of professional learning and continuous improvement for colleagues
• How to support colleagues to adapt their teaching for different pupil needs
• How to create assessments and feedback systems that enable colleagues to know the next steps to be successful in teaching Maths to their pupils
• How to plan and deliver changes and improvements across your setting in Maths teaching and learning

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.

On average, participants will spend between one and two hours a week working towards the NPQLPM. Where possible, study should be done in dedicated career-development time during school hours.

• Teachers and leaders with responsibility for leading maths across a primary key-stage or school, or those who want to have this responsibility, who also have a secure level of understanding mastery approaches to teaching primary maths* and wish to improve leadership skills in this area.
• Subject leaders in a school already engaged in the primary teaching for Mastery programme (or similar programme example)

*This should come through a minimum of 1 year's participation of the Maths Hubs Teaching for Mastery programme, or a programme equivalent

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 the NPQLPM in schools near the following locations:

North and West: Blackburn

East, South and London: Luton, St Albans, Ipswich, Norwich, London and South Essex

North and East: Doncaster, Redcar, Peterlee, Loughborough and Leicester

South and West: Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Devon, Cornwall, Swindon, Dudley, North East Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Sandwell and Worcester

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

In order to receive NPQLPM 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 NPQLPM 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.