Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
We are delighted to be partnering with the National Institute of Teaching to deliver this programme for the Autumn 2026 cohort.
- Target Audience: school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a senior leader with cross-school responsibilities
- Course Length: 18 months, plus 3 months for assessment period
- Brochure: NIoT - NPQ for Senior Leadership
Funding for Autumn 2026
The Department for Education has confirmed that the NPQ for Senior Leadership will be fully funded for all eligible schools and settings for Autumn 2026.
For full details of NPQ funding for Autumn 2026 and eligibility, see here:
GOV.UK | Funding for National Professional Qualifications
Funding is limited and eligibility does not guarantee a place; early expressions of interest are encouraged.
Programme cost
If your school is not eligible for funding, the NPQ for Senior Leadership costs £950.
What you'll learn
On this programme, you will learn:
- How to contribute to creating and sustaining your school’s strategic direction
- How to establish and sustain a positive school culture for pupils and adults
- How to implement effective curriculum and lesson planning at whole-school level
- How to design and implement whole-school assessment practices that produce reliable and valid data without creating a workload burden for teachers
- How to establish and maintain quality teaching across a school so all pupils can experience success in learning
- How to lead pupil behaviour and culture at whole-school level
- How to develop colleagues and manage them well
- How to work effectively with all stakeholders in the school community
- All aspects of statutory compliance associated with senior leadership, including safeguarding, exclusions, HR and finance
- Relevant aspects of governance and external organisations for senior leaders
Programme Model
There are 2–3 scheduled events every half term, some online and some in-person, and between 4–8 hours of self-study.
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 advisor: structured conversations with an identified in-school advisor to support implementation of learning in context.