The Church of England NPQ programme
Welcome to our Church of England NPQ information page. Here you can find out information about the Church of England suite of NPQ programmes, from specialist NPQs to leadership NPQs, listed below:
- NPQ Leading Behaviour and Culture
- NPQ Leading Teaching
- NPQ Leading Teacher Development
- NPQ Senior Leadership
- NPQ Headship
Apply for Church of England NPQs
Step 1 - Register with the DFE
To confirm your eligibility to complete an NPQ, you should first complete the Department for Education online registration process.
To complete this form you will need to have your Teacher Reference Number (TRN) and School Unique Reference Number (URN) to hand.
Your TRN is a 7-digit number (formatted as xx/xxxxx) which can usually be found on your payslips, teachers’ pension documentation, and other teacher training records. The TRN has previously been known as a QTS, GTC, DfE, DfES or DCSF number.
Please refer to this Teacher Reference Number (TRN) guidance if you are undertaking an NPQ and:
- You know you have a TRN but are unsure/want to check what it is, or:
- You do not currently have a TRN and are working as a teacher/leader in England or living in England but not in a teaching leadership role at present.
REGISTER WITH THE DFE HERE
Step 2 - Complete your Application Form
Once you have been validated by the DfE, you will automatically receive your Church of England application form by email. Please check your spam/junk folder, in case it goes in there.
You can begin to complete the form as soon as you receive this. The form will be relatively straight forward, asking your personal details as well as details of your school. It is very important that these are accurate as we will use these to maintain contact with you.
Key areas to be mindful of;
- Please ensure that you use the same email throughout the process
- If your name changes during the application process, please contact the TRA to notify them of this. It is only once the TRA have confirmed this change, that we can then change it on our system. Please continue to use your old name until we have confirmed this change.
As well as your personal details, the application form will ask you 3 open questions:
- Why you have chosen to apply
- Your experience
- Why you have chosen the Church of England programme
Step 3 - Sponsor Endorsement
On your application form, you will also be asked to input your sponsor’s details. This is typically your headteacher (or governor, if you are a headteacher). Please let them know in advance that you have used their details - once you have submitted your form, they will receive the sponsor form to complete.
Once you submit your form, your part of the process is complete. The Church of England team will look over your application and you will hear from them in due course regarding the status of your application.
Find out more
Saffron Teaching School Hub is committed to working with schools in our area to build effective CPD pathways into their professional development programmes, continuing the 'golden thread' of teacher development from the early career years.
Why take an NPQ?
National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are a nationally recognised suite of qualifications for teachers and school leaders at all levels; from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across a trust or other group of schools.
NPQ courses are designed to help you hone and expand the abilities you already have, helping you become a more effective leader inside and outside the classroom. Completing an NPQ will support you on the next step in your career by offering practical support and guidance, and the core knowledge you need to help your school improve further. Wherever your teaching career takes you, having an NPQ can help you demonstrate your continued commitment to and expertise in school leadership and specialist areas of teaching practice.
The updated suite of NPQs is launching in November 2021. The courses have been revised to reduce the workload burden on teachers, while still providing the opportunity to develop and apply their learning.
The three existing NPQs in Senior Leadership, Headship and Executive Leadership have been refreshed, ensuring that they are underpinned by the latest evidence of what makes effective teaching
To better address the broad range of responsibilities of current and aspiring middle leaders, the existing Middle Leadership NPQ has been replaced with three new specialist NPQs. These specialist areas cover:
- Supporting the training and development of others, including early career teachers;
- Developing teachers who are subject leads or responsible for improving teaching practice in a subject or phase; and
- Developing teachers who have responsibilities for leading behaviour and culture.
These changes will ensure that NPQs continue to offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders in developing effective professional knowledge, skills and understanding.
NPQ Course Overview
Course Overview
SPECIALIST Programme |
Who is this programme for? |
Total Course Duration |
Self-Led Hours |
Live Teaching Hours |
Coaching Hours |
Where will learning take place? |
DFE Funded? |
NPQ Leading Teaching |
Subject/Curriculum/Key Stage leaders
|
15 months |
24 |
28 |
8 |
Virtually/ F2F in 18 local areas (covering every part of the country) |
✓ |
NPQ Leading Behaviour & Culture |
Pastoral/Behaviour Leaders, SENDCOs, Heads of Year/House, Chaplains
|
15 months |
18 |
25 |
8 |
Virtually/ F2F in 18 local areas (covering every part of the country) |
✓ |
NPQ Leading Teacher Development |
CPD Leads, ECF mentors,
|
15 months |
12 |
22 |
8 |
Virtually/ F2F in 18 local areas (covering every part of the country) |
✓ |
LEADERSHIP Programme |
Who is this programme for? |
Total Course Duration |
Self-Led Hours |
Live Teaching Hours |
Coaching Hours |
Where will learning take place? |
DFE Funded? |
NPQ Senior Leadership |
Aspiring/current Senior Leaders
|
21 months |
30 |
45 |
10 |
Virtually/ F2F Both Nationally & Regionally |
✓ |
NPQ Headship |
Aspiring/new Headteachers/Principals
|
21 months |
30 |
52.5 |
10 |
Virtually/ F2F Both Nationally & Regionally |
✓ |
NPQ New Headteacher Additional Support Offer |
For Headteachers in the first two years of headship who are studying the NPQH or who have previously completed the NPQH |
12/24 months |
Self-def-ined |
36 |
10 |
Virtually/ F2F In regional groups |
✓ |
NPQ Executive Leadership |
Aspiring/current Executive Leaders, MAT CEOs, Trust Improvement Directors, Executive Heads, Federation Leads
|
21 months |
25 |
62 |
20 |
Virtually/ National Residentials |
✓ |
How will the NPQs be assessed?
The NPQ Summative Assessments will take the form of a case study covering the content in the relevant NPQ Content Framework and represent a likely situation to be faced by a Teacher at the relevant NPQ qualification level or role. A different case study and mark scheme will apply for each cohort group.
Funding Eligibility
Teachers and leaders employed in state funded schools and state funded organisations including those that offer 16-19 places in England will be able to access a fully funded NPQ from Autumn 2021, to support teachers and pupils following the disruption to learning faced as a result of COVID-19.
DfE payment of £200 for each NPQ applicant to schools with 1-600 pupils
Are you in a state-funded school or 16-19 setting with between 1 and 600 pupils? If so, your school will be paid £200 for each teacher or leader who participates in an NPQ. For more information, click here.
This funding is aimed at helping teachers and leaders in smaller settings who may find it harder to engage with professional development.
Actual cost to schools
Although the programme fees are being fully funded, there will be a cost to the school for time that staff need to complete their programme. This will depend on the provider and the type of programme.
1. Which NPQs are fully funded?
Each qualification in the updated NPQ suite will be fully funded if the applicant meets the eligibility criteria outlined.
2. Who is eligible for funding?
Teachers and leaders employed in state funded schools and state funded organisations including those that offer 16-19 places in England will be able to access a fully funded NPQ from Autumn 2021, to support teachers and pupils following the disruption to learning faced as a result of COVID-19.
Applicants who are not eligible for scholarship funding, will still be able to undertake an NPQ but will be invoiced.
3. I have already registered to self-fund for an NPQ and am now eligible for funding, what happens?
For participants who have already registered for an NPQ on the DfE system, and are currently self-funding, there will be an automatic check against the new funding criteria. Where participants become eligible under the new criteria, funding status will be updated automatically and an email will be sent to inform participants they are now eligible for DfE NPQ scholarship funding. The relevant provider will be informed of this change, and those participants do not need to take any further action.
Church of England NPQ Facilitator and Coach Recruitment
Saffron Teaching School Hub is always keen to recruit excellent Facilitators and Coaches for our Church of England NPQ programme.
If you are interested in applying to be a facilitator please read the NPQ Facilitator Role Description (downloadable below) and complete our online application form.
If you are interested in applying to be a coach please email Lorraine Chedzoy, Saffron NPQ Administrator, on lchedzoy@swchs.net.