National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)

Develop the knowledge that underpins expert school leadership and apply it to become an outstanding headteacher.

Eligibility: Designed for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be headteachers. This programme will enable you to drive meaningful change in your school setting and focus on specific headship challenges in your school or trust.

Duration: 18 months

Curriculum:

Our NPQ for Headship course follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Headship.

You will learn how to:

• Set clear goals and communicate shared values that improve classroom and school culture
• Transform pupils’ knowledge, capabilities and beliefs about learning
• Create a fair and structured approach to learning and testing
• Establish a safe and positive environment for pupils
• Support colleagues to meet individual needs and make sure all pupils have access to a rich curriculum
• Lead school-wide professional development for staff
• Establish good financial, human and educational resource management
• Make and act on evidence-informed decisions
• Work well with parents, carers, other schools and the wider community
• Lead by example, be accountable for decisions and make sure staff know their professional responsibilities.

How you will learn:

The programme is delivered with a mixture of face-to-face and virtual sessions. The programme starts with a full-day Conference to introduce you to the structure and content of the course, allowing you to meet your Visiting Fellows and the wider NPQ cohort, a second full-day Conference will take place in year two.  

Each of the nine courses within the programme are taught through a combination of independent and paired self-study modules, a facilitated live clinic, supported by peer-led community sessions, and a school visit.

The North-West London Teaching School Hub team will be supporting you throughout your learning journey on the programme, tracking your progress and acting as your point of contact. 

Assessment:

You’ll sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which you respond to a short case study.

The assessment window starts at the end of the 18-month programme and runs for up to four months (subject to change by the DfE).

During this time:

• We will offer a live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.
• You’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
• Participants can sit the assessment twice, if they need to.
• You need to complete 90% of the programme and pass the assessment to gain the qualification.

Cost:

For autumn 2025, the NPQ for Headship is fully funded for state schools in England.

There are a limited number of funded places, which are available to those who:

• Are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
• Work in a state school in England.

Fully-funded spaces are filled up quickly, therefore we always advice early applications.

If you’re unsure whether you will qualify for this ‘pupil premium’ based on funding, please use the Ambition Institute online eligibility check tool, and/or contact us at npq@northwestlondontsh.org.uk and we will advice.

*Currently nurseries are not available yet on the tool. If you work in a nursery, please directly contact directly at npqadmissions@ambition.org.uk

If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ for Headship costs £1,949 plus VAT.

Self-funded payment options
If you are unable to access a DfE funded scholarship, you can pay for your NPQ.

Ambition Institute will invoice the school/trust contact you provide in your registration directly. Depending on your school type, they maybe be able to reclaim VAT.

If you are unable to come to an arrangement with your school, Ambition Institute can invoice you directly, but you will not be able to reclaim VAT.

Unfortunately, Ambition Institute do not offer payment plans for NPQ programmes.

The cost of your programme must be paid in full before the start of your programme. Ambition Institute are unable to offer refunds once you start the programme.

DfE funding restrictions
Due to limited DfE funding, eligibility for a scholarship does not guarantee a funded place.

If no funded places are available, you can:

• Join a waiting list with your chosen provider
• Pay for your place yourself
• Approach another NPQ provider

Facilitators:

Mel Hooson

John Keohane

Wren Academy

Further Info:

Only in exceptional circumstances may a participant request either a deferral or withdrawal from their programme. Participants should be aware that there is a process to follow which is outlined in Ambition’s Institute’s Deferral and Withdrawal Policy.

A participant considering withdrawal from an NPQ Programme should be aware that it is Department for Education Policy to only fund an NPQ course for a participant once. This means that a participant who starts a Department for Education funded NPQ course, and then withdraws from that course, will not be funded again for the same programme.